On the road again: Balticon, day 1

As usual, I start my trip report with the first day I travel, which is often not the first day of the event I'm attending. Thus, though Balticon officially cranks up tomorrow, my Balticon adventure began today.

First, an important safety tip: Riding for six hours in a car with a hurt back is not a fun time, so don't do it if you can avoid it. I could not. That said, the journey was far less painful than I had feared, thanks to frequent stops, shared driving, and a huge dinner break.

Said meal was at Cityzen, a lovely restaurant in the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Hotel in D.C. (The con is not in that hotel, by the way; I can't imagine the SF con that could afford it. We simply stopped there for the restaurant.) We almost always choose the chef's tasting menu with the most courses, which in this case was nine, but we didn't tonight. The options for the three-course menu simply looked better, and with the addition of a cheese course, we had both more food than we needed and the dishes we wanted.

The dishes were delicious and interesting, with a high point being the fried cake of shredded pig head flesh on top of some greens. If you're in the D.C. area, make your reservation and settle in for an excellent meal.

I am now in my room, working, so at least that much of my world is normal, and that is good. I shall write, and then I shall rest. Tomorrow, I'll get in some tourist time, then hit the con, and wind up the day with friends and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. I'm a lucky guy.