A couple of weeks ago, I sallied forth for the first convention of my 2012 travel season: Chattacon 37. I’d been to this one once before, and between the good experience then, the GoH list for this one, the setting, and finding myself with a gap in the schedule-that-was, it only remained to find out if the folks at Chattacon could slip me into the support guest list. They could, and ducks lining up in the logistics department made it possible to kick off the year at this very fine convention.
Travel
If the rest of the year’s transits are a smooth as the first trip, it’s going to be a very easy year. There and back again involved direct American Eagle RJ flights between DFW and Chattanooga’s airport. Flawless handling of the battlechairot by the airline, fast reuniting me with chair and luggage, and friendly personnel at every turn. High marks for the TSA agents in both Dallas and Chattanooga who handled my patdowns: both demonstrated efficiency while demonstrating that professionalism can come with a smile and good humor.
Ground transport to and from the hotel was handled by Dewey, head of hotel security, and three of his people, just as it was the last time I was there a couple of years ago. Southern gentlemen for the win!
The Hotel
There is nothing quite like a 100-year-old train station lovingly converted into the main building of a hotel complex for ambiance, especially with a vintage locomotive, railroad cars turned into Victorian sleeping accommodations and a fine dining venue, and nifty shops and restaurants out the back door. Add a convention center, three additional hotel buildings, and as good a hotel staff as I’ve ever encountered, and what’s not to love? I adore the Historical Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel and its people.
Granted, it’s spread out to the point that I made sure the battlechairiot had a full charge every morning, and worried a good bit when the forecast called for thunderstorms most of the weekend. But between judiciously ducking through buildings, covered walkways for all but a couple of dashable stretches, and fortuitous timing between showers, I managed not to have to break out the Rubber Duckie rain poncho or call for six husky guys and a sedan chair. I loved ghosting between the lines of sleeper cars (the route between my hotel building, the terminal building, and the convention center. Especially at night, when the sense of history lay thick and the sense that inhabitants of that history still waited for their trains was unavoidable.
My accommodations were near unto perfect. A huge room, with balcony facing the courtyard pool area, that couldn’t have been a better in terms of accessibility if I’d designed it myself. Especially the bathroom, with a roll-in shower big enough to shower with a friend or six. Very comfortable indeed, with good wifi and a crack housekeeping staff. The only downside was that it was, understandably enough, the “Party Building”. Not a problem on Friday night, but Saturday night was industrial-strength boisterous. I slept, if one can call it that, in ten-minute increments. I will admit to taking a certain wicked pleasure on Sunday in identifying the heartiest partiers; they were primarily young males bleeding to death from the eyeballs and unable to talk above a whisper. Ah, karma.
It’s a rare convention where I don’t either miss at least a few meals or end up digging into the survival rations I pack into my luggage. This time around, I ate regularly, inexpensively, and very well, thanks to the hotel’s well-executed menu and the excellent buffets the hotel fielded for breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the convention.
Friends, Fans, and Fellow Professionals
I mentioned that one of the draws for me this year was the roster of “headliners:, which I described during one of the Q&As as being any WorldCons dream team: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, and Laura Anne Gilman as Authors GoHs, John Picaccio as Artist Goh, Rachel Caine as Special Guest, and Mark Van Name as ToastMaster. Most I’ve known and worked conventions with for years, all of whom I’m fond and have a great deal of respect for, and all just plain fine folks to be around. Add to that a whole raft of con-runners and friends from the area and other conventions, and it felt like a family reunion. I laughed a lot, enjoyed many good conversations and meals in good company, and enjoyed the cozy feeling of knowing that people I trust (thank you, Regina, Kris & Edward!) had my back. (More people than I knew at the time had it, as it turned out, and my thanks to all of them.)
The Programming
My individual schedule, as expected, was light: the all-hands Opening Ceremony and Meet The Pros Reception on Friday evening, two panels (“The Best Book I Ever Read” with Warren Lapine and the last-minute and most welcome addition of Rachel Caine, and “Welcome to My World”, on the topic of what being a writer, editor, and publisher is *really* like) and a signing (much fun and half the copies of *Ladies of Trade Town* I brought found happy new homes) on Saturday. Which, in this instance, was fine, since it gave me more time to visit with friends and attend a few panels and presentations as audience. I particularly enjoyed Britt Griffith’s presentation on being an investigator on *Ghost Hunters*, and the GoH Q&A.
Chattacon is a consistently good convention in a wonderful venue, put on by people who know how to do it right. I’ve very glad I was able to kick off my convention year in this kind of style.
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excited
bouncy
contemplative