Conventional Wisdom

Maybe it’s different in other parts of the world, but at the vast majority of conventions I’VE attended, it’s felt like the surroundings fit into one of these two categories.  Either the convention center is surrounded by super expensive places to drain money from tourists and execs on business trips, OR it’s surrounded by scary wastelands where the buildings themselves try to mug you.  Heck, some places manage to be both at the same time, depending in which side of the con building you exit from.  The biggest exception I can remember was Animazement’s old hotel, and that’s because it was basically surrounded by NOTHING back in the day.  The point is, even when I actually leave the house, I keep finding excuses to never go outside.

Full disclosure, though, that sketchy store at the bottom is NOT a picture from any convention trip.  I was actually trying on Google Earth trying to find where my Grandparents’ old house used to be, and the second I stumbled onto this charming locale I just KNEW I had to find an excuse to use a picture of it.  In all honesty, though, it’s not THAT much sketchier than some of the places I used to walk past in Baltimore and DC.  Actually, the parking looks a lot better.