alt.polycon

[baratron]

After months of dithering about whether or not I wanted to go to visit the US, which is rapidly becoming a very scary place with fingerprinting at Customs, hoping that Kerry would win the election so it would become less scary, and being upset when he didn't, I've decided that I will be extremely miserable if I don't go to alt.polycon. This decision has been strengthened by the fact most of my kiddies have their exams on 18th January - which is extremely convenient in terms of me being able to get away the weekend of 21st. So I'm currently looking into flights etc.

Just wondered a) who is and isn't going to be at alt.polycon and b) if any Americans want me to come & visit them after the con. I'll be going on my own, because both partners think the US is too scary to visit at the moment. I'm planning to go to New York to visit the Pokemon Center, but New York isn't exactly the sort of place I'd want to go to without a native guide. So if I don't actually know anyone who lives that way, I'll probably just go for the day on my way home. I'd like to go to Seattle, but I don't know if it's going to fit in with other plans, as it's sort of the wrong end of the country.

Update: have found an airline routing that goes (wait for it):
Heathrow --> Chicago --> Baltimore --> Boston --> Newark --> Seattle --> Chicago --> London (!).

That'll cost ~£570 with American Airlines, inc taxes. It's a bit more than I want to spend, and will increase by £70 for each city I stop in, depending on how long the stopovers are. It also involves slightly more planes than I feel comfortable with (bearing in mind that I am fairly phobic of plane travel anyway, and the number of trees that I will need to have planted to balance up the carbon dioxide). I will try a couple more companies that are more used to dealing with students, to see whether they can come up with something that involves buses or trains. OR is there anyone driving who can give me a lift all or part of the way?

Does anyone in (or near) Chicago or Boston want to see me? ;)

Comments

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Ohmigod!! Really?!?! That would be the best.

curiousangel and I love playing tour guide in the Baltimore/Washington DC area, if you want to stay here for a couple days after the con.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Yep, really :) Like I said, I've been thinking about it basically since alt.polycon 11 (which confirmed that I really don't want to miss another one unless something MAJOR comes up). I'll sort out Paypal for membership when the flights are confirmed. Do you know of anyone who has already bought a membership and now needs to sell it?

In the summer you had a visiting exchange student who wanted to go to New York, and you found a bus which'd take 6 hours to get there, leaving at godawful am. Will that be running in January?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

It's actually much less than 6 hours, and there are several buses a day. They are not very comfortable - that's my only warning - but the price is right.

Chinatown bus info here (https://www.apexbus.com/BuyTicket.aspx?from=13&to=2).

Oh, and firecat is probably willing to sell her membership. She's decided not to go.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

baratron, could you please fill out a registration form and send it in? Or at least e-mail me with your name as you want it to appear on your badge, preferred e-mail for contact, location, and dietary restrictions.