RT Convention: Day Five

By Sunday I had given up. I waved the white flag and admitted defeat. The events scheduled for most of the day didn't appeal, so my roommate and I just wandered around the hotel checking out all of the levels we hadn't had a chance to visit.

By the time we were done, though, the Westin Bonaventure had changed from 'the hotel' to 'the POS hotel' to the 'F____ng Hotel.' Trust me, this is one messed up piece of architecture. There are four towers surrounding a central circular lobby area. But from most towers and elevators, you CANNOT get to the second floor. Which is, of course, where many of the events are held. You either have to get off at level 3 and walk down the stairs or at the lobby level and climb up.

I felt like I was in some kind of cosmic maze where I was playing the part of the mouse in search of cheese. Here is the sign inside the towers that "tells" you where the heck you are. Sort of.

Most of the hotel's restaurants and shops are just empty shells or have weird hours and just weren't open when I was there. I'm not sure if it is a result of the economy or what, but it felt more than a little bit sad to wander the concrete spirals of levels and see empty areas where restaurants used to be.

Adding to my general feeling of irritation on Sunday was the fact that the on-site shipper apparently had no boxes. I had planned to ship most of my books home, and was unable to do so. Experience taught me, though, to pack a squishable bag in my suitcase, which I ended up checking at the airport.

The final event of RT was a movie night. We went in our PJs, and watched the Princess Bride in Rocky Horror Picture Show style...meaning the whole crowd recited the most popular lines. It sounds annoying, but was actually quite funny.

The next time I go, and there will hopefully be a next time, I think I will do what nearly everyone else did and skip Sunday entirely. The events were so sparse and uninteresting after the frantic pace of the previous days.