The Yuricon Entry; or Never Go to Newark
Posted by erin at June 16, 2003 03:18 PMThis weekend I dragged N. all the way to distant Newark, NJ for Yuricon, "a celebration of shojou and yuri in anime and mange" or, more aptly titled, "Anime for over-18 lesbians and ecchi." Yuricon was certainly not over-attended, although I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a failure, because compared to Newark, everything is a success.
I have heard that Newark is the car-theft capital of the U.S., however, I had gotten a map off of some website pointing out an "arts district" and a university, so I mistakenly thought that downtown Newark might be an OK place, as long as you don't bring a car. Oh, how wrong I was.
The hotel with the convention in it was right across the street from the train station. N. and I quickly found that the buildings downtown are connected by a series of catwalks, much like in Minneapolis/St. Paul. However, in St. Paul, the catwalks, or "Skyway" was built to keep pedestrians out of 12 feet of snow. In Newark, the skyway keeps the Eloi away from the Morlocks.
We discovered this when we left the hotel in search of somewhere to eat lunch. Leaving the hotel, and walking on the street turned out to be a hideous mistake. In Newark, bums outnumber other pedestrians. This never happens in Manhattan, where, even in the wacky hours between 3:30am and 5:00am, bums, at best, equal the number of pedestrians. Apparently in Newark at 1:30pm on a Saturday, there are actually fewer things open than any other urban center at 4:00am on a weeknight.
After fending off beggars and (as Jason speculates) cannibals for half an hour, we retreated back to the skanky over-priced hotel bar. There we found edible food and the saddest karaoke ever. (Only one person bothered to sing, and it was a convention staffer.)
People, I've been in downtown Detroit, and I can tell you it's a million times better than Newark. There's a casino and a couple of big theaters, and it's OK to park your car. So long as you never leave the "beaten path" or make a wrong turn off major roads, in Detroit you're reasonably safe. This is not the case in Newark. In Newark you should probably not get off the PATH.
Comments Individual Archive Index
June 16, 2003 06:29 PM, Rick said:
Do you have anything to say about the convention?
June 16, 2003 07:15 PM, thecomicman said:
that's exactly what i was gonna say.
June 17, 2003 09:36 AM, Erin said:
Yeah, I'll review the convention today. I had to go on about Newark first, though.
June 17, 2003 11:53 AM, Maggie said:
One of the INS branches is in Newark and it sucks even more than Newark itself.
June 17, 2003 04:42 PM, Erin said:
Are there cannibals inside? If so, then you're correct.
June 18, 2003 02:26 AM, Halifax said:
Furthermore, those peons if Newark rarely drink water imported from Europe, and many have never ridden a polo pony on a yacht. It disgusts me that poor people are permitted to live in an area where I might go someday.
June 18, 2003 11:45 AM, thecomicman said:
well said, old bean, well said.
June 18, 2003 01:27 PM, Erin said:
That's not what I mean and you know it.
I simply prefer not to be assaulted by cannibals (4 per city block). I think that's a reasonable request. One or two cannibals a day is fine, but four per block??
June 19, 2003 05:43 PM, Maggie said:
Walk only half a block a day. That's only 2 cannibals per day then.
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