This is my sixth Worldcon and I can safely say, definitely in my top three....perhaps even number one. I need to let the trip gel a bit before finally deciding.
2000 - Chicago, IL
2004 - Boston, MA
2008 - Denver, CO
2009 - Montreal, Canada
2011 - Reno, NV
2012 - Chicago, IL
My friend and I met at O'Hare airport on Wednesday where our adventures began. We took the train from the airport to downtown, where you climb from subterranean depths to the surface much like a jet-lagged mole, disorientated and blinking, only to stagger out onto the street underneath Chicago's famous "L" line and towering skyscrapers. Completing the lack of orientation to where anything is or in what direction you should go. A friendly local got us pointed in the right direction and we trotted off to the Hyatt hotel, right on the Chicago River.
Since the convention didn't start until Thursday, and we had plenty of daylight left, exploring was first order of the afternoon. We headed off to Millennium Park and its numerous gardens, the famous reflecting Jelly Bean, and the fountain made famous in the 1980's TV show Married with Children.
Thursday morning we signed up for an Architechtural Boat Tour on the Chicago River; 90 minutes of slowly cruising the turbid waters while looking ever upward at a fantastic history of Chicago as seen through its buildings. Then it was off to the convention!
Panels of Note:
Thursday
Sometimes Things go Wrong in Space yes, yes, they do. A discussion of things that have gone wrong on many many space missions.
GoH Reading: Mike Resnick
Friday
Hubble Space Telescope Images from the Hubble. AWESOME
End of the Space Shuttle Era Really, it's all I've ever known....
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein A discussion of Frankenstein. Very good.
Exoplanets, Exobiology, Extensions of SF Brain was starting to shut down at this point. Was good, but I was tired and losing interest.
And the Alder Planetarium which would have been even better with about 500 less people! Since this was a free event for the con (except for the $5.00 to pay for the movie), it was packed.
Saturday
The Lives and Deaths of Stars MORE images from the Hubble and its sisters. AWESOME!!
The Art of the Cover Pose this was hilarious. Check out Jim C. Heins website on the inspiration for this panel: Jim Heins Strikes a Pose
Extrasolar Planets
Curiosity: The Mars Science Laboratory
Best New SF&F Authors of the 21st Century much to my satisfaction, I've read quite a bit of the authors mentioned, but did come away with a few new names.
Sunday
Galaxies, The Universe MORE images from the Hubble and its sisters AWESOME!!!
Ceres, Our Nearest "Dwarf" Planet
Guest Astronaut Interview: Story Musgrave Omg! Go read his autobiography NOW!
Future Worldcons Strut Their Stuff San Antonio 2013, London 2014, (up for bids) Helsinki, Orlando, Spokane 2015
Hugo Award Ceremony
Monday
Travel
So, a plethora of great programing to choose from. If anything, it was a bit overwhelming and I felt a strong urge to clone myself so I could be in more than one spot at the same time. I did lean heavily toward the science panels this go around. The presenter for the Hubble panels (Christan Ready) was a great presenter and really, who doesn't enjoy a slide show from the depths of space?
Okay, so far all I've done is gush about the convention, but I'll touch on a couple of less than stellar aspects too:
Elevators. 5000 people using 6 elevators. You do the math. Kudo's to the hotel staff/security for making this a smooth as possible endeavor.
Consuite. Again, my thanks to the volunteers who tried, but the consuite was found to be lacking. It was smelly, often in need of cleaning, empty bins when I did swing through a couple of times, unhygienic, and, in my humble opinion, should not be set up to feed a convention.
Hugo Award Ceremony. One of the Big Events that I look forward too, and while Chicon did make an attempt to shorten this (much appreciated), it was still 2 1/2 hours long, in a stuffed auditorium. People were three deep along the walls. I would have preferred to have watched this via hotel TV from my room, in my jammies, like they did in 2000, rather than making a mad dash during the last "thank-yous" for the doors and 6 elevators.
Chicago's restaurants. We ate at a different place just about every day (breakfast being the exception). I can honestly say no particular meal was a "shout out". Lots of just mediocre dinners. Disappointing for the area.
Next on deck: San Antonio, 2013!
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| My ever present traveling companions, the Pirate Ducs! |
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