Event Recap: NYCC 2014

Several months ago I was talking to Steph from Cuddlebuggery and we both said we wanted to go to New York ComicCon. It seemed insanely fun and like something we needed to experience. When we told Nicole from Paperback Princess of our plan, she graciously opened up her home in Hoboken to us so we didn't have to worry about a hotel. It was quickly decided we would go, and after months of being excited and planning and prepping, it finally happened last weekend.

I'm still recovering.

Steph and I left Baltimore Thursday morning and made it into NYC around noon where we met Nicole for lunch at the Galway (which may have the best Mac 'N Cheese I have ever tasted). We chatted, ate and then Nicole had to go back to work so Steph and I killed time by going up to Rockefeller Center (she had never been!). We had Magnolia Cupcakes and promptly decided that our fellow YADC friend and blogger, Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes has far superior cupcakes. 

Hyped up on sugar, we went to visit Ariele at Simon and Schuster for a quick tour and some book talk. Ariele was amazing and happily escorted us around the beautiful S&S offices, showing us the breathtaking views and, of course, all the books.

Seriously.

ALL. THE. BOOKS.

After hanging out there for a bit, Steph and I sadly departed but then headed down to see our friends at Bloomsbury. I adore the Bloomsbury team and stopping into their offices to say hi is something I truly love doing.

Steph and I grabbed a taxi because we were both hauling suitcases with clothes and now books thanks to Ariele and her awesome coworkers at S&S. I gave the cabbie the cross streets and he groused about having to drive down to midtown - chillax, dude, this is your job - and after about 15 minutes, promptly dropped us off.

The block Bloomsbury is on has some scaffolding and construction happening and Steph and I just walked down the block and entered the revolving door (doing that with suitcases is not fun). We checked in with the front desk guy, who didn't speak the best English, and here's how this went:

Front Desk Guy: "Where you go?"
Me: "Bloomsbury. Fifth floor."
FDG: *confused* "Blooms..."
Me: "Bloomsbury."
FDG: "Fifth floor?"
Me: "Yes."
FDG: "Ah! Fifth floor! Tom Levy!"
Me: "Bloomsbury."
FDG: "Tom Levy."
Me: "Bloomsbury. Fifth floor."
FDG: "Tom Levy. Fifth floor."
Steph: "Yes. Tom Levy." *to me* "I think that's one of the imprints?"
Me: "Yup. Tom Levy."
FDG: "OK."

And off to the elevators we go. We went, punch in floor five, elevator goes up, doors open and ....

Vera Wang | Tom Levy Offices

Me: "This isn't right."
Steph: "Maybe it's a different floor?"

Yes. Yes, that must be it. We scrambled back into the elevator and hit floor 7. I know it's an odd number. 

It's not floor 7.

Sigh.

Back into the elevator. Instead of going back down to talk to the FDG, I go all Elf and simply light up every single floor button. IT HAS TO BE ONE OF THEM. 

We make it to about floor 14, I'm texting my Bloomsbury friends and they're assuring me they're on floor 5, and I realize this isn't right. It's at this point I start to realize we might be in the wrong building.

Steph and I quickly vacate the elevator we're in because it still has another 10 floors I highlighted to get through before we can go down, switch elevators and run out the building.

I look up and realize the cabbie dropped us off at the wrong street. We're a block away. We quickly walk to the real Bloomsbury offices and meet up with our friends. We hang out with them for a bit and chat before we decide to go check out ComicCon.

Now, I've done BEA for 3 years and Steph has for 2. I really felt like, going in, that I knew what to expect. Crowds and lines, but with more colorfully dressed up people.

I DID NOT EXPECT THIS.

As soon as we pulled up to the Javits, we could tell this was different. Maybe from the way the sidewalks were blocked off. Or the massive crowd outside the Javits. Or the way security checked everything before letting us in. Regardless, once we got in, it was like BookCon all over. But worse. 

We wanted to hit two bookish panels, so Steph and I quickly checked our suitcases and then made a beeline for the first one. The doors were closed and there was a line of 50+ people still waiting to get in.

Instead we headed for the other panel we wanted to hit - which was almost 90 minutes later - and got in line. There were already 50 people ahead of us and within 20 minutes, there was another 150 behind us.