On the road again: DragonCon, Atlanta, day 1

After a long sleep, which I desperately needed, I spent much of today catching up on various types of work in my hotel room.  That's not an ideal way to spend a big chunk of a con day, but it was necessary today.

Lunch proved to be several culinary treats at the complex of restaurants in the Krog Street Market.  Sharing food made it possible for me to sample both some very good dumplings from Gu's

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and a cheesesteak sandwich from Fred's Meat & Bread.

The dumplings contained a tasty pork stuffing in a package with just the right amount of tooth and a pleasant sauce.  I opted for the chili sauce on the side, because the heat options for the dumplings ranged from hot to thermonuclear, and I was in the mood for mild.

As for the cheesesteak, well, before I can comment on it I must point to a recent short post on culinary mysteries in which I wondered why it was impossible to get a good cheesesteak outside of Pennsylvania.  I must now recant that part of the post, because I am here to tell you that the cheesesteak sandwich at Fred's is every bit as good as the very best version you can get in Pennsylvania--or anywhere else.  The roll is different from the one that most classic PA cheesesteak shops use, but it's tasty, isn't too thick, and has just the right amount of crunch.  The meat and cheese inside the sandwich are absolutely perfect, a tasty combination of high-quality beef and light cheese.  They also didn't skimp on the meat; every single bite contained a good quantity of it.

I may well go back to Krog Street just for that sandwich.  If you want a fantastic cheesesteak sandwich, go to Fred's.

I have to give a special nod to the water station at Krog Street.  Sarah would love it:  you may choose chilled, un-chilled, or sparkling water.

I opted for chilled, but I know Sarah would love the sparkling option.

After registering for the con, I spent most of the rest of the day finishing up some work.

Dinner took us to a nearby restaurant, Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint, for some decent live music and a perfectly adequate meal.  I won't seek out the place again, but it was a reasonable choice in an area thronged with fans.

In my late-evening wandering, I once again visited the prime zones for people watching.  The Hyatt's lobby still had some open space,

but the Marriott's atrium was in full fan swing.

Tomorrow morning, I head to my first panel!