Thursday, 05.21.09Location: Somewhere in Northern California
Time: 0532
I was abruptly awoken from my deep sleep with Kingdom of Rust blaring from my alarm clock. My laptop, PSP, DLSR camera, Cyber Shot camera, charger bag, messenger bag, and my suitcase were all already loaded into the car the night before. All that was left was for my mother and I to get into the car and start our six hour drive down to San Jose, California. Wiping the sleep from my eyes and humming Kingdom of Rust to myself, I got ready. Once I was fully awake, the excitement started to build. My destination was FanimeCon 2009 where the die hard Otaku, crazy Cosplayers, and fanboyish Gamers congregated for the largest Anime convention in Northern California. Spanning over Memorial Day weekend, roughly 20,000 attendees go to FanimeCon to watch Anime, spend 5 million dollars, and show off their insane cosplay skills. Unlike my trip to the 2007 convention, I was a seasoned congoer this time around. More money, more bags, and a schedule would help me make the most out of this trip. I was prepared and ready to attack FanimeCon 2009!
Thursday, 05.21.09
Location: Hwy 101 South - Santa Rosa, California
Time: 1011
Construction . . . I thought California is supposed to be in a budget crisis, yet everywhere we go there is new construction going on. Construction . . . construction means traffic . . . construction means I'm going to be staring at these cows for a while. *Sigh*
Thursday, 05.21.09
Location: Interstate 280 & Stevens Creek Blvd - San Jose, California
Time: 1227
Finally! We have reached San Jose! Stevens Creek Blvd, home to the Westfield Valley Fair Mall, Santana Row, and our first stop on this trip - the Men's Warehouse. The dress shirts and slacks that we picked up for my father on our last trip down to San Jose fit so well that decided to pick up a few more pair on this trip. After picking up that stuff, it was lunch time.
Thursday, 05.21.09
Location: 3158 Stevens Creek Blvd - San Jose, California
Time: 1255
Arby's! I spotted an Arby's when we were at the Men's Warehouse, so my mother and I decided to eat their for lunch. I haven't eaten at an Arby's since I was 12 so it was quite a throwback to see one. If you haven't been to one, their specialty is a great hot roast beef sandwich, which is what I ordered. But since my eyes are kind of bad, I ended up ordering the wrong number and instead of ordering a regular roast beef I ordered the triple sized one. It was good though, even though I couldn't eat it all.
Thursday, 05.21.09
Location: 282 Almaden Blvd - San Jose, California
Time: 1328
After enjoying a relaxing lunch, we checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel and unloaded all of our luggage. Room 205 was a great room, six pillows to a bed, a computer desk, a widescreen TV, and a not so great view of the rooftop. The convention center was just across the street, the Tech Museum was behind it, and their were a few restaurants in walking distance. It was the perfect location to make our headquarters!
Thursday, 05.21.209Location: 525 W Santa Clara St - San Jose, California
Time: 1400
After taking some time to unpack and relax a bit, we headed over to the Shark Tank. Though my beloved team's season is over, the store there stays open all year. Once inside, I was able to shop in peace since my mother and I were the only ones in the store. During game nights, they cram the maximum people they can into the store, 100 fans trying to get the items they want before the game starts. It becomes very hectic, especially when you are trying to find clothes in your size. Luckily, I didn't have any problems finding my size this time. I was able to pick up a teal hoodie, black sweatshirt, and a customized jersey!
Thursday, 05.21.209Location: 1342 Naglee Ave - San Jose, California
Time: 1422
Next stop was the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium. Before entering the museum, we explored the outer gardens. Beautiful rose bushes, fountains, and a statue of Augustus Caesar decorated the gardens. Once inside, we explored the three areas the museum offered - Death, Life, and Royalty. The Death area was filled with models and artifacts from ancient tombs. The Life area had tools and weapons made of bronze and other materials. The Royalty area had jewelry and household items that only the richest men could own. A Sarcophagus and Canopic Jars were the highlights for me. At the gift store I picked up a keychain for myself, a magnet for my mother, and an Anubis statue for my father. Being a mortician himself, my father has a special connection to Anubis. Unfortunately, my father wasn't able to come on this trip so I hope that we'll be able to go back to the Rosicrucian on one of our annual hockey trips.
Thursday, 05.21.209Location: 150 W San Carlos St - San Jose, California
Time: 1802
After returning to the hotel to drop off our souvenirs, we headed over to the McEnery Convention Center to register for FanimeCon 2009. Registration was supposed to have already started but poor planning seemed to put them behind schedule. As we crossed the street to the convention center, you could already see signs that the convention was about to start. Street banners hung from the street lights advertising the convention as well as a random cosplayer here and there. You could also find cars decorated with "Fanime or Bust" in the parking lots around downtown San Jose. After waiting in line for over an hour, we were finally able to register and receive our convention badges.
Location: 282 Almaden Blvd - San Jose, California
Time: 2001
Once registered we went back to the hotel to get dinner and then headed up to the room to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow would be even busier as the convention got into the full swing of things and we'd need all the rest we could get.
