Once again, I shared a hotel room in the Westin with Marauder and Gatorman. (Well, Gatorman skipped last year but this arrangement was the same for the previous couple of years before that.) We arrived on Wednesday but this time, we stayed until Tuesday so we could spend July 4th in Pittsburgh. I didn't do too much at Anthrocon this time around. I was at the Recess fursuit games, the dances, the fursuit parade, and a couple of panels. I missed a lot of con events because the scheduling didn't mesh well with my plans or I had to go out for meals. Most of it is not the fault of con programming. However, when I answered the con survey, I pointed out that signup for the Team Fursuit Games was too early in the morning. 8:30am on Sunday morning was tough to make, especially after going to room party and a dance on Saturday night, and so I had to skip that event. That aside, the con is still very well-run. Panelists and guests were interesting and good speakers in their fields of expertise. Aside from the usual elevator line and fursuit badge line, I didn't notice any problems at all.
Sorry to say but conditions in Pittsburgh have deteriorated. This started on the day of my arrival when I saw that someone had a violent confrontation with an aggressive panhandler right outside the Grant Street bus terminal. It was an incident that required paramedic and police response. Walking around the city myself, I noticed that there were far more panhandlers than in previous years and some were more pushy than others. I heard from a friend too of an incident where he was accosted by a group of homophobes. It's scary if you're walking on your own in the city, especially at night. In addition, there was a shooting on the night of July 4th near 7th and Liberty, which is just a few blocks away from the Westin and DLCC. Luckily, I opted to watch the fireworks from the DLCC waterfront instead of going to Point State Park. However, my roomies were much closer to where the shooting happened at that time. And finally, I saw that someone had scratched my car on purpose with a coin or a key. However, I didn't notice that until the day after, when it was pointed out to me. So without further proof, I can't say whether it happened in Pittsburgh or anywhere I stopped along the way home. (Monroeville, Breezewood) My car has plenty of scratches already, so I didn't mind too much but again, it's another sign of the way things are going down the drain in that area.
Wednesday 2016-06-29:
Monkey See Monkey DO? (Pennsylvania)
Tucked Away (Pennsylvania)
Under (or Behind) the Sea (Pennsylvania)
Be A Good Sport (Pennsylvania)
Stairway to receiving (Pennsylvania)
well lit on old 30 (Pennsylvania)
No Burgerz Here (Pennsylvania)
My Kind of Golf (Pennsylvania)
Duck 25 (Pennsylvania)
Cheap Date (Pennsylvania)
Toy-Yoda (Pennsylvania)
The Garden or The Pool? You Decide!! (Pennsylvania)
A Hand Up; Not a Handout (Pennsylvania)
Smile :) (Pennsylvania)
No Sinners Here (Pennsylvania)
Team D&T #4: Out Fore A Drive (Pennsylvania)
Cacheetz! (Pennsylvania)
Bingo #1 (Pennsylvania)
Hanging out with Grandpa D. (Pennsylvania)
king of the hill (Pennsylvania)
TLE Overlook (Pennsylvania)
up a tree (Pennsylvania)
Thursday 2016-06-30:
Chemical Weathering of Building Materials (Pennsylvania)
Incline Me. (Pennsylvania)
A Team Of Destiny (Pennsylvania)
Wine - Oh that smell (Pennsylvania)
Urban Art #4: A Chance To See Asia (Pennsylvania)
Saturday 2016-07-02:
Allegheny Trolley (EOSCWT #1) (Pennsylvania)
Josip Marohnić Bookstore (EOSCWT #2) (Pennsylvania)
St. Nicholas Church (EOSCWT #3) (Pennsylvania)
Monday 2016-07-04:
Riverhounds (Pennsylvania)
Tuesday 2016-07-05:
Primary - Green and Purple Circle (Pennsylvania)
81mg (Pennsylvania)
Centerfield (Pennsylvania)
1 n 4 (Pennsylvania)
Big Girls Don't Cry (Pennsylvania)
This is Ivy League (Pennsylvania)
376 East Part 4 (Pennsylvania)
My Eyes Are Twitching (Pennsylvania)
NOW HOW HARD WAS THAT!!!!!!!!! (Pennsylvania)
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEANZ (Pennsylvania)