Events For 1984 And Beyond

     I was no longer working in the travel industry because in December, our agency hired a new manager, and he proved to be a jerk—to put it politely. Instead, I found a job at a daycare center. As I said in DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS: THE PREFACE, I only intended to keep this job until something better came along. However, nothing much better came along, and I started like the pace of this job. I was a teacher’s aide—or a glorified babysitter.

     Anyway, I went to several science fiction conventions (SF cons) that year: 1) a Creation Con in Philly. Like the other Creation Cons, this con had guests giving talks in one room, and a dealers’ room where the dealers sold comic books, books, and games as well as posters, toys, model kits, etc. Grace Lee Whitney was the guest at this con, and she talked about her time on Star Trek (ST) playing Yeoman Rand and in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (ST:TMP) playing Lt. Rand, transporter chief, as well as other TV shows and films that she acted in through the years. 2) At Shore Leave in Maryland, I had a dealer’s table where I sold several SF books, old costumes, ST models, and other SF stuff that was formerly stored in my parents’ attic. At this point, I felt that I had “been there and done that” as far as ST cons went. Therefore, by selling things in the dealers’ room, the con could come to me because almost everybody passed by or stopped at my table to buy or just chat. 3) A few weeks later, I went to my first “relaxie” SF con, Phrolic Con, nearby in Mt. Laurel, NJ. This kind of SF con has little or no formal programming, and fans either attended parties or listened in on the few panels that this con held. The con committee also showed a few videos, and I saw a small dealers’ room where the dealers sold mostly books. While I enjoyed attending this “relaxie” con locally, I wouldn’t go a long distance to this kind of con. 4) I also went to Philcon. In 1984, it was still in Center City, and I sat in on the panels, went to a few parties, saw the art show, bought a few items in the dealers’ room, etc. I never missed this SF con— except for 1983 when I had the flu that weekend.

     As for my regular travels, in addition to my day and weekend trips within New Jersey; and to New York City; Philadelphia; and Washington, DC; I took my main trip to London. On this third trip for me to England, I saw more sights in London: National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery, Selfridge’s Department Store, and in Greenwich the Observatory and the Maritime Museum. Then, outside of the Greater London area, I visited the following: in York—the York Minister and the Castle Museum, and in Stratford-Upon-Avon—Shakespeare’s Birthplace and in nearby Shottery—Anne Hathaway’s cottage. (For more details, you can read DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS: OVERSEAS.)

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1985:

     I moved that year from Lindenwold, NJ, to Haddonfield, NJ, and I started my con year by going to a ST con in Maryland that many of the same members from Shore Leave organized: 1) Clipper Con in February. Here too, I had a dealer’s table and sold more used SF books and other stuff that was in my parents’ attic—as well as stuff I found at yard sales. In the evenings, I would attend some of the programming, a few parties, and the masquerade on Saturday night. In late May, in Columbia, MD., I attended my first 2) Costume Con. This con offered panels having to do with costumes from SF, fantasy, and history—both historically accurate and historical interpretation. This con covered almost everything one needed to wear, from head to toe. There were also parties, as well as two masquerades: one for SF & fantasy costumes on one night and historical costumes on another night. They also held contests for doll costumes with two main categories: for costumes only on regular dolls and costumes on dolls that the contestant made from scratch. Meanwhile, the dealers’ room sold plenty of costumes, accessories, and materials as well as trims, jewelry, and many books about clothing. In those four days, I learned more about garments from history and the imagination than I ever knew before. 3) It was back to Shore Leave in July to sell similar merchandise that I sold at Clipper Con, as well as attend some of the nighttime events and parties. 4) Phrolic Con followed with its few panels, films, parties, and its small dealers’ room. The good part about a relaxie con was that I had a chance to get into conversations with other SF fans in a way I couldn’t at SF cons with more programming. 5) In the early fall, I traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, to a Creation Con where George Takei was the main guest. Like Grace Lee Whitney, the year before in Philly, George, too, talked about his time on ST on both the TV show and films, and he mentioned other events happening in his life. At lunchtime, it was crowded, and I sat at the counter. Then, shortly after I sat down, George Takei sat next to me and ordered lunch. He said hello to me and went about eating his lunch. I was impressed because George could have stayed in his room and ordered from room service. Instead, he went to this crowded coffee shop and sat at the only seat available at the counter. 6) The last SF con I went to for that year was Philcon, and again, it had the usual programming, con suite, art show, and dealers’ room, but instead of being in Center City, it was out at City Line Ave. in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. I remember this hotel as the Marriott, but when we were there, Dunfree Hotels took over—and it showed. It used to be a classy hotel under Marriott; but in 1985, under Dunfree, the place was drafty and a bit dirty, and the staff was rude. Thank goodness, Philcon never had another SF con at this hotel.

     In addition to my usual trips to NJ, NYC, Philly, and DC, I invested in a package trip from TWA Airlines to Paris and Geneva. I spent about half the week in Paris and the other half in Geneva.
     On that first day in Paris, as I exited the Metro and rode the elevator up the Eiffel Tower, I had my first bird’s eye view of Paris. It was then I realized that Paris did live up to the guidebook hype. Later, I spent the rest of the day seeing the sights along the Left Bank and stopping at a few different cafes.
     It was raining on the second day, so I visited the Louvre for most of the day—until it closed. Then, I spent the early evening at the Musee d’Art Moderne.
     The weather was much nicer on the third day as I visited the Arc d’Triomphe, and later, I walked along the Champs Elysees. By this time, I noticed that despite what many people told me, I didn’t find the French to be rude and nasty or expect Americans and other non-French to know how to speak the language perfectly. I used what French that I remembered from college, and most of the time, the person I talked to usually answered me in English or the person next to him or her answered me in English. I very seldom had to complete a sentence in French. In fact, I even met a few very friendly people there who were willing to help me out with my French.
     Anyway, I saved the best for the last day there: I visited Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle on Ile de la Cite, and later, the neighboring island of Saint Louis. This other island didn’t have any major attractions, but walking along the quaint streets of Saint Louis Island, I felt like I was in a small French town and not in the middle of a major cosmopolitan city.
     Soon it was time for me to take the TVG Train (at that time, the fastest train in the world) to Geneva. The hype about this was true too; the train was slick looking, and the ride was fast. In a few hours, I was in Geneva, Switzerland, and the next day, I visited the European Headquarters for the United Nations—the former HQ for the League of Nations. This Art Deco building looked impressive both inside and outside, and so did the rest of the area because this was the more modern section of Geneva with its shops—especially clock and watch shops, and a nearby alpine garden. Here, I saw plants that grew in the Alps, and I looked at the native black squirrels. That night, I indulged in having a cheese fondue.
     The next day it rained, and I stopped into the Geneva Art and History Museum, and later, the Clock and Watch Museum.
     Finally, on the third day, I walked into the Cathedral of Saint Pierre, and afterward, I strolled along the old section of Geneva with its narrow medieval streets, plaza, cafes, and shops. I also noticed a poster of the Reformation Monument because the city officials had the real monument under scaffolding for restoration. (Again, I have more details about the sights I saw in the above-mentioned publications about my favorite overseas attractions.)

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1986:

     I believe this was the year that the con committee played host to 1) Clipper Con in Baltimore near the Inner Harbor, instead of at Hunt Valley Inn about 20 miles away. Again, I had a dealer table there. The most memorable part of the con was when someone came in and told us that Hank Williams, Jr. was in the lobby. That summer, 2) Shore Leave, too, was in Baltimore, but closer to the downtown section, and similar to Clipper Con, I had a dealer table. A few weeks later, I was at 3) Phrolic Con in Mt. Laurel, NJ, and I noticed that they started adding a few more panels to their limited programming. Once again, I had a chance to converse with others in a way I don’t usually get to do at SF cons with more programming. 4) I forgot the name of the SF con that I went to in Lancaster County, PA, but in programming, it looked like a cross between Philcon and Phrolic Con. In other words, this con had more programming than Phrolic Con did, but less than Philcon. I saw some videos, and listened to a few panels. What I remembered most, however, was the main guest being Janet Asimov, wife of Isaac Asimov—and he came along to the con as well. (I noticed that Isaac didn’t flirt with the women at this con. Maybe it had to do with his wife being nearby.) I know that they both played host to a panel, and one of the questions had to do with their opinion of Nostradamus. Isaac said that Nostradamus was mainly a poet who had a good public relations agent in the form of the French king. When Nostradamus predicted that a king would die in a golden cage, shortly afterward, the King of France died in a tournament when a lance went through his gold helmet. 5) Later that year, Philcon was at the Adams Mark Hotel on City Line Ave., on the Philly side, across the street from that Dunfree (or “Dumpfree”) Hotel. The Adams Mark hotel proved to be much better as far as the comfort and cleanliness of the rooms, and the staff was much nicer. (Philcon had their cons here through 2000. Nowadays, it’s a Target store.) This hotel used to be the Holiday Inn, and it was at this same hotel where I went to my first SF con, that ST con in 1977. As usual, Philcon had a good selection of programming in different tracks: science, costuming, literary SF, fantasy, horror, art, writing, etc. Overall, I had a good time there.

     Besides my regular trips to NYC, Philly, DC, and NJ, I took my main trip, but I didn’t go overseas. Instead, I explored a state where some of my early ancestors in the USA lived: Virginia. My earliest ancestor was James Davis. On the records, it said that he was a member of the gentry class, as well as the Church of England (the Episcopal Church in this country), and from Kent County, England, when he arrived in 1655. While I didn’t go to the exact place where he had his farm from the mid-1600s to after the American Revolution, in Fairfax County, VA, I did visit plenty of other places in VA. Those places included Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown as well as Richmond, Washington’s Birth Place at Westmorland, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, Norfolk, and Mount Vernon. It wasn’t all history because I also took time to see Bush Gardens near Williamsburg, King’s Dominion near Richmond, and Virginia Beach. I’ve usually found that most of the people I’ve met in VA were very polite, and in some cases, very friendly. This seemed to me to be what I imagined “Southern hospitality” was like.

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1987:

     I spent the early months of 1987 picking up one illness after another: head cold, fever, the flu, etc. Therefore, I didn’t go to any SF cons until May. On Memorial Day Weekend, I attended another 1) Costume Con, but this con was in New Brunswick, NJ. It was quite similar to the Costume Con in Maryland from 1985 with its panels about costumes and clothing from head to toe, a masquerade of SF and fantasy costumes on one night, and another masquerade of historical costumes on another night. Again, I learned more about clothing than I ever had for most of my life. I remember a talk about how underpants weren’t invented until about 1830. Before then, men used their shirttails, and women wore plenty of petticoats. The next three cons I attended were 2) Shore Leave, 3) Phrolic Con, and 4) Philcon. Again, I was a dealer at Shore Leave—and the con moved back to Hunt Valley Inn. Later, I relaxed and partied at Phrolic Con, and I watched a lot of the programming at Philcon where I think Hal Clement was one of the guests.

     I did my usual trips to NJ, Philly, NYC, and DC, but for my main trip, I visited another state or colony where some of my early ancestors lived in: Maryland. In the early 1700s, one of my ancestors, George Land, a Quaker and a carpenter, arrived from Lancaster County, England. Again, I may not have visited the exact place where he lived in Cecil County, MD, but I did see a few places in that county, as well as some of the sights in Baltimore, Annapolis, and MD’s Eastern Shore—especially Ocean City. The people I encountered here were friendly and helpful, and I ate plenty of fried chicken and seafood—especially crabs.

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1988:

     Since my last media SF con, ST: The Next Generation (ST:TNG) aired on Fox TV, and at 1) Clipper Con, back at Hunt Valley Inn, the con committee invited some of the cast members as guests. This started to increase the con-membership price and the rent for the dealers’ tables. As a result, some of the con attendees had less money to spend on merchandise. For me, this was the first year since I started having a dealer’s table that I didn’t profit; I just about broke even. The same thing happened at 2) Shore Leave that year. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed seeing many of the SF fans stop by my table even if they didn’t buy as much as they usually did. Of course, I attended 3) Phrolic Con, but I was only there for Saturday night and Sunday that year because I was helping my parents to move on Friday and Saturday. 4) Then, I finished my SF con year at Philcon. By this time, I knew that I enjoyed the programming at regular SF cons much better as compared to media SF cons.

     Throughout the year, I visited NJ, DC, Philly, and NYC. That year, I took a helicopter flight over NYC for about 15 minutes. My main trip for the year, however, was to Orlando, Florida. Here, I spent two days each at the Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World and at EPCOT. I last visited this area in 1973 with my parents. It was the first time I ever flew in a jet, a 727 Eastern Airlines flight. (Nevertheless, it was not the first time I ever flew. I first flew in a prop plane in 1970, from Philadelphia to Newark.) That year, I saw the Magic Kingdom park at Disney World, Kennedy Space Center, Bush Gardens in Tampa, rode a glass-bottom boat in Silver Springs, and stayed at a local motel near Disney World that had great seafood. For 1988, I stayed at a trailer at the Disney World campground. This wasn’t as rugged as it sounded because this trailer had a TV, full kitchen, and air conditioning. We spent the first day buying deli sandwiches and soft drinks for supper, and items for breakfast to eat at the trailer. We ate lunch at the restaurants in the parks for each day. Because we were staying at the Disney World complex, we didn’t even have to rent a car. (I have had articles about the places I’ve visited published in different magazines, newspapers, and fan publications, and that’s one of the reasons I didn’t get into too many details here. As for details about my local trips, I suggest you read DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS: CLOSER TO HOME, as well as my old newsletters: DOTTY’s DIMENSIONS and DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS CONTINUES, in addition to my photo blog which shouldn't be confused with My Blog.)

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1989:

     Our money became a bit tight for 1989, and when our landlord started gouging quite a bit more rent for the year, we moved in September back to Lindenwold—but to a different apartment complex. 1) At Clipper Con, the last Clipper Con ever, we didn’t break even with the cost of our table—let alone make a profit. One of the things I remembered was on Saturday night after the masquerade, a DJ in the ballroom playing mostly disco music, and there was a cash bar. Most of us were not into disco music, so we drank and goofed around. This turned into “the Ice cube battle of 1989.” This “battle” was going on when I left at midnight to go back to my room. The next day, a friend of mine told me that the “battle” went to her room, but a few minutes later, security knocked on the door and those not sleeping in that room had to go to their own rooms. 2) By the time I went to Shore Leave, I decided to sell off my merchandise. Whatever stuff I didn’t sell at the end of the con, the con committee could have. Not only did I not break even on the cost of my table, someone tried to shoplift from us. This person tried to engage us (my husband and me) into a conversation, but I noticed this person picking up a few books from our table and putting them into his bag. When he started to walk away, I told him that he forgot to pay for those books. He denied taking any books. Therefore, I reported it to con security. A few minutes later, both the con and hotel security showed up at our table and as luck had it, this person showed up in the room again. Then I pointed him out. He denied stealing again, and offered to pay us for those books that he was supposed to steal. This time, someone from the con security said to him, “If you didn’t steal anything, then why are you offering your accusers money?” With that, the person from hotel security ordered that person to leave the hotel property. The next two cons I attended were 3) Phrolic Con, and 4) Philcon. At this Philcon, I thought that I would save money by staying at the neighboring Holiday Inn. (Don’t confuse this hotel with the former Holiday Inn that became the Adams Mark Hotel. This Holiday Inn was next door to the Adams Mark Hotel.) However, it wasn’t a bargain; the staff was rude, and they tried to get us into a hotel several blocks away because they booked a Catholic conference at this hotel. We stood our ground because we booked our room long before those conference people booked that hotel, and everything seem OK with the hotel when we phoned a week before to re-confirm our room. (Why didn’t they tell us about the conference then?) We had to wait until about 4PM, but we did get our room, and because I complained that I couldn’t get my room for the 3PM check in, I got a discount for that night. We never stayed there again! Philcon itself was fun, and I saw different events there and listened to many panels.

     After taking my usual trips to NJ, NYC, Philly, and DC, I visited different places in Delaware. I don’t have any ancestors that I know of from DE, but it is a neighboring state, and I saw some interesting sights: Wilmington, New Castle, and Dover as well as Winterthur, Hagley Museum, Lewis, Rehoboth Beach, and a few other places.

DDTC2015

 

THE COLUMN SERIES is a twice-annual column.
2015 - PASSAIC COUNTY

⤓ Issue #07
01. KOREATOWN, NYC
02. AVENUE OF THE ARTS, PHILADELPHIA
03. RINGWOOD MANOR
04. PATERSON MUSEUM
05. YOGI BERRA MUSEUM
06. AMERICAN LABOR MUSEUM
07. NEW JERSEY BOTANICAL GARDENS
08. SKYLANDS MANOR
09. BALTICON 2015

⤓ Issue #08
01. LAURELWOOD ARBORETUM
02. LONG POND IRONWORKS
03. HAMILTON HOUSE
04. SHEPHERD LAKE
05. CLIFTON ARTS CENTER
06. RINGWOOD MANOR ESTATE
07. BEAR MOUNTAIN POW POW
08. EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO
09. CAPCLAVE 2015
10. FREER GALLERY OF ART
11. PHILCON 2015

 

Events for 1983

     For 1983, I got married. We (my fiancée and I) wanted to pay for most of the wedding ourselves, at the same time, we didn’t want to go into debt over it. Therefore, we had a smaller wedding—around 50 people. At first, we looked at the local Episcopal church that we attended, but the cost was $$$$$, and a service of blessing there or getting married in the nearby Baptist and Methodist churches cost $$$$. Thus, we were left with our $$$ budget and hiring either a municipal judge (NJ has no Justice of the Peace, the municipal judge served that purpose in the Garden State.) or a non-denominational minister. We did find the latter, and he was connected with an organization that later became World Christian Ship Ministries. (Yes, we did check with the local borough hall in the town where was wedding was held to make sure he filed the correct paperwork.) We also saved money by marrying inside a gunning club that my brother belonged to, especially because he got a discount for being a member. It worked out much better having the ceremony and reception in the same place. We stayed in a local motel before heading for a few nights to the Poconos in PA, at a resort there.

     Despite money being a bit tight that year, we still managed to spend a day or weekend in NYC, Philly, DC, and within NJ, and we visited different places in Pennsylvania, starting with our Pocono honeymoon and into the rest of the year visiting different places in Eastern PA to Central PA. Overall, we visited museums, restored or reconstructed villages, farms, as well as theme parks, resorts, historical places, gardens, state parks, etc.

     As for science fiction conventions (SF cons), we only attended one for a day: a two-day Creation Con in the summer in Philadelphia at a Center City hotel. I think it was a Holiday Inn. It offered similar events to last year’s Creation Con: two main rooms—a dealers’ room with many comic-book dealers, and a main ballroom where different guests talked about subjects dealing with media--SF via talks, slide shows, and videos. Here, I learned the latest news about Star Trek (ST) and other SF TV shows and films, and at some talks, I learned about the creative process in making certain SF TV shows and films. At a makeup demonstration, I remembered somebody taking a volunteer from the audience and making him up to look like an alien. Then there was the main guest, Mark Lenard. (He most famously played Sarek, Spock’s Vulcan father, from ST, and in addition, Mark Lenard played a Romulan commander in an early episode from the 1960s ST series as well as a Klingon commander in ST: The Motion Picture.) He mainly talked about his acting career and mentioned meeting Jane Wyatt (who played Spock’s Human mother, Amanda) while in his Vulcan makeup. At that time, the makeup artists made him up to look much older. This procedure included adding gray streaks in his hair and wrinkles on his face—in addition to the Vulcan ears, eyebrows, and complexion. (Mark Lenard was only six years older than Leonard Nimoy.) Anyway, later in the day while he was in the parking lot at the studio, and out of his makeup, he saw Jane Wyatt and said something to her such as “I’ll see you later.” Jane Wyatt didn’t recognize him and maybe thought that he was getting fresh with her. Anyhow, the con overall, was quite similar to the one the Creation committee had in Philly last year.

     Finally, I had every intention of going to Philcon 1983, but that November weekend, I was sick with the flu. It was the only time, so far, that I ever missed a Philcon!  

Events For 1982

     I became engaged in 1982, therefore, I was trying to save some money, and one of the ways was to cut down on the science fiction conventions (SF cons). In addition, I also planned to go to London that year, and we moved from Collingswood, NJ, to another apartment in Lindenwold, NJ. Again, like in 1981, I did do the usual day and weekend trips to NYC, Philly, DC, and within NJ.

     Anyway, in August, I attended a Creation Con, in Philadelphia, at the Sheraton hotel on JFK Blvd. in Center City. The first thing I noticed was that this hotel started looking shabbier compared to when I was here for Philcon 1980 and ’81. The con was also a surprise to me. This was a professional con trying to make a profit—and I’m sure they did. Now there wasn’t anything wrong with that. Infact, a professional conference organizer ran the early Star Trek (ST) cons that I attended in the 1970s, and I had fun at them. At most professional cons they sell “tickets,” while fan-run cons sell “memberships.” With a ticket, it’s “let us entertain you,” but with a “membership,” the con committee encourages you to take an active part in the con activities—if you want. Most professional SF cons are usually media-SF cons. (However, there are some fan-run media-SF cons.) Philly Creation Con 1982 was a two-day professional media-SF con that had a few actors from ST as guests. I saw one of them the day I was there, Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand from ST’s first season and Lt. Rand, transporter operator in ST: The Motion Picture). She was her usual friendly and witty self as she talked about her acting career and her interests. Other guests who were not actors talked about TV and film production, ST trivia, and costuming. I don’t remember much else because the con mostly comprised two rooms: the main ballroom and the dealers’ room. Thus, I noticed that about three-quarters of the dealers sold reading materials, especially comic books. I mainly remember seeing some of my friends there and having lunch at a nearby restaurant with them. I mentioned that I’m looking forward to Philcon, and somebody nearby replied that he is with the Philcon Committee, and they lost the original con hotel. Because they only had a few months to find another hotel to fit Philcon’s budget and needs, they had to have the 1982 Philcon in January 1983, and they planned to call it Philcon 1982.1. As for my impression of Creation Con, it was an OK con for the average person to get an idea about SF cons, but “rough idea” would be a more accurate word. Afterward, that average person would do much better attending either a general-SF con like Philcon or a fan-run media-SF con like Shore Leave or both—then go on to the world science fiction convention (worldcon).

     My other big event happened in December when I spent a week in London. My fiancee traveled with me, and I re-visited some sights and saw some other sights for the first time. In addition to the major sights in the City section of London, Westminster, Bloomsbury, Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, and Windsor Castle outside of London, I also saw for the first time the Victoria & Albert Museum, Hampton Court Palace, Canterbury Cathedral and other places in Canterbury. I also went to a West End play, The Pirates of Penzance at the Drury Lane Theatre and some pubs. We both had such a good time that we told our friends, “The honeymoon went so well that we decided to get married.”

     Even though this event took place in January 1983, I’ll still count Philcon ’82.1 as a 1982 event. Like the last Philcon, the day I was there, this time at the Franklin Plaza hotel near the Ben Franklin Parkway, Center City, I visited the dealers’ room, art show, and con suite, as well as listening to some panels covering subjects from SF writing, art, and costuming to science. Again, I was starting to like general-SF cons over media-SF cons, especially more so than Creation Con!

Events for 1981

     In 1981, I felt more like an adult because I was no longer living with my parents. I had moved in with my boyfriend (who later became my husband), and we lived in an apartment in Collingswood, NJ.

     Other than local travels to New York City; Philadelphia; Washington, DC; and within NJ, we didn’t take any major trips, but I do remember three science fiction conventions (SF cons) that we attended that year:

     The first, Shore Leave, at Hunt Valley Inn, Hunt Valley, MD, in July, was the second three-day con that the Star Trek (ST) Association of Towson ran. Although, we only attended for two of the three days, I still enjoyed seeing a few ST episodes, buying a few items in the dealers’ room, looking at the art show, and hearing the guests of honor: Jesco Von Puttkamer, Bob Greenburger & Howie Weinstein. Then we saw the masquerade and socialized in the con suite. Overall, we had a good time. A local Baltimore TV reporter asked me a few questions about this con, and on the 11 p.m. news, I saw myself and other SF fans on TV.

     Then, I went to a SF con near Washington, DC: August Party, at the Key Bridge Hotel, in Virginia. This media-SF con was a ST con that the local ST club has run since 1975, but unlike the past NYC-ST cons, the con committee didn’t have actors for guests. Instead, they arranged for Gene Roddenberry to telephone collect to the con, and the con committee broadcasted it over the main auditorium. After Roddenberry gave the latest Trek news, the con committee interviewed him. This con, too, had the usual con rooms: dealers’ room, art show, and con suite, as well as a cinema showing ST episodes and SF films. They presented a masquerade, and had plenty on panels covering almost everything: news about ST, writing fanzines, costuming advice, some news about NASA, etc. I also appeared on the local TV here along with other SF fans. Similar to Baltimore, a reporter asked me a few questions about the con, and I saw myself on TV that night on the 11 p.m. news.

     For November, I went to my second Philcon, for a day. Like the year before, the con committee had it at the Sheraton Hotel on JFK Blvd., in Center City, Philadelphia. Unlike the other two cons, this general-SF con, as opposed to a media-SF con, catered to mainly literary SF fans. Therefore, the guests of honor were SF writers and SF artists instead of actors from SF TV shows and films. I visited the con suite, dealers’ room, art show, and listened to panels that covered subjects that ranged from writing, art, costuming, and so forth, to different sciences.

     After this, I started to realize that I was beginning to prefer general-SF cons to media-SF cons!

Before My First Professional Sale

     For the years 1977 through 1980, I was still writing for fanzines and newsletters. I wouldn’t make my first paying sale until early 1981, but that’s explained in DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS: THE PREFACE. Meanwhile, most of my writing covered my trips and science fiction convention (SF con) reports. I didn’t take any major trips in those years; instead, I mostly visited places in Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia for the day; New York City for day or overnight trips: and Washington, DC, for a night or two.

     As for the SF cons, my first con was a Star Trek (ST) con in July of 1977 in Philadelphia for four days. A professional convention promoter ran this con for a profit, but I still enjoyed it. For those four nights, I partied at room parties and at the hotel’s bar. I also observed different events on the main ballroom stage: a talent show that included Dora the Singing Andorian singing “Am I Blue?”, a concert by a rock/Trek group whose name I forgot, the Greater Overbrook String Band—from the Mummers’ Parade, and the Masquerade. During the four days, I listened to panels covering subjects as diverse as the return of ST to TV or films to real space exploration. In the main ballroom, I saw some of the stars from ST on stage: James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, and Grace Lee Whitney. I also watched different ST episodes in the screening room, the ST Bloopers, a few SF films, and some films from NASA. Then I stepped into and looked around the Art Show room, and I browsed and bought a few things in the Dealers’ Room. In the end, I made a few friends, and like London, I vowed that I would attend another SF con someday.

     That someday with the SF cons came in October 1977 when I 1) attended a ST Mini Con in King of Prussia, PA—an edge city outside of Philly. This was a much more scaled-down version of the four-day con I went to in July. It included two rooms: a conference room where a big-named-fan (BNF) named Joan Winston talked about the different SF and ST cons that she attended and included slides from some of those cons, and a few other people who discussed fanzine writing. The committee also showed a few ST episodes. The other room was a small Dealers’ Room where I browsed and bought a few items. Unlike the July con, some fan dealers ran this con instead of a professional convention organizer.
     The following April (1978), the same group also ran a 2) similar ST mini-con at the same place. 
     It wouldn’t be until February 1979 that I attended a multi-day con, three days to be exact. This con was a 3) ST con in NYC, and the same professional con organizer who ran the four-day con in Philly ran this con as well. I did much of the same things that I did at the Philly con, and many of the same ST cast members that were at the Philly con were here too. The big difference was that I also met Dr. Isaac Asimov. I talked with him a bit, and he gave me a French kiss—twice! (I later learned from others about his reputation with the women.) This was also the first “snow con” for me because on the third day it snowed for up to around 16 inches! Therefore, I had to stay an extra night in the hotel. 
     Later that year, in September 1979, I went to the same place in NYC again for 4) another ST con that the same pro-con promoter ran. There were many similar panels, films, and other events as at the last NYC con; the big difference to me was that this three-day con drew more people than the February con, and one of the guests was Angelique Pettyjohn. (She played Shana, in the ST episode, “The Gamesters of Triskelion.”) First, she appeared in her Shana costume and wig, and she did a dance on stage; later, she appeared as herself in her normal clothes and hair. As for the weather at this con, it proved as hot as the February con was cold! The temperature on one of the days went to over 100 degrees. 
     The following July in 1980 felt just as hot when I went to 5) another three-day ST con: Shore Leave, about 20 miles north of Baltimore, Maryland. Unlike the other multi-day ST cons, a ST club, the ST Association of Towson, ran this con. It was their first three-day con, and in some ways, it showed: Some of the speakers never showed up, and some of the films never arrived. (Others told me that this happens a lot with first time, three-day cons. Then, if the con committee keeps at it, the cons get better with each passing year. In Shore Leave’s case, that did happen.) Nevertheless, I did enjoy this con and made a few more friends.

     Then, in November 1980, I went to my first general SF con: Philcon or Philadelphia SF Conference. The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society has run this con since 1936, and both the club and con have been non-profit. Although Philcon, or as long as I’ve been attending Philcon, has been a three-day con, for 1980, I attended for a day. Like the ST cons, the committee provided a Dealers’ Room, Art Show, panels—including panels about space exploration, etc. Nevertheless, the big differences were that the guests-of-honor (GOH) were SF writers and SF artists—not stars from ST or other SF TV shows and films. While a few of the panels covered TV or movie SF, most of the other panels covered literary SF. Even many of the publications for sale in the Dealers’ Room were more diverse. Some of the dealers sold TV and film tie-in SF books, but many other dealers sold original SF. The same applied to the Art Show. Some of the art works were characters and scenes from SF TV shows and films, but many others covered original SF and fantasy. My favorite part of the con was listening to SF author Ben Bova give his GOH speech, “Building a Real World.” (At that time, he was the editor of Omni magazine.) Overall, after attending the 1980 Philcon, I asked myself, “Where have I been all these years?” Since then, I have attended every Philcon except for one in 1983—due to the flu. 
     Later, my final con before my first professional sale was a ST con called Starcon in January 1981. This three-day con was in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, and I knew that the first three-day or any kind of con could have its troubles, but the troubles with this ST con were very bad, and the con chairperson had all the charm of a used-car salesperson. Many panels were cancelled, some guests never showed up, and neither did many of the films. I did enjoy what they had left of the con, and they had some of the stars from ST there: George Takei, Walter Koenig, and Bruce Hyde. (Hyde played Lt. Riley in a few of the first-season ST episodes.) However, they never had another con again—unlike Shore Leave. 
     Then, in the spring issue of Shoestring Travel Quarterly, my first bit of paid writing appeared, and I’d like to think that my life changed after that. (By the way, this magazine folded in the 1990s.) 

London 1976

     Ever since the first semester in my first year in high school when I had to take a course in social studies about the history of England, I became a bit of an Anglo file. I got an A in the course, and after that, I wanted to visit England very much. By the first week of October in 1976, I got my wish. This was also the first major trip I ever took by myself. In 1976, I was working as an outside travel agent, and I learned about a package plan to London that included airfare, hotel, and transfers that was very reasonable. Thus, I booked it. (Outside travel agent meant that I didn’t work in the office of the agency, but I did outside sales for the agency from my home. I got paid 5% commission, but no salary. At that time, I also worked part time in a bookstore; it was my regular salary.)

     I don’t remember too many details of the trip, but at the time, I was young, pretty (So people told me—you can check my first passport photo for yourself.), and somewhat single. (I was engaged then, but we broke up after this trip.) Therefore, I saw the major sights: Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens, and the Tower of London as well as St. Paul’s Cathedral, British Museum/British Library, and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. I also did some browsing—and a bit of shopping—at Harrods’s Department Store, Fortnum & Mason’s, and along Oxford Street above Mayfair, King’s Road in Chelsea, and Kensington High Street in Kensington. I also took a half-day tour of Windsor Castle and St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, outside of the Greater London Area. At night, I went to a few bars and pubs in Kensington (near where my hotel was located), as well as Chelsea, and Bloomsbury. I also rode the London Underground (“the tube”), and compared to the New York Subway, it was easier to figure out and much cleaner. (In the 1990s, those in power cleaned up the NYC Subway, and made it safer.)

     As I said in DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS: THE PREFACE: “I had the time of my life, and I vowed someday to return to London.”