Everfree Northwest June Ko-Fi Drive: Update (or: State Of The Insanity) · 4:57pm Jun 14th, 2022
Before we get into the details and changes since we last spoke, I need to tell the group something important. We'll get to the actual blog after this crucial news break.
As of my last contact with the convention's hotel partner, Thursday (8/25) and Sunday (8/28) at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue are fully booked. This isn't just the EFNW group rate rooms: the entire hotel is sold out. It's possible that space may open up if people cancel, but there is no waiting list: you would have to call at just the right time.
If you're planning on attending and don't have a place to stay yet, you may want to start making reservations now.
Kind of had to let y'all know that. If it saves one person from being locked out...
And now, the update. What's being done, what's been spent, obstacles popping up everywhere... the works.
Brace yourselves. This is gonna be long.
The initial goal number has been reached.
(Stun.)
(Shock.)
(Reeling.)
(Gratitude. Guilt. Emotional debts which can't be repaid.)
...now what?
I've started to make and execute plans for the trip: the latter mostly means stabbing myself a lot. Because things have changed. Some expenses are being paid, while others have yet to be settled. I wound up adding one potentially-major cost. But a single aspect has come in under guessed budget -- while another may be about to head through the stratosphere, and the only ways to avoid it are either prayer or spending. I'm not committing to either one.
I'm going to walk everyone through what I've done so far. But let's hit the Big Stupid factor.
I am now going to be in Seattle through late Monday night.
...yeah. Gotta explain that.
On June 2nd, Vantiveer sent me a message. Turns out finding cheap flights runs in their family, and they had a travel suggestion for me: a Seattle roundtrip run which came in at a base cost of $510. That's a pretty significant savings, and it also avoided the Nine Layover Hell Hours In Las Vegas of the next-cheapest airline. I offered thanks and promised to keep that one in mind.
But I didn't start on anything until the total was reached. And by the time that happened, the flight had gone up to $610.
...right. This is why I put a priority on booking everything fairly early. Ticket costs are always volatile, and the surging price of fuel is making an already-unstable market that much worse.
But they also mentioned something else.
Update: coming back Monday drops the price to 436, but hotel/motel costs may not make that a real savings and it's a 6am flight
Well... yeah. Extra hotel day and all. Plus by the time I got to seriously think about paying for the ticket, that return flight had gone up too. But there was one other factor.
I can't get a red-eye out of my area to Seattle. I can get one going back.
Number and flight juggling began.
So here's where we stand.
I will be landing in Seattle on Thursday night, at an hour of Pretty Late. (How late? Enough that I was worried about reaching any hotel before my reservation outright expired -- or, if the flights were delayed enough, missing the last bus out.) I'll be flying back shortly before midnight on Monday.
(So yes: it's now a four-night hotel booking. We'll get to that.)
Why would I do this to myself?
Two reasons. The first is flight costs. Bringing things in under the guessed budget frees up some money for other things, and part of that can be an extra night in a hotel. But the other... is a pretty basic truth.
I may never be here again.
What if this is the only time I'm ever in the Seattle area? The last time I get to go anywhere at all? Because everything is fragile, everything, and the whole can fall apart at any moment.
I've said that I've been beating myself up somewhat for thinking about going at all. Here's one of the reasons why.
The expenses involved in this trip represent one month of my life.
Everything it takes to attend this convention for a few days... to reach it, have a bed, wander around panels and look at Huckster Hall, eat and drink and stay anonymous... that money is my rent, utilities, car insurance, fuel, food, and everything else it takes to survive one typical month. And when I look at it that way? Congratulations: you just shortened your lifespan. For an experience.
But I never would have had the chance if I hadn't said something. Or the money towards that experience. (I will still put forward a guilt-riddled argument about not feeling like I deserve it. I've been checking the amount and drop account email every few days. I have to look today. I've been... crying a little. Again.) And it's not just about how long you live, but what you can do with that time.
(Remind me that I said that when I'm sleeping on a park bench. Just for the laugh.)
Will there be an Everfree Northwest next year? I don't know. Will FIMFic still be fully active? Will I have a Patreon which lets me sustain? What will the state of the fandom be like? Will Hitch actually get merchandise? I can't predict any of it, except for the Hitch part because clearly that's a no. And if we were all still around a year from now, still intact, and I said 'one convention a year, no more' and people were still somehow willing to help me... would I go back?
I can't predict next year. I have a hard time with next week. But if everything was stable -- yes, I just laughed -- and there was only one con...
...I might aim east.
(Think about it.)
(If there's any excess Ko-Fi funds from this campaign, any major savings which come from getting in under expected total costs... maybe that's what it gets put on hold for. A base for a theoretical next year, and going east.)
I may never be in Seattle again.
One free day of dragging a suitcase behind me. Let me see some part of it.
Just for the experience.
So I said this before, and now I have to repeat it: I would appreciate recommendations on things to do in the city. Because that's now what Monday is for. When doing so. keep the following in mind:
* I will have no car. It's walking or mass transit. I've been told about beautiful parks and wildlife hikes. I would love to see them. They're also fifty-five miles away. And renting a vehicle for one day should not be added to the cost sheet.
* If you're recommending a place to eat, it has to be both affordable and no more than an hour in and out. Also, I don't drink coffee.
* I don't mind the touristy things, but they need to have Experience value. I've already been told that the Space Needle is overrated.
* Right now, I'm thinking about the following: the waterfront, Freemont Bridge Troll, and the Museum Of Pop Culture. I've also been told there's a manga store which I must see, but... I have one of my own, and could hit it on the way back. (Never been.) However, the Underground Tour is very much a local thing.
* No Bigfoot hunts. He'd never be able to convince his friends that he saw me.
If you've done any of this, if you have suggestions and ideas... speak up. Please.
State Of The Expenses
Here's what I've done so far, and the things which may be changing. I'm also going to be completely upfront about what I've been spending.
Flight: booked, mostly paid. Cost to date: $519.78. I say 'mostly' because this is actually two airlines: one business working with a partner, and I'll have four planes in total to deal with roundtrip. There's a transfer in Chicago/O'Hare each way, and I'd better look up a map on line and get ready to Amazing Race this @#%^.
The additional potential expense currently comes in two forms. The first is seat booking on legs 1 & 4 -- but I may just take potluck. (I was able to choose on legs 2 & 3 at no cost.) And the other? Food. The second airline wants people to pay for their meal. However, having seen their menu, I'm probably going to just bring a bag of trail mix and hope.
The flight cost you see is roundtrip and includes the cancellation/delay/reroute insurance. I didn't feel like I could pass that up. And saving some money here is part of how I can try to move around Seattle on Monday.
But there's a new problem...
Travel to and from airports: unstable. That flight? Leaves from, and returns to, LaGuardia.
The original plan was to mass transit into either Newark or Philadelphia. And now? I have to deal with New York City. Train into Penn Station, and then I'm going to be desperately shuffling buses and subways in an attempt to reach the airport two hours before flight time. Because there is no direct line, I will miss at least one connection and had better therefore give myself at least four hours just to get there, and I can't drive it.
This isn't a matter of car trouble. It's cost. Driving is at least $42 in tolls, fuel prices are surging, and parking at the airport is $40 -- per day. Using satellite stations can get that down, but good luck with their security. And even in the best case, I'm looking at $100-on-up for the relative convenience of driving in.
...also, driving to LaGuardia in NYC traffic. 'Convenience' evaporates quickly.
I can do this through mass transit. But I have to figure out how. And I'm not sure what the costs are just yet -- but they've gotta be less than $100, and I can probably keep it under $50.
Hotel: booked, partially paid. Total cost: $581.32. I wound up having to patchwork this. The total you see there represents all four nights -- but it's also three hotels, because the Hyatt has half of that time sold out.
Two of the hotels will bill me when I check in, so that money has to stay on the debit card. (I contacted all of them and checked on debit card use in advance.) The Thursday hotel wants $100 for a security deposit. If I pay in cash when I check in, I get it back when I check out. And my bank really hates all of this and told me I may get Is This You? calls anyway.
I wound up paying for Thursday night in advance, because I saved a few dollars that way. (Three.) But the night itself was a judgment call, because I have to hope I can recover my baggage and reach the bus stop before the last ride out leaves -- then reach the rented space in time. The other option? Was Estee Up All Night. Save $97! Wander the airport for hours! Walk the streets of Bellevue under the August moon, when none of the local police know me or have been told about my near-terminal insomnia! And then face Day One of the convention -- with ninety-seven extra dollars. After having traveled for all of Thursday. On no sleep.
...I paid for a Thursday hotel. Budget that one to Sanity, Maintenance Thereof. But if I can't reach it in time, I'm gonna feel really stupid.
Convention admission: awaiting PayPal transfer. ...I took all of the tips off the account and they only accept PayPal. So in order to keep the budget intact, I need to send some back...
Baggage fees: potentially increasing. I underestimated. It's $30 for one checked bag, each way. I also looked up the maximum carryon size, and my luggage is two inches over the depth limit. However, it's also a soft piece: in theory, I just need to avoid filling it all the way -- and hope the airline measuring laser lets me get away with that.
And the other issue? I now have two airlines to deal with. What if it's a total of four fees, for $120?
It could be zero. It could also be triple digits.
Mass transit: going up. It's miles between hotels. I can walk it, or I can try the bus system. I also have the costs associated with moving around Seattle on Monday: with luck, I may be able to get a one-day bus pass.
Food: going up. One extra day. Add about $45.
Covid tests: $0. I just thought of this. I'll burn off one of my government-supplied home tests on the morning of departure, then take one with me and check before I get on the flight home.
Of course, if I test positive in Seattle, I won't be able to fly. And then I'll have some extra costs...
Which brings up to the first potential new expenses.
?Luggage? Should I pick up a hardshell at the maximum permitted carryon dimensions? (Maybe I can find one used at a flea market.) Or do I underpack and try my luck?
?Postage? Three hardcovers into a previously-underfilled bag could put me over the baggage line. Is it in my best interests to mail things home? (I checked with the post office shortly before starting this blog. Legally, I can use the hotel as the sending address. They recommended asking for a concierge, because the hotel might get a business postage discount.)
?Extra tourist stuff? Admissions? As above. (You can see some of the prices at the links.) But at the very least, the Mariners leave town on Sunday night. And it would have needed to be a day game anyway.
?Did you think of anything I missed? Please tell me.
That's where I currently stand. But now, because y'all are expecting it, and because the drive continues through the 30th (and the once-a-day spam in the Discord server also continues, without mercy), because there might be Ambush Costs and and I do need to look at the drop account later:
Bracing for possible tears.
The self-loathing has been kind of high lately.
...worst-case? Covid. In Seattle. If I got sick before the convention, I could just cancel everything and get refunds for most of it. The tips would go on hold, and next year might look east.
But to fall ill on the wrong coast? That's when I would really need emergency money. I have the insurance on that flight, so I should be able to rebook. But I'd need to find a hotel and isolate until I could safely board a plane. Days of room charges and room service.
Yes, I'm afraid. I have a reason to be.
...several reasons.
I am terrified of being the only person on the plane who's wearing a mask at all.
You can live in fear.
But you still have to live...
The con is in Bellevue, so pretty much anyplace you'll want to see will be 2-3 buses away (one into Seattle, then on from there). I've never tried to get to the troll via the buses, but I don't think it would be that bad. There is a trip planner ( https://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/#/app/tripplanning ) and goggle maps does a job with the buses around here as well. There is a day pass, but not sure where to find them (and might be online only), if you have a friend that can lend you an ORCA card, it might be less of a hassle.
Mass transit around here isn't horrible, but can't be a bit weirdly fragmented if you're not going between Seattle, the university, Redmond and Bellevue (more so then most cities) though it is slowly trying to improve. Just give yourself some slack between buses, assuming it will be running late (because it always is, even at the first stop of the day) and keep in mind there is a low chance of it not showing up at all.
You do realize that given your luck, you have guaranteed that Seattle will have a tornado that weekend.
Just kidding -I hope.
Hey, everyone? I agree that Estee needs to live. But airlines have this little issue with air recirculation. While a full-face P100 is appropriate for a con (BUGFACE), is inexpensive, and is definitely enough filtration for just about anything, I think an airline would give issue. This mask, on the other hand, gives full seal, is unobtrusive, and you can fit a cloth mask over it if you want more coverage for privacy.
Maybe one will show up in Estee's PO Box before the con. I put it out there, because even con crud would be bad, let alone something that targets brain, lungs, & heart. ^^
Pop culture museum is going to be a hassle to get to from Bellevue on transit, but I think it's the #1 thing you'd be interested in. I first went when there was just a separate Sci-Fi museum. Invaded with a whole 30-person nerd minicon. Great fun.
Once you've gotten to that side of town, it wouldn't be too bad to get down to Pike Place Market. Which, yeah, has gotten kinda touristy, but it's not as touristy as the waterfront by the aquarium. I think it's still a fun building to explore. I usually window-shop the comic shop, the rock shop, and the magic shop when I find myself there. There's some good food on the actual street 'Pike Place' that isn't sit down restaurant stuff, but it does carry a bit of a premium for the location. Not a total bank-breaker, though. The produce stands seem to engage in some Japan-style hand selection for picture-perfect and enormous produce. I've gotten some really damn good apples and other seasonal fruit there in the past, and I have high standards for 'really damn good' when it comes to fruit.
The space needle is located right by the pop culture museum, so you'll get all of it that you need when you go to the museum.
If you're into airplanes, the Boeing Museum of Flight is an extremely good collection. Fun to get to on transit, though.
Most of the rest of what I can think of is pretty much just the benefits of being a prominent city, which is going to be nothing new for you. Try and get some fresh salmon (or halibut fish and chips) if you like fish--that and beer are about what there is for 'regional' food in the PNW--like the way that Pizza is to NY, Deep Dish to Chicago, and Brisket to Texas. It's not that there isn't lots of other excellent food, it's just excellent food that could exist in any American city.
So we know Estee lives in NY. This is when i find out I have know her all my life and never realized.
5665157
:shrugs: I live in Maine and I could take a train to NYC then use public transit to LaGuardia. It's called Amtrak.
Not nearly as easily as Estee, I need elevators... but hypothetically, I could do it!
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Good point
If it helps any: I usually travel with carry-on only. Two backpacks, one worn on my back and one worn on the front like a baby carrier. They usually fall within the limitations and never get a second glance. One filled with tightly rolled clothes (which goes in the overhead bin) and one with the toiletires (usually solids, the liquid baggie at the very top for expedient security), entertainment/electronics and food, which goes under the seat. I also use a slightly smaller backpack for the non-clothes stuff, with a more standard sized one rolled up inside, so if I have any extra things to bring home on the return trip, there's guaranteed extra space by using the larger one and packing away the smaller one inside it. Also a cheap roll up water bottle clipped to my pants for filling up post-security. I've also got this sort of purse-alternative I made because women's pockets are pathetic. It looks like an old fashioned coin sack attached to my belt, where the top is elasticized (hard to pick from without a lot of hand squirming) and worn towards the front, so always in sight. Has the phone/keys/wallet/ticket/sanitizer type stuff always in reach, and counts as a personal item or has otherwise gone unquestioned. Traveled away for up to a month like that. The load will be dense, but wearing them both on the torso at least keeps your marching speed constant without having to drag a bag behind or strain the arms. And wearing them front to back also means no more bumping folks/seats while walking down the aisle.
I always hated the idea of checked baggage and the agony of having to wait at the turnstyle to find out whether or not a good portion of my essential possessions are gone. I'm too damn poor to take risks like that, and chronic life stress has rendered me incapable of handling the rigamarole with very human staff, authority figures, and an indifferent industry to maybe maybe-not get my stuff back.
Good luck, Estee!