Ponyville Ciderfest 2023 Retrospective Blog Post (Attempt) · 12:03am Nov 29th, 2023
So, I was hoping to get to this earlier, but it shouldn't be too far off, hopefully! I definitely don't promise a complete look at the con or even my experience of it, but I thought that some retrospective would be better than no retrospective, so here we go. :)
I'd booked my long distance train tickets months in advance, and after the Cardinal was so late getting into NYP last year, I'd decided to take the Cardinal westbound this year and the Lake Shore Limited eastbound (though I think next year I might go back to the other way, especially if the Cardinal is running daily by then as it (again...) might be). This turned out to be fortuitous in that a parking garage over the tracks used by the Lake Shore Limited was having some structural issues and the running of the train I would have been using to get to Chicago was, as far as I recall, highly disrupted (and this was mostly or entirely resolved, it seemed, by the time of my return trip). Since the Cardinal leaves NYP so early in the morning, though, I'd decided to make a stopover in Wilmington, Delaware using some of the Hilton reward points I'd accumulated. That meant I set out on Tuesday.
Tuesday:
I caught the second of the two trains I'd been considering out of my local station that morning, after aiming for the first but hitting some delays, but I made it to the station, IIRC, in good time and the ride into NYP went fine.
For my train from NYP to Wilmington, if I remember correctly I'd happen to be booking at a time when the vagaries of the reservation system actually had a Northeast Regional business class seat cheaper than coach on the same train, so I'd gotten that. Business class on the Northeast Regional isn't much of an upgrade, but I'd certainly call it worth a negative cost. In any case, though, the train I was to be on was coming from Boston... aaaand got stuck on the way to New York City, behind a stuck-open movable bridge I think. So there was a rather annoying delay of an hour or so, but Amtrak ended up giving me some extra reward points for it (without me having to ask or anything).
I got to Wilmington alright, though after a slightly embarrassing incident of sitting, albeit briefly, in the wrong place in the cafe car, and the walk to the hotel went fine. The hotel was a bit worn, but adequate, and though the menu in the hotel restaurant wasn't what I'd found online, I found an adequate dinner. Well, I think.
Unfortunately, many nights of the trip, I think possibly all of them spent in non-moving beds, would be dogged by digestive difficulties. I'm not entirely sure why; my digestive system has some... issues. Fortunately, I don't think they directly impacted my enjoyment of the con, but they did further compromise my sleep which may have led to missing a little more than I would have otherwise. But it was a convention trip, so, who knows, maybe I'd have ended up just as tired but for less unpleasant reasons. I have a few ideas for preventing the same sort of thing next year, but I also don't recall anything like this last year, so... hopefully through some combination of luck and care, it won't crop up again. Eh.
Anyway, though, I did get some sleep that night, which brings us to...
Wednesday:
I woke up, got my things together, headed out, and walked back to the station.
Between, IIRC, making the reservations for Wilmington and actually going there, I'd learned that apparently it has quite a bad reputation for violent crime. I'm happy to say, though, that at least in the area I was in at the times I was in it, that didn't seem to be an issue at all, that I noticed. I think the least safe feeling aspect was instead the way a fair few drivers appeared to have mistaken their turn signals for decorative blinking lights the state of which need bear no relation to whether they were or weren't planning to turn, but that was manageable.
Anyway, I arrived at the station and easily found and was granted entrance to the small sleeper (Possibly also first class?) lounge for a brief wait for the train. Comfortable. But soon, it was time to head up to the platform, and before too long I'd gotten safely aboard the westbound Cardinal and started settling in.
On the current timetable, the westbound Cardinal stops in Wilmington early enough that breakfast is still available on the train, so I had two breakfasts, a lunch, and a dinner there over the course of the trip to Chicago. The ride was nice, the room was comfortable, the view had a fair few nice bits, in general, as expected, a pleasant experience.
Though I'm pretty sure that that night we went past a small forest fire right by the tracks, from what it looked like out the window and I think a slightly smell of woodsmoke that managed to make its way through the ventilation system. I tried to look it up later but didn't find much in the way of clear information. In any case, that was nervous-making for a little bit, but as we kept rolling, I fairly quickly worked out that it didn't seem like it was going to be my problem, at least. Still, I hope it wasn't too bad, if that was indeed what it was.
Thursday:
Ponyville Ciderfest Day Zero! Woke up on the train, at breakfast, rolled into Chicago Union Station, and headed to the Metropolitan Lounge to await my Hiawatha to Milwaukee. On the Discord I'd been talking with some people about maybe meeting up for the train up, but we completely failed to pull this off. Also, I went to the wrong place to get the train for the second year running.
See, there's a clear and obvious path to the platforms, with plenty of signs and clear sightlines and wide passages and windows out onto the platforms where the actual train you're waiting to board can be seen... and that is the wrong way to go to board the Hiawatha Service. Face the actual door to the actual platform which you will soon be going to, and turn around. See that glassed-in waiting area? That's where you're supposed to be. But the doors now right in front of you, the ones that give easy access to the platform and the obvious way to get to the train, aren't the way to get in there. No, see, from the great hall, you need to go straight ahead, towards the restrooms. Turn left around the blind corner, no, not the assisted boarding area that's now obvious, keep going forward/left/right around the bendy, relatively narrow passageway, and then you'll be in that glassed-in waiting area. Simple and obvious!
...Yeah, I don't know, people say NYP is hard to navigate, and maybe it is before one learn's one's way around, but after that one can just... go to the platform to get one's train? You can wait in a big line at a chokepoint in Moynihan or whatever if you want, but you can also just go to the train. Eh.
(Incidentally, IIRC at NYP this trip I on multiple occasions heard people instructed to get to Moynihan by going outside and across the street, which... yeah, you can do that, but why go out into the New York City November when you can just take the wide, gently-graded, no-need-to-dodge-motor-traffic indoor passageway?)
Well, in any case, I did make it onto the Hiawatha, this one using the new Venture cars, and a bit later I was in Milwaukee walking to the Hilton! I may have caught glimpses of fellow congoers along the way, not sure, but nothing more definite that that.
Once at the hotel, though! Ponies! :D
Checkin didn't have the same technically difficulties as last year (I think I did overhear them saying they'd accidentally run out of the type of room I had booked... but if they did, that's presumably the reason I got a complimentary upgrade, so not complaining), and soon I was up in my room. I'd luckily again gotten one on a floor low enough to be served by both sets of elevators, so it was basically just the cider lounge for which I'd need to rely on the congested main set.
I did soon discover, though, that the wifi internet access appeared to be terrible. I was at first concerned that it was a problem on my end (and this was also when I realized I'd left my ethernet adapter at home, though I don't know if the hotel room had an ethernet port anyway), but I soon found out that, no, it wasn't just me, it was a problem on the hotel's end, and it was being worked out. IIRC, it was resolved that night.
Off to badge pickup I went, though by this time rather tired (I don't think I'd had digestive difficulties the previous night, but, well, see above about "just as tired but for less unpleasant reasons". Because Con! Train! Yay, excitement! Sleep? :D), but I was able to rest my eyes in some of the chairs along the line's route.
Then food, and bed.
Friday:
Day One! :D
So, let's see, I think I got breakfast before going to opening ceremonies and know I did that, so let's pull out the con book for (hopefully) a memory refresh on what I did after that...
Ah, yes, directly to Fallout Equestria - What it is and Why You Should Care!, which I recall being fun and interesting. Though IIRC I checked later and I think Fiaura was wrong about us getting Project Horizons done in just 18 months. I'm not sure where that figure came from, actually.
So, then there's a gap in what I noted down... I think it was during this period I went to the help desk to pick up a loaner device for the interactive fiction aspect of the con, though, and then headed up to the cider lounge for the cider, the view, and some reading of codes I'd been noting down on paper and some more I'd found since. I don't think I went to the vendor hall Friday, just took a look at the size of the line.
Anyway, based on my notes and memories, I attended the first half of Writing Parody and Satire - a Guide, then went over to Spectrum of Thought. I don't seem to have any really strong memories of either, but I have positive impressions. Then I think I went back to my room, maybe read a bit more, checked up on some stuff online, aaaaand got read for the Gala. :D
Which was very good, I though, especially since this year I had shoes that actually fit and even tried participating in some of the dancing. Wasn't very good at it, but I had fun. :) Among other things it was an opportunity to wear a long formal dress, same as last year, though this year IIRC I didn't leave the hotel room at all Friday-Sunday inclusive except in some dress. I continue to consider the con a wonderfully accepting environment. :)
After the Gala (and going back to my room to change), hm, I think I ate, because this year I _had_ eaten at the Gala was but only lightly. Presumably something else happened in that time, but I don't recall what, maybe just catching up online or something, but the next thing I have noted down was The Bat Pony Stallions Appreciation Panel (18+), which was not quite what I expected from the name but still had some similaritieees, and then over to The Fillydelphia Fun Farm! A Celebration of Fallout: Equestria (18+) which was IIRC good but I was tired.
Saturday:
Day Two, the full day!
So, the first thing I've noted attending, though IIRC I got breakfast first, was actually one of the secret events discoverable through the interactive fiction aspect. This one, it turned out, was making Senor Butterscotch mask things. :D Mine ended up fairly simple, though IIRC did get one or two compliments; I mostly just copied the C.H.A.O.S. symbol's design onto it. Then I went to the Guest of Honor Script Reading, which was fun, and... did I have time to take the mask back to my room after that, to prevent damage? I may have. I was somewhat concerned about damage to it and ended up giving it to someone else to avoid it getting almost certainly destroyed on my way home -- but that's getting ahead of myself a bit.
In any case, next was back to back the Average New Gen Enjoyers Club, the Feelings Forum, and the Cosplay Competition (For which I was in the audience, not on stage, to be clear. :D Though I hadn't actually been planning to go and ended up going because I didn't have anything else firmly planned there and someone else mentioned it, I think wondering if I was going to compete even though I don't think my outfit was that close to cosplay? Eh, but it was fun, anyway, IIRC, so I think it worked out.).
IIRC, then I checked out the vendor hall and bought a couple of books, then the cider lounge again, aaaand then I had some other things I wanted to go to but ended up being too tired, alas.
Sunday:
Day Three! The last day of the con, sigh, but still good. After breakfast, IIRC, the first thing I went to was another secret event, where I also finally met up with AlwaysDressesInStyle. We happened to run into each other last year without even planning it and had been expecting to do so again this year, but it kept not working out -- so finally we actually did plan it. Well, the secret event was fun, we had some in-person catchup, and I gave him my Senor Butterscotch. I think we may have gone to the cider lounge at one point? Not sure. But I think that after that we went to the vendor hall; I didn't buy anything this time, but I did run into Somber right outside as we were leaving and have a nice chat with him. IIRC, later on that day I'd also run into Admiral Biscuit, and AlwaysDressesInStyle again. And that may also have been the day I ran into able-to-attend-after-all-hooray! Wanderer D, though that may have been a different day; still, Sunday feels like the day I kept running into people.
Anyway, though, the next event I have noted in my con book is The Story of the Story: How to Run a Storytelling Experience, which I recall being interesting. Then I think I went back to my room for a little bit, and then headed to...
The charity auction. Oh, my, the charity auction. I missed the beginning but still expected to be there for most of it, and, well, I was, but there ended up being rather more of it than expected. :D Lot of money for the humane society raised that day.
But then... closing ceremonies. Sigh. A wonderful time, though! Also, C.H.A.O.S. won and Fizzy was saved, both of which were what I'd ended up working for, so that worked out. :)
Oh, I've just noticed I appear to have forgotten to check closing ceremonies off in the book, though. Well, I know I was there, so I'll just get that taken care of now...
There. Guess I was a bit distracted at the time, or something. :D
Anyway, didn't end up doing much more that night, between tiredness and what was probably the worst night of the digestive issues. Shame, but... well, nothing's perfect, the con was still wonderful, and, hey, more room to hope for an even better time next year, perhaps it can be looked at as? :)
Monday:
But, of course, I didn't simply teleport home that night. I was feeling up to breakfast, so had it, then IIRC, finished packing, checked out, and successfully met up with some people for the southbound Hiawatha trip. Bit awkward at first, as I recall, with the con atmosphere already fading and all of us (I assume) tired, but we were soon pleasantly talking.
The Hiawatha south was using Horizon cars, as I recall. Fortunately, getting off the train in Chicago Union Station is simple.
The four of us hung out in the station for a bit, even took a picture (though I don't think I photographed particularly well in it, I usually don't think I photograph particularly well) in front of the big Christmas tree in the great hall, but soon it was time for us to start going our separate ways. One of our number was getting a Metra train out of Union Station, so headed off for it, but another was getting one out of the Ogilvie Transportation Center (what used to be the beautiful Chicago and North Western Terminal but back in the eighties fell victim to having its magnificent head house torn down and replaced with Yet Another Big Glass Box) and, IIRC, hadn't been there before. I had, albeit a grand total of twice, two legs of a round trip, so I provided something of a guide. They also asked me to sign a couple of volumes of Project Horizons they had with them and had already gotten signed by Somber, which was nice and I'm pretty sure the first time I signed something in earnest as Reese.
Well, down to two, now, and mostly hanging out in the Metropolitan Lounge, tiredly trying to make sense of the movies playing on the upper level. Then their train's departure was delayed but still earlier than mine, so just me. And then I learned the upper level of the Metropolitan Lounge closes earlier than the rest, so I just walked around a bit, then got my luggage together and rested my eyes in a chair in the lounge lobby, very much ready to get aboard my train.
When boarding was finally called, though, I got a second wind! Wouldn't last long enough for me to do much other than get settled into my room, it'd turn out, but it did do that, and my, how much of a difference it made settling comfortably onto the train rather than waiting in the station.
Tuesday:
I slept well, and had a pleasant ride with pleasant food and pleasant views, just generally nice. Though I had gotten a Viewliner I instead of a Viewliner II, and I do think that while I prefer the Viewliner I roomettes due to the extra facilities, I prefer the Viewliner II bedrooms. Still, it was quite nice enough.
As usual, a little bit of a shock getting off a sleeper train into NYP, but this time, at least, it was earlier enough that I could spend most of the layover in the Metropolitan Lounge. Maybe should have taken a longer layover and caught a later train, though, because the LIRR train I did get on was packed. IIRC it was a couple of stops before I was able to get a seat at all. Then when we got to Huntington, it turned out that the train I needed to transfer to was not further along the same platform but instead on the other platform, requiring me to hurry up and over. I did get aboard, but I'm pretty sure it's at that point I lost my umbrella. Not the first umbrella I've lost on a trip, nor particularly expensive nor bearing a great deal of sentimental value or anything, but still, annoying.
Especially since the walk between my home station and my house was the first time on the entire trip I'd actually been walking in the rain. My luggage seems to have kept its contents dry enough, though, and I was in my lovely wool longcoat. Wind can give it trouble, finding its way into every opening, but it deals with precipitation wonderfully.
Well, then I was home, and unpacking, and I've been catching up on things. Now I've finally gotten to the point of typing this up, and I do believe that once I post this and do a planned profile page update, that'll be the last of the stuff in my con sequence for the year, pretty much.
I still don't know if I'll be making any cons next year other than PVCF24 (it seems fairly unlikely), but I'm definitely looking forward to that one! It's going to be back in the Hyatt, slightly father from the station and with much less style, from what I've seen, but many of those who've been to PVCFs there before seem quite enthusiastic about the change. Well, I can already see positives, myself, and there may well be more to discover; I'm still glad I got two years at the grand old Hilton, though.
In any case, I'm rather behind schedule, so I think I'd better be posting this and getting on with things.
Thank you to everyone who made the con such a wonderful time, though!
It was nice to see you, even if it was just briefly!
I assume most cars come with them for decorative purposes only.
Ponies make everything better!
Lucky! Of course, that won't be a problem next year with the con relocating.
Glad you had fun at the Gala! I enjoyed watching the G1 movie instead. Dancing isn't really my thing. But yay for acceptance!
Sorry you couldn't take it home with you, and thank you for gifting it to me!
I also see why we never ran into one another on Friday or Saturday. I was at none of those events - the only one I was in the vicinity of was the script reading, which was too peopley for my liking. I don't like large crowds so I kinda hung out in the hallway but didn't end up hearing much of it.
Indeed! I was supposed to go to the Villains meetup (I got their secret code word), but NavalColt also had the Chaos meetup code word, so I tagged along with him.
We did, indeed, go to the cider lounge for a bit. If I remember correctly, we had others in tow (I think perhaps NavalColt and Admiral Biscuit)?
The charity auction was epic. I'm looking forward to the creativity theme for PVCF '24 and I'm wondering just what that's going to entail. I hope to participate like I did with this year's theme (which was a lot of fun!). I'm also glad Fizzy Glitch was saved! I couldn't resist getting her plush.
You mentioned you weren't feeling so hot. Sorry to hear that this plagued you throughout the con. I take it you never did get dinner Sunday night?
To quote Prince Whateverer, I'll see you at the con!
PVCF is my favorite of the cons I've attended, so if you can only make it to one, you're making the right choice.
5757061
Indeed!
Especially since it meant you were able to make it to the con after all. :)
5757062
"I assume most cars come with them for decorative purposes only."
Heh. Maybe it particularly stood out to me in Wilmington due to, IIRC, a lot of one-way roads?
"Ponies make everything better!"
:D
"Lucky! Of course, that won't be a problem next year with the con relocating."
Yep! Well, hopefully. I have some idea what the elevator situation is like at the Hyatt, but no direct experience; hopefully the lifts in general aren't as congested, rather than it being more as if everyone's having to use the Hilton's primary set.
"Glad you had fun at the Gala! I enjoyed watching the G1 movie instead. Dancing isn't really my thing. But yay for acceptance!
"
Thanks! And glad you had fun watching the G1 movie. :)
Did we see that last year, or was that something else?
(And as for the dancing, I suppose I might be compared to Twilight Sparkle a bit there in terms of it being my thing: it was fun, but I was not very good at it. :D
[shrugs] Granted, I don't do it very much, so possibly I'd be better with practice.)
"Sorry you couldn't take it home with you, and thank you for gifting it to me!
"
Hey, sounds like it worked out pretty well. :)
"I also see why we never ran into one another on Friday or Saturday. I was at none of those events - the only one I was in the vicinity of was the script reading"
Ahh. And presumably we just happened to not overlap in the cider lounge.
"which was too peopley for my liking. I don't like large crowds so I kinda hung out in the hallway but didn't end up hearing much of it."
Ah, sorry. I'm not a great fan of being in crowds either, but the script reading's wasn't too bad for me, that I recall.
"Indeed! I was supposed to go to the Villains meetup (I got their secret code word), but NavalColt also had the Chaos meetup code word, so I tagged along with him."
Glad it worked out!
"We did, indeed, go to the cider lounge for a bit. If I remember correctly, we had others in tow (I think perhaps NavalColt and Admiral Biscuit)?"
Ah, thanks.
And yeah, I think NavalCot was there, but... didn't we only run into Admiral Biscuit at the same time later? I recall briefly speaking to him at least once without you present, but I don't recall... wait, or did we meet in the lift? Hm. Yeah, I'm not sure.
"The charity auction was epic."
Indeed. :D
"I'm looking forward to the creativity theme for PVCF '24 and I'm wondering just what that's going to entail."
Aye! Though I'm not sure the staff have entirely figured it out yet either. :D
"I hope to participate like I did with this year's theme (which was a lot of fun!)."
Good luck!
"I'm also glad Fizzy Glitch was saved! I couldn't resist getting her plush."
:)
"You mentioned you weren't feeling so hot. Sorry to hear that this plagued you throughout the con."
Yeah, it was not fun; thanks. But now those memories seem to be nicely detached from the sensations of the time, while the happy memories are retaining their emotional connections (indeed, the emotional connection's stronger than some of the recollections of the actual events). So I think I'm retaining data that'll very hopefully help prevent a repeat, with the overall experience of the trip feeling even more overwhelmingly positive in retrospect than it was at the time. :)
I mean, still not perfect, I've still had to fight off some frets about whether I could have handled this or that social thing better or how I allocated time to A instead of B and was that _really_ the best choice, but even the worst of the former I think wasn't that bad and could maybe be considered a useful learning experience, while the latter, well, even if I may have not been managing to run right up against the limit, the existence of that limit is just a part of the con experience.
"I take it you never did get dinner Sunday night?"
Yeah, IIRC, I woke up from the nap, considered how I was feeling, considered heading out into the cold Milwaukee night to a place I'd not been before, considered that I'd still have to walk back even if it turned out the food did the reverse of helping, and decided to try and make it to breakfast instead. Was feeling up to breakfast by the time that time did roll around, happily, and while there was a little more distress later in the day and I ended up just having some free food bars and apple juice in the Metropolitan Lounge, that night I slept soundly on the train.
"To quote Prince Whateverer, I'll see you at the con!
PVCF is my favorite of the cons I've attended, so if you can only make it to one, you're making the right choice."
Here's to everything working out for another year there, for both of us! :D
(Oh, and I've now replaced the umbrella, by the way.)
5757489
Something else - they were having trivia and watching episodes. I got to win some ponies. G3 Skywishes & G3 Green Apple.
Being good at something doesn't matter, the important part is that you had fun.
Indeed!
I heard it was awesome so I'm sad I passed on it. It couldn't have been worse than the auction, which was a packed house.
They've probably got a pretty good idea or they wouldn't have had it as an option for the theme.
Nostalgia has already set it.
As well it should! In the grand scheme of things, PVCF ranks as one of the most fun things I've ever done. I can't really think of any negatives aside from 'it was too short' and 'it went too fast' (so maybe nostalgia is already setting in for me too).
I know those feelings. When you replay things you did over and over trying to figure out if you made the right choice or not. It's a bad habit I'm guilty of too.
Of all the places to sleep soundly, I wouldn't have expected the train.
I'll raise a glass of cider to that!
Good!
5757542
"Something else - they were having trivia and watching episodes. I got to win some ponies. G3 Skywishes & G3 Green Apple."
Ah, thanks.
"Being good at something doesn't matter, the important part is that you had fun."
Heh, well, thanks. :)
"Indeed!"
:)
"I heard it was awesome so I'm sad I passed on it."
Ah, sorry.
"It couldn't have been worse than the auction, which was a packed house."
I was riiiiight in the far back corner of that, right by the wall and AV. Had a chair for most of it though, fortunately.
"They've probably got a pretty good idea or they wouldn't have had it as an option for the theme."
[shrugs]
I mean, I assume they have some idea, yeah; what I heard may have been in large part a joke. But either way, I think we've ample reason to trust they'll pull it off. :D
"Nostalgia has already set it.
As well it should!"
Yeeep. :D
"In the grand scheme of things, PVCF ranks as one of the most fun things I've ever done. I can't really think of any negatives aside from 'it was too short' and 'it went too fast' (so maybe nostalgia is already setting in for me too)."
Glad it's gone so well for you! :D
And yeah, sometimes I've questioned how good an impression the cons have made on me, because, well, what about X, Y, and Z unpleasant aspects? But the good parts have just been so good that they just tend to overwhelm everything else. :)
"I know those feelings. When you replay things you did over and over trying to figure out if you made the right choice or not. It's a bad habit I'm guilty of too."
Ah, sorry. Yeah.
"Of all the places to sleep soundly, I wouldn't have expected the train."
Oh, really? Why?
"I'll raise a glass of cider to that!"
Don't have any cider at the moment, but I've just raised some water. :D
"Good!"
Yep. Haven't tested this one yet, but it's more umbrella than no umbrella.