I want to go to a Worldcon some day. First held in 1939, Worldcon is a movable feast of the BIG Science Fiction conventions. Each year it is held in a new city. This summer it is being held in Denver and the Ghost of Honor is Robert A. Heinlein.
My single experience with a convention was at a local fantasy convention. It seemed to me it was mostly about weirdly dressed unattractive people, heavily into Zena Warrior Princess. I wandered around and found the ambiance antagonistic. A fifty something incognito hippy with a bad attitude was obviously not part of anyone’s peer group. I never did find where the talks and discussion groups were being held and I left after less than an hour – more like fled.
I think that a Science Fiction convention would be a better experience, especially Worldcon, where there is less of an emphasis on carrying a sword and more of a tendency to carry phasers set on kill.
I calculated the cost to go to Denver for a couple of days and it comes to about $900. If I needed actual contact with humans or near humans, I felt I would not be spurned if I crashed the SamsDot table. I think there would be some interesting discussions there. I wanted to meet the Tales of the Talisman people and other editors where I’ve sold a story. I want to stand in the back of the room and heckle any editors speaking there that may have sent me a rejection note. I would have brought my harps to the Filk song sessions and bought enough books to last me a few weeks.
$900 is just too much for a couple of nights in Denver, even if there’s a chance at interesting human contact.
Worldcon is being held in Montreal next year. I’ll just have to wait until then and hope that the balance of trade swings back a little. There’s a train that leaves from New York for about $250. It might be cool to get drunk with E. Jim and Bob Sawyer. (I just checked and Edmonton is quite a ways from Montreal and the train fare for E Jim is about $800. Maybe he can hitchhike. The longest I’ve ever hitched was 200 miles, and would be 5 times that.)
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You will miss a good time. I’ve never been to a WorldCon, but I’m definitely looking forward to this one.
Well just for the Air fare to Montreal using econo class would cost about $468. Not including tax and other costs. Then there is the hotel room which is about $100/night (guessing here)So for a Friday and Saturday night, this would be $668. Not including tax. GST and PST applicable. Of course for meals and the like, I’d be looking at least $1,000. Just to do it right.
I like the idea though of heckling editors. I’ve gotten a few rejections in my day. Maybe not as many as you guys. As for the beers that’d be cool but I think RJS would be a little to hoi paloi for us comon folk to drink with.
Last time I hitched a ride was 1991from Edmonton to Calgary. My buddy and I scored a ride strait to Edmonton. We got a ride within five minutes of sticking out the thumb.
I think getting down to Denver would be cheaper then Montreal.
Jim
pardon me, from Calgary to Edmonton. We got stranded in Calgary that weekend, but that’s another story.
Jim
I ask you, who else would RJS rather hang with? I can’t imagine.
Hotel room might not be an issue. Bring a sleeping bag and karma will find you a corner in some room. Food also might not be an issue. There will be snacks and buffets and people sending for pizza. Bring enough money for beer, is all. You will have to buy a round eventually.
A bus might get you to Montreal, and I suspect there will be more than one person caravaning East and you could hitch a ride as long as you helped with the gas. It might be several days drive, though. My grandfather used to ride to Florida in under 24 hours with no stops – and my grandmother didn’t drive. That’s 1300 miles.
Denver seems like the real party, though. I wonder if anyone from New York is driving? It’s about 1800 miles and two or three days of almost non-stop driving. It would be about $700 in gas round trip. It’s cheap with 4 people. There’s be some bad smells in the car before its over.
Kerouac drove from New York to Denver in two days but he had a crazy speed freak driving.
There’s also Via rail and that could be even cheaper then Greyhound bus.
I went from Edmonton to Minniapolis in 1997 for an Amway convention. Fir the time I was ther in minni, I enjoyed myself. Nice City. It was a private charter snd was a group rate and I can’t recall how much that was.
Denver might be short notice but Montreal is a *slim* outside possibility. 1,000-1 odds against it.
Jim