I haven’t been on a real vacation since 2019; our last Mechacon convention. So, it’s been pretty awesome to have two back-to-back trips between this past April and June. For me, it was a break from work, but for Mr. Right it was more of a business venture and network opportunity. We both are content creators (Him on TwitchTV and me with YouTube) so it has been quite incredible to see his growth over the past nine years we have been together. 🙂
PAX East 2022 (Boston, MA)
Out of the two trips, I think PAX East was one of my favorite, simply because it included my very first airplane ride! Mr. Right secured us First Class seats on the round trip and it was a nice (and comfortable) experience. I didn’t know what the big deal about First Class was until I realized the seating arrangements for the other parts of the plane. I was excited and not afraid at all; thankfully weather was great so very little to no turbulance. Going through TSA and the customary boarding process was quite interesting and I’d be happy to take another airplane trip anywhere else. With my two hour long round trip commute to work every day; I am so over driving!
Our first plane took off from our city to Charlotte and from there to Boston. The layover was no more than an hour. Once in Boston, we got to spend our 4 day and 3 night stay at the Omni Boston Hotel at Seaport. From what the locals tell me, it is a brand new establishment which was pretty cool. The place was gorgeous! I enjoyed the artistic theme it took on throughout the decor and naming of locations in the hotel.
Another thing that made this trip special was that we got to meet our online friends in person for the very first time! Over the years, Mr. Right has made some connections with other content creators and it was great to be able to connect with them and experience PAX East as a group.
What is PAX East?
PAX East stands for the Penny Arcade Expo. This one takes place in Boston, Massachusetts so it is located on the East coast of the USA. There is also a West coast version in California. Sadly, the South region no longer conducts Pax East in Texas (and isn’t coming back any time soon.) During this Expo, the focus is mainly on PC Gaming, Table Top Gaming (Card Games and Board games) as well as merchandise from company vendors such as (but not limited to): ASUS, Champion, Intel, Logitech, MIS, and MANY others. There were also special guests who attended for panel talks that are also in the content creator space and online gaming. The convention lasted four days and was filled with lots of fun, game play, learning, networking..and (for me) shopping! There were also some really great cosplays, but since this con isn’t fan-focused on anime or Japanese entertainment like Mechacon is, there wasn’t a whole lot of cosplayers. In the same vein, most of my shopping was limited to official PAX gear as memorabilia. There wasn’t an Artist Alley type vending there for fan-art and artisan crafts (outside of Magic The Gathering and board game things).
Being in a new place is so fun and exciting. I wanted to see everything! I knew I wouldn’t be visiting most of the panel talks, so during my break time from the convention I caught my first Uber ride into the nearby city of Cambridge. The city life here is way different from what I am used to seeing. I saw lots of building forms going upward instead of spread out like in the south. I found my way to artist heaven with two awesome art supply stores. One was a local spot called Artist & Craftsman Supply and the other was a brick-and-morter Blick Art Materials store! There was no way I was passing up visiting a Blick store in person. I’ve only ever ordered online and let me tell you..it is heaven! I must admit, it is even better than walking into Hobby Lobby for the very first time.
Needless to say, I spent most of my vacation funds in these two stores. I came across Holbein Acryla Gouache, a paint that I’ve always wanted to own and try but never could place an online order to my location. Paired with the 30% discount I got all the colors I’d need to start a full collection. I also picked up several fine liner pens and woodless colored pencils. I can’t wait to try out these new art supplies! My only regret is that I forgot to snap up some of the handmade watercolor papers with beautiful rag edges. I didn’t get to explore any of the cool art museums, but hopefully we have an opportunity to come again next year and it’ll be on my list.
The food in Boston was nice, with a focus on seafood (since Boston is near the water). This was right up my alley since we are used to seafood. A friend of mine urged me to try a lobster roll while I was here. Our hotel’s bar and grill hangout had a warm version (it’s usually served cold) and I liked it alot! I’m not usually a lobster fan, but I’d definitely get this dish again (and I did, at least two more times while I was there!) Every other dish I had was just “Ok”. Nothing beats southern cooking, for sure!
Mr. Right and I ready for another convention 🙂
DreamHack 2022 (Dallas, TX)
This convention was the hub for Twitch streamers and everyone in the content creation space of gaming and tech. It focused on networking and partnerships amongst gamers, E-sports teams, content creators and hobby enthusiasts, connecting them with big-tech names for gaming PCs and other merchandise. Mr. Right spent the majority of this weekend being a speaker on panels and streaming live content for his audience and the shared audience with other streamers on this type of platform. It was fun to see him in action and really in his element in a new space other than his studio at home.
View from our hotel room (Dallas, TX)
Mr. Right and other online content creators at DreamHack Dallas 2022 (Panel Discussion)
There wasn’t much cosplay, as that wasn’t the focus, but I did find interest in my usual artisan booths with people who create fan art illustrations and other crafts. I also was surprised to see the mechanical keyboard company Glorious on the scene. I found myself in the hobby of building custom mechanical keyboards earlier this year and it was great to see this company in-person and test run their products. Naturally, I left there with a new keyboard and lots of cool accessories! I’ll be posting about my new hobby of mechanical keyboard building in a later post.
Is it even a vacation without at least one outfit of the day post? 🙂 Graphic-T and Denim Shorts Ava & Viv Target
Welcome to DreamHack Dallas 2022!
Good eats with our online friends at Draft Bar + Grill (Dallas, TX)
Meeting our online friends in person for the first time is always the highlight of these convention trips.
Mr. Right playing a vintage arcade game. Super cool artwork posters we picked up!
On the way back home, we stopped at the coveted retailer, Buckees. I’ve only heard about it online through Youtube videos, but seeing one in person was so fun! There was all kinds of specialty meets, baked goods, and plenty of shopping for the grill enthusiast. There were various areas perfect for gifts (even jewelry, handbags and baby clothing!)
