The San Diego Itinerary
Friday, July 18 - John leaves for California from Chicago via Amtrak at approximately 3:00 p.m. He will be on the train for nearly 48 straight hours, arriving in Anaheim (if all goes as planned) just hours before I do, on the afternoon of the 20th. This leaves me in Chicago, all by my lonesome for nearly two full days to either fester and worry (as is my in-born inclination) or get myself into skads and skads of trouble. Since I promised I wouldn’t see “The Dark Knight” without him - which will probably flat-out k-i-l-l me, to know its out and that I can’t partake - I’ll probably be looking frantically for ways to get myself into skads of trouble. Preferably below-the-waist, naked trouble - if you know what I mean. There are times when I wish I had a reliable fuck-buddy, and this, my friends, is “topper-most of the popper-most” for that particular regret.
But then again I do live in Chicago, which as most already know, is the sexual purgatory where all other cities send their celibate to taunt and pose, but never, ever to put out. Oops, I said it out loud again. Damn, those self-fulfilling prophecies.
Sunday, July 20 - My flight to L.A. leaves Chicago at the unhealthy hour of 6:45 a.m., (or something equally horrific), meaning I get to the Sunshine State around 11:00 a.m. P.S.T. Again, if all goes well, I will rent a vehicle at LAX and drive out to the Anaheim Ho-Jo’s to meet my guy at around 2:00 p.m.-ish. I say “if,” because this is the one huge potential snag in our travel plans. I have an unnatural fear of car renting. I swear the counter folk at the rental kiosks at the airport can sense the panic rolling off me in waves as I gingerly tender my credit card and silently pray to be anointed as financially “worthy” to be put in charge of one of their beater-mobiles for a week. When you’ve been put through the credit ringer as many times as I have been over the years, that 5-10 minutes of waiting for the magic number box to spew back its pronouncement about my liability “fitness” feels eons longer. Even when I no longer have legitimate reason to fear a problem, somehow I still do. Again, it’s my nature.
If I don’t get lost or run into a median driving on the California freeways for the first time, I meet my guy at the hotel, smooch, unpack, maybe a quick freshen-up shower spritz and then its off to the “Happiest Place on Earth,” freakin’ commando-style. Pirates, Mansion, Tiki, in quick succession to immerse my guy, a Disney neophyte, in all that is animatronic nirvana. No touring plans in use today. We’ll just be winging it, trying to get in as much as possible until the park shuts its doors at midnight. Hopefully we’ll catch Fantasmic or Wishes. But, the “real” theme park work begins the next morning.
Monday, July 21 - Disneyland. At the gates by 7:00 a.m. to test the Unofficial Guide one-day touring plan. Lunch will be at the Blue Bayou. I put our advanced seating reservation in exactly 90 days in advance through Disney customer service.
Tuesday, July 22 - California Adventure. Again, at the gates by 7:00 a.m., but this time I’m probably just doing the “good bits” version. Soarin’ (because the lines in Florida never got below 120 minutes each time I’ve visited), Tower, TSM, for sure. Somehow I want to time things so I get to see the Electrical Parade at 8:45 p.m., but otherwise it’s just catch-as-catch-can.
Wednesday, July 23 - Leisurely we’ll make our way from Anaheim down to San Diego to check into our B&B by about 2 p.m. If we have time and can find a theater that morning running screenings of “The Dark Knight,” then that’ll be on the agenda. Otherwise, its rest-up time for a bit, such that we can make it over the Convention Center to pick up our weekend passes and maybe see what we can see before Preview Night officially kicks off.
Thursday, July 24 - Comicon. Comicon. Comicon. Albeit somewhat subdued. I can’t indulge in my usual orgy of OCD spending as I would at WWChicago. There’s just no place to put the stuff and anything that I buy I will have to ship via FedEx, so I’m capped a bit. I’ll be in the market for fewer, but slightly more expensive books. No quarter box diving for me. Wall books and earlier Bronze Age, mostly. Still, if there’s an “Animal Man 89” or a “New Titans 130” anywhere in the building, it’s mine. Dammit, all mine.
Friday, July 25 - Totally, up in the air. If my 9.8 CGC-ed “Miracleman 15” actually sells today as planned, maybe I’ll be inclined to do a more extended tour of Comicon. If not, we’ll probably pack it in once the crowd gets too thick about mid-day and either head to the beach, Balboa Park or the Zoo. John can only take so much of the unwashed nerd masses. He humors me with my fixation on the whole affair, but he’ll tire of the dealer floor rather quickly. That night, if we can find a decent theater, it’s time for “X-Files: Fight the Future” and then, maybe soaking up the atmosphere and the beverages at Pecs, since it’s apparently within walking distance of our B&B. Is that the only bear bar in San Diego? Is this one of those leather costume bars? Or can we just go in t-shirt and shorts? Anybody know?
Satuday, July 26 - Again, totally up in the air. We definitely won’t be doing Comicon today, unless I get the “itch.” I’d rather my guy keep in good temperment than try to force the most populous day at nerd-central on him. Plus, to be truthful, aside from the MST3K event in the evening, the schedule of events leaves me kinda “meh.” (Fucking Steve Sansweet? Again? Can’t we ever escape that killjoy? Why Lucasfilm? Why?) We really don’t have a clue what we’ll be doing this day. Beachy things. Maybe Sea World. Watching fish pretend to be birds and later lunching on their innards. Y’know. Just touristy stuff. More Pecs, probably that night - unless there’s “beary” things afoot. Anyone know of any?
Sunday, July 27 - Because John has to leave on Amtrak from Anaheim at, like 3:00 p.m., we’ll be on the road in that direction for part of the day. Maybe, if we get our asses up, I’ll convince him to re-visit the “Happiest Place on Earth,” if only for a few minutes. Since my plane doesn’t leave until Monday afternoon, I am, however, free to do as I please. I’m thinking I might cruise into L.A. to find one of the last remaining Virgin Megastores and this mythical physical media store known as Amoeba. Hey, if I can’t buy comics, I’m flippin’ discs somewhere, somehow. Because our stay at the B&B continues through Sunday night, I’ll have to drive back down to San Diego to crash. But who knows, I’ll again, wing it. Are there places that a bear, all by his lonesome, could get into skads of trouble for one night and one night only in “El-lay” area?
Monday, July 28 - An afternoon flight home. Sunburnt and broke. So not ready to face the real world.
But then again I do live in Chicago, which as most already know, is the sexual purgatory where all other cities send their celibate to taunt and pose, but never, ever to put out. Oops, I said it out loud again. Damn, those self-fulfilling prophecies.
Sunday, July 20 - My flight to L.A. leaves Chicago at the unhealthy hour of 6:45 a.m., (or something equally horrific), meaning I get to the Sunshine State around 11:00 a.m. P.S.T. Again, if all goes well, I will rent a vehicle at LAX and drive out to the Anaheim Ho-Jo’s to meet my guy at around 2:00 p.m.-ish. I say “if,” because this is the one huge potential snag in our travel plans. I have an unnatural fear of car renting. I swear the counter folk at the rental kiosks at the airport can sense the panic rolling off me in waves as I gingerly tender my credit card and silently pray to be anointed as financially “worthy” to be put in charge of one of their beater-mobiles for a week. When you’ve been put through the credit ringer as many times as I have been over the years, that 5-10 minutes of waiting for the magic number box to spew back its pronouncement about my liability “fitness” feels eons longer. Even when I no longer have legitimate reason to fear a problem, somehow I still do. Again, it’s my nature.
If I don’t get lost or run into a median driving on the California freeways for the first time, I meet my guy at the hotel, smooch, unpack, maybe a quick freshen-up shower spritz and then its off to the “Happiest Place on Earth,” freakin’ commando-style. Pirates, Mansion, Tiki, in quick succession to immerse my guy, a Disney neophyte, in all that is animatronic nirvana. No touring plans in use today. We’ll just be winging it, trying to get in as much as possible until the park shuts its doors at midnight. Hopefully we’ll catch Fantasmic or Wishes. But, the “real” theme park work begins the next morning.
Monday, July 21 - Disneyland. At the gates by 7:00 a.m. to test the Unofficial Guide one-day touring plan. Lunch will be at the Blue Bayou. I put our advanced seating reservation in exactly 90 days in advance through Disney customer service.
Tuesday, July 22 - California Adventure. Again, at the gates by 7:00 a.m., but this time I’m probably just doing the “good bits” version. Soarin’ (because the lines in Florida never got below 120 minutes each time I’ve visited), Tower, TSM, for sure. Somehow I want to time things so I get to see the Electrical Parade at 8:45 p.m., but otherwise it’s just catch-as-catch-can.
Wednesday, July 23 - Leisurely we’ll make our way from Anaheim down to San Diego to check into our B&B by about 2 p.m. If we have time and can find a theater that morning running screenings of “The Dark Knight,” then that’ll be on the agenda. Otherwise, its rest-up time for a bit, such that we can make it over the Convention Center to pick up our weekend passes and maybe see what we can see before Preview Night officially kicks off.
Thursday, July 24 - Comicon. Comicon. Comicon. Albeit somewhat subdued. I can’t indulge in my usual orgy of OCD spending as I would at WWChicago. There’s just no place to put the stuff and anything that I buy I will have to ship via FedEx, so I’m capped a bit. I’ll be in the market for fewer, but slightly more expensive books. No quarter box diving for me. Wall books and earlier Bronze Age, mostly. Still, if there’s an “Animal Man 89” or a “New Titans 130” anywhere in the building, it’s mine. Dammit, all mine.
Friday, July 25 - Totally, up in the air. If my 9.8 CGC-ed “Miracleman 15” actually sells today as planned, maybe I’ll be inclined to do a more extended tour of Comicon. If not, we’ll probably pack it in once the crowd gets too thick about mid-day and either head to the beach, Balboa Park or the Zoo. John can only take so much of the unwashed nerd masses. He humors me with my fixation on the whole affair, but he’ll tire of the dealer floor rather quickly. That night, if we can find a decent theater, it’s time for “X-Files: Fight the Future” and then, maybe soaking up the atmosphere and the beverages at Pecs, since it’s apparently within walking distance of our B&B. Is that the only bear bar in San Diego? Is this one of those leather costume bars? Or can we just go in t-shirt and shorts? Anybody know?
Satuday, July 26 - Again, totally up in the air. We definitely won’t be doing Comicon today, unless I get the “itch.” I’d rather my guy keep in good temperment than try to force the most populous day at nerd-central on him. Plus, to be truthful, aside from the MST3K event in the evening, the schedule of events leaves me kinda “meh.” (Fucking Steve Sansweet? Again? Can’t we ever escape that killjoy? Why Lucasfilm? Why?) We really don’t have a clue what we’ll be doing this day. Beachy things. Maybe Sea World. Watching fish pretend to be birds and later lunching on their innards. Y’know. Just touristy stuff. More Pecs, probably that night - unless there’s “beary” things afoot. Anyone know of any?
Sunday, July 27 - Because John has to leave on Amtrak from Anaheim at, like 3:00 p.m., we’ll be on the road in that direction for part of the day. Maybe, if we get our asses up, I’ll convince him to re-visit the “Happiest Place on Earth,” if only for a few minutes. Since my plane doesn’t leave until Monday afternoon, I am, however, free to do as I please. I’m thinking I might cruise into L.A. to find one of the last remaining Virgin Megastores and this mythical physical media store known as Amoeba. Hey, if I can’t buy comics, I’m flippin’ discs somewhere, somehow. Because our stay at the B&B continues through Sunday night, I’ll have to drive back down to San Diego to crash. But who knows, I’ll again, wing it. Are there places that a bear, all by his lonesome, could get into skads of trouble for one night and one night only in “El-lay” area?
Monday, July 28 - An afternoon flight home. Sunburnt and broke. So not ready to face the real world.