And I couldn't have had a more enjoyable time! What a wonderful experience!
And it was at a wonderful venue. I had not attended an event in our downtown convention center for many years. Probably two or three renovations ago. So I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a really great place to sit around and talk about books.
In future posts I'll get to what we specifically (possibly too-specifically for my non-geek readers) talked about, as well as some of the convention-related sights I took in. But to start with I thought I'd show off this very nice, and very large, convention space. (I hear they're planning on expanding it in the next few years, but I can't imagine needing to find your way around a space any bigger!)
Being unable to go long hours without sustenance (unlike some members of my family) I was a little concerned about the food situation at the convention. Would I have to buy over-priced junk food to survive when busy with programs from 10 am to 10 pm? But all turned out well on the provisions front. I was able to take in nuts, raisins, and granola bars without hassle (although I don't think this permissiveness extends to all events that might be held here) and supplement that fare with not-terribly-expensive tea from the snack bar you see above, when needed. (Plus, I got to go out to lunch and dinner a few times with friends, so all-in-all, I was well-nourished.)
The broad, airy space where the snack bar is located is just visible in the bottom third of my first picture. It makes a striking impression from the outside and is quite a nice place to stroll and refuel from the inside.
One of the neatest things about our convention center is that it's right on our wonderful River Walk, served by an extension of the San Antonio River's big commercial loop. (I took a great ride around this loop and into the extension last spring, as you might remember.) You can see a bit of the "snack bar bridge" in the photo above, too; the River goes right under it on for a little while. And where it stops, the River tourist barges make their turnaround. So as I and my fellow convention-goers were hurrying from program to program on this lower level, we were often treated to the sight of colorful barges full of weekend sightseers.
It also made a very nice walk for me in the mornings, strolling from my bus stop a few blocks away (no parking hassles!). I could walk all the way along the River. (And I took advantage of these perambulations to take some pictures of the ever-fascinating river scenery—I'll share them with you in a future post.)
A bit beyond the turnaround point, there's this nice grotto-like fountain...a welcome respite from the heat for folks out and about on the River (and a respite from the cold air-conditioning for us in the meeting rooms!).
Also right along the River extension is the Lila Cockrell Theatre, named after a beloved former mayor, with its wonderful mosaic mural:
One aspect of the convention center that I appreciated so much is not nearly as sublime, but was certainly welcome—the plethora of restrooms! It was great! It's a very large space, with multiple sub-areas for different activities. And, to be honest, it's not always easy to find your way about. But at least, no matter where you are, if the need arises, you're not far from a well-kept restroom. (Bonus: many had accompanying water fountains, too!)
One of the facilities in the area where I spent most of my time was, however, probably the strangest public restroom I've ever seen. On the plus side, there were lots of stalls...
...but on the minus, you could NOT tell if any of them were unoccupied! Take a look at the photo above. I took it early one morning and I was the only person in the place. But doesn't it look like the stalls are all full?!
What you had to do was walk along the row and push on each door, waiting for one to open for you. And if you came into the restroom at a busy time of day, when there was a line forming, you had no idea if the ladies in the line knew about the facility's peculiarities. I often just hollered out, "They might not all be full! Have you checked?"
But overall I was very pleased with our city's big convention showcase, a great place to spend a magical 5 days.
Next up, I'll show you some of the things that you might expect to see in a report of a science fiction convention. Then, I'll tell you about some things that you might not.
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