More Comic Con stories!!

And just like that we were HUNGRY!! We had been up since before dawn and were crashing quickly! We had to work our way outside the building. It felt like a casino where you get so turned around, you have no clue which direction is what. On our way out the door I found a fabulous Sailor Moon! I was like "Work it Girl!!" (I didn't know she wore a watch???)

 

Thanks to modern technology we googled a Chipotle about a mile away and headed right for it! Downtown San Diego has some interesting buildings peppered with a few pan handlers. But on this day there were themed "cabbies". Can't go to this pop culture Mecca without running into Game of Thrones and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. 

We lucked out in that no one else was at Chipotle. But even though the place was quiet, we dashed back to the convention center. I really wanted to get a photo with John Barrowman. He's from the shows Torchwood and Doctor Who. And although it doesn't really matter, he's Gay! As it turns out, to get a photo and meet with him, one must pay $50!! I had no clue that would be the case. We were foolish to think it would be from the goodness of his heart. Eric agreed it was just too much to ask so we went on our way to the Disney Afternoon panel. 

Met a few villains along the way!

There were many adults that waited for the Disney Afternoon panel. So much of us grew up on the cartoons of Darkwing Duck, Gummi Bears, Rescue Rangers, and DuckTales. Eric was beside himself! I thought I was a fan of the line up...he was a bigger fan! It was unfortunate for us that the panel was so disorganized. They didn't really know what to talk about other than the origins of the series. I can say that section was cool, hearing about a secret meeting at Michael Eisner's house. They did show a pitch for Goof Troop, which was great. Oh! They had a DuckTales theme song, sing-along. That was a little much, but still fun. As I covered, most time was spent rambling.  

The whole time we sat there I regretted not paying the $50 to meet John Barrowman. I contemplated leaving and meeting Eric afterward, but I didn't want to get lost. (I'm a grown adult,but at Comic Con getting lost IS an option). 

After the panel ended we rushed back to the booth. The photo session was over and they had moved on to some obscure actor I hadn't heard of before. I was disappointed. I hadn't bought anything, so what else was I gonna spend that $50 on? Gas? Boring!!! 

As we decided to wander some more we saw him! There he was with his husband! 

And then I got really close to him, but he blinked!! Blinked!! Out of all the seconds in the world, he blinked during my photo!!

We then wanted to find "@ComicBookGirl19" from YouTube. Anyone else know of her? Our pal Rich introduced us to her channel on YouTube. She talks a lot about comics, general Sci-Fi, and Game of Thrones. At the booth she was hanging at, there was another "pay to meet me" vibe. I couldn't find any merchandise I liked. So I did what any sly, weirdo fan would do. Snapped a quick pic and got outta there! Check out her channel though! 

Eric bought a few comic books and I debated if I was gonna start the new Superman Unchained. I didn't end up buying the first few editions as I had two X-Men stories at home to read, Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past. We had a great time just checking the booths out. 

At Comic Con what do I buy?? A Disney print! Eric and I found Amy Mebberson, who I've mentioned on this blog before. She was also at WonderCon. Here's the print she had available called "Family Foes".

Mother Gothel looks rather creepy as she strokes a lock from Rapunzel's hair. 

Eric still wanted to look into the Funko booth, which I was just fine doing. The line was a lot shorter than earlier but the booth was very thinned out. Eric and I found a few items we liked. One pop vinyl, a zombie from Plants vs. Zombies is for my nephew. But, I'm keeping the "Animal" (Muppets) figure! There was even a claw machine where one can win pop vinyls. No luck!!

It was still just after 5 PM but the tiredness was creeping onto us. A few quick passes down a few aisles had us "pooped"!

We felt that we really needed more time. Another day would definitely give us a chance to see more. We saw about 50% of the showroom floor and saw .5% of panels. Now that we both are on the e-mail list, we will get an early registering slot for next year. I recommend this even to all interested in not just comics, but pop culture too. 

I hope you're all ready for D23 Expo stories because that's up next!

San Diego Comic Con 2013

Since we've been together, 11 years, Eric and I keep saying we'll attend Comic Con. We finally made it happen this year. Because we went to WonderCon, we were included in notifications for "resale" tickets to Comic Con. Luckily members canceled and we took their spots on July 21st. 

I was so nervous about parking. Once I saw that the prepaid parking had been sold out for months, I thought we'd shell out $30-$50 dollars to park. I had also read how congested the area can be. My pal Martin, who has worked the event, says it gets insane with jammed traffic. Martin suggested arriving by bus from his neighborhood, Hillcrest. 

 Another friend had mentioned the trolley. I looked into the trolley option and found a few Park & Ride locations with FREE parking. Phew!! We were set! After a 6:30 AM start to San Diego, we parked about 5 trolley stops from the convention. 

The trolley operates like any subway in NYC, so we had experience. It is $5 for a day pass plus $2 for the Trolley card. The trolley slowly filled up as we got closer to the Con. As this happened our excitement grew because the riders joining us had their event badges around their necks and free backpacks on. Here you can see the caped backpack I was given. 

Approaching the center was really overwhelming. Eric and I kept repeating that we had no clue where to go. As it turned out, we were funneled into a quickly moving, but extremely long queue. This was to pick up our badges. The queue wrapped all the way to the rear of the convention building near the loading dock. We then were herded to the top level so that we could finally grab our badges (ticket).  Attendees must where his badge around the neck at all times. 

Although Eric is a bigger collector than me, we both are fans of Funko's Pop Vinyls. They would have exclusive vinyls for this even. The queue was full to capacity when we checked. It pretty much sucked that we couldn't even wait for the line to get shorter. The guy minding the queue was an ass. He was pretty much yelling into the open space to keep walking and not clog the walkway. That reminded me a lot of Disneyland during shows and parades. The only option Eric and I had was to keep checking back.  

We did come across some set up themed to the series we watch, The Walking Dead. To check out their exhibit we had to get in a queue about 40 yards away. They then would take groups of ten to join the actual queue that existed alongside the exhibit. So confusing. 

Once we made it back across to the main queue, holding a shoulder of a stranger to avoid the breaking up out group, we saw zombies! It was a photo op and that made us pretty excited. The show had an arch take place in a prison for an entire season. This was the perfect setting. And, there was also an opportunity to pose with zombie heads belonging to The Governor of Woodberry. 

While still feeling overwhelmed, we pushed our way back to the Funko shop and found the queue was still closed. We then shuffled our feet back to the area near The Walking Dead set. Eric noticed the ABC booth. It was more of a pirate ship from the show Once Upon a Time 

After waiting almost 30 minutes we met a few people dressed as the show's main characters. They had some cool costumes. We all were given a Comic Con exclusive pin and we watched a lengthy trailer. Eric snagged a photo with Prince Charming from Storybrooke. We can see Captain Hook peering out from the his ship. 

I keep talking about the hugeness of this convention. Just look at the filled walkways! It's insane!

There's more to talk about, but I don't wanna tire all of your eyes. Please join Eric and I next time for the next installment of our SD Comic Con experience. Do we ever get inside that Funko booth? Do I finally get to meet John Barrowman of the show Doctor Who?.....find out soon. 

Anyone else go? What was your experience? Leave a comment below :-)

Run for your lives!.......it's a.....Giraffe???

Ah the beauty of Southern California! Why you ask? Everything is about an hour away and so convenient. I know I have mentioned this before, but it really is a great perk. Luckily another attraction that is worth visiting is near us, The Safari Park. If one  has a clear road ahead, it's about an hour away, south of Orange County. It's a nice drive down the 5 freeway as you pass the nuclear plant San Onofre (looks like boobs, heehee) and most importantly the Pacific Ocean. Just make sure you don't stare at the ocean for too long. It is very tempting to direct your gaze off that road.

I'll admit there is a point where the second travelled freeway ends, the 78, and you wonder if a wrong road was taken. The land dedicated to the park is secluded in the hills near the city Escondido. When hope is almost lost, you come upon the greenery that surrounds The Safari Park signage. For those that don't carry cash, like myself, the toll booths for parking do accept cards. That was a relief! It was also a grand surprise that Eric and I were able to park so close to the main entrance. Last year we parked in a land far far away, on a dirt lot. And, I was pleased to be reminded that they pipe music into the parking lot! Nice touch!

No Howard here.

We know people in high places at this park so we had the red carpet rolled out for us! For the sake of the animals, I hope that carpet was made from sustainable products. On that Imaginary red carpet, at the park entrance, we met our great pal Kevin. Thanks to his employment as a lion tamer, we were able to waltz through the front turnstile, in style. (He's not really a lion tamer but we can pretend)

It was a relief to see that it felt as though we had the park to ourselves. I think all must be Christmas shopping or in school. Walkways were clear. I could hear music from the carousel (which I didn't notice at all the last visit). I'm sure you all get the picture.

We then set out to find this odd looking bird that resembles Howard the Duck. If you are clueless as to who that is..... First, pat yourself on the back for never having to see that film....Second, you might just be too young. (I've never actually seen the film, but I have seen clips of it) Anyway.......Kevin, Eric, and I gave up our search quickly after a few minutes of strolling around what I will call "The Bird Pond". We were ready to see some gorillas.

Left : Grandmother Gorilla, 57 years. Center : Alpha 

Awww, the baby. 1.5 years old

Last November we saw the youngest gorilla at a few months old. Well we were told he was now about a year and a half. It took some patience, but he finally emerged from the cave where he was probably resting. Watching him run around was awesome! By watching him create solutions to get what he wanted, it showcased how smart the gorillas are. The leader of the pack, the male, was very calm as he kept watch. When it was time to be fed, he was fed first and the others joined. I should mention that the eldest gorilla (grandmother) was born in 1957! That's very impressive!

Something else that really caught my eye are the serene locations that are within the park. There is a winding trail that takes you through what is a huge garden and forest. It's quite nice to look at, so I added a panoramic view. And, in that area we came across some interesting animals such as Warthogs, these deer looking things, and a few exotic birds. As peaceful as all that is, the main attraction for the park are the safari trams or caravan tours. Kevin set us up for a caravan tour and he headed back to the offices. Before going to check in for the ride, Eric and I stopped by the mighty lions.

It was still early, around 10 AM, so the lions were active. Well, they were as active as they were going to be that day. Although only our second trip to this park as a couple, both times we have had great views of the lions and lionesses. When one visits Animal Kingdom in Florida, it is "hit or miss" with the lions. As you can see, we had a very close encounter. He really was staring us right in the face and it was a little creepy.

As mentioned, Eric and I were heading to the caravan tour. That is going to be quite the addition to the blog. It's full of many more animals and feedings! It's best if that is left for part two of this post. (Keep the few of you reading this, wanting more) Have you been to this park? And, have you also been to Animal Kingdom? Thoughts on either??? Leave some comments because I'd like to hear your thoughts. (or maybe you hate zoos altogether?)

I'll end with this cool shot of a bat flapping his wings, which of course gives us an upside down BATMAN signal!

The Joker better start running!