Travel

What I’m Bringing to BlogHer ’14

Posted on Jul 21, 2014 in Conferences & Networking, Travel |

Are you going to BlogHer ’14?  I am!  This will be my first journey to a BlogHer conference.  I’ve been to plenty of conferences in my career, but none that seems as, well, laid back as this one.  When I found out that BlogHer is going to be in San Jose this year, I decided that it was a good opportunity to finally go since I’m an hour away in no traffic from San Jose.  I’ll be pulling double-duty at the conference as I’ll be representing this here blog as well as my other blogs (Girl Scout Guide and Food Askew) and my day-job, Snow Consulting.  I’m used to wearing many hats, so it should be a breeze!

Because my co-worker, Ginette, will be coming from Las Vegas, and I don’t care to commute, I’ll be staying with her at the Hilton San Jose, conveniently connected to the San Jose Convention Center.  Of course, I have the advantage of being able to pack full size items in my bag, but generally speaking I still won’t.  I keep a full set of small travel sized toiletries in my suitcase for travel, and I don’t really feel the need to tote a lot of stuff down when it’s not absolutely needed. Of course, I’m bringing the usual toiletries, clothing, etc. but these are some suggestions of things you might not have considered bringing.

Toiletries

• Julep Mint Condition Pedi Crème – My feet take a beating at conferences, so I like to have a good foot cream that soothes that ache to put on before bed.
• Julep Doublestep Foot Treatment and Friction Stick – I just got this in my July Julep Maven box and I love it.  I have wide feet, so it’s awesome on the wider areas that rub the most and take the biggest beating when doing a lot of walking.
• Tea Tree Oil Foot Wipes – For the same reason as the creme, I like having the wipes handy in case I need a quick foot refresh during the day when I run back to the room for something I inevitably forgot, but really need!
• Dry Shampoo – Always good to have for a quick hair refresh if there’s just no time for a full shower.  I like the new Herbal Essences Naked Dry Shampoo.

Office Supplies

• Business Cards –  this is non-negotiable!  You’re going to meet a lot of fellow bloggers and brands.  Networking is crucial and business cards are still a must-have item.  I trust PsPrint, but by now you don’t have time for that.  Even if you have to go to your nearest FedEx Office, Office Depot, or OfficeMax TODAY to have some made, DO IT.  It’s totally worth the investment.  If you’re on a super tight budget, buy the kind you can print yourself.  They’re better than nothing and a missed opportunity.
• Tablet – I like my iPad because it fits into my stylishly huge purse and it’s easy for quick internet usage if there’s WiFi (I have a WiFi only model) and convenient to look up stuff as a speaker is talking and take notes.
• Notebook & Pens – Because some speakers speak WAY too fast to be able to get everything typed out on that screen keyboard!  So I personally find it faster to write things down sometimes.  Being Back to School, notebooks are super cheap right now at most stores.  Personally, I’ve been using the same composition notebook since 2007 for all my conference notes!
• Nikon D5000 DSLR – Complete with extra batteries, different lenses, monopod, battery charger, filters, etc.  Besides being an amateur photographer, it’s always easier to use your own pictures in a blog post instead of trying to get permission to use someone else’s!
• Smart Phone & Extra Juice – My iPhone 4S still works just fine, but in some low-coverage areas the battery can go to hell.  So I have one of those USB battery backup chargers AND an external battery charging case, just to be sure.
• Laptop – with cord, mouse, etc.  It won’t leave my room, most likely, but I’ll need it for evening work so I don’t get too far behind.

 Clothes

• Comfortable Shoes – I love the few different pairs I have of SKECHERS Women’s Work Shoes.
• Cardigan or light sweater – Sometimes conference centers are colder than you’d think.
• An extra of nearly everything – You never know when a glass of wine might get spilled on you and you’ll wish you had another shirt to go change into!  It’s worth the room in a suitcase, TRUST ME!
• A Geeky Shirt – This is really only if you’re attending the little geek meet up spearheaded by Williesha Morris (see Facebook group thread).  Personally, I can’t decide which fandom to represent.  At least I have options.  Need one?  Try ThinkGeek!

Miscellaneous

• Granola or cereal bars – I always WANT to make it to the provided breakfasts, but sometimes I’m just running too late and I’d rather have a snack with me than have to wait until lunch.  Plus, I’m a rather picky eater, so I don’t always like the food that is provided.
• Gum and/or mints – Because no one wants to talk to someone with gross breath.  You can never have too many either.
• The nail polish you’re currently wearing – I’ll be wearing some custom Minx wraps, but I always bring my current color of nail polish with me when I travel.  I’ve tried several at-home gels and even they are unreliable, so I’m always prepared if my polish chips and I have to do a quick touch up.  If you’ve got an elaborate design, I’d stick with whatever color is the base or closest to the tips as that’s the most likely area that might need a touch up while you’re at BlogHer.  Don’t forget to keep the polish in a sandwich bag – the bottle is glass and can break, and you’d rather in the unlikely event of a breakage to have the disaster contained, right?

Like I said before, everything else is pretty run-of-the-mill in terms of travel essentials.  I used to bring my own water bottle, but I found there was ample water around the conference centers to keep me hydrated. This is the first time I’m going to BlogHer, so I’m glad that I’ll be driving and can easily run to a store to get anything I might forget or, worse case scenario, drive the 60-90 minutes back home if there’s something irreplaceable I forgot at home!

What’s on your packing list for BlogHer ’14?

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New SF Attraction: The San Francisco Dungeon

Posted on Jun 20, 2014 in Reviews, Travel |

I was honored to be invited to a press-only event this week to get a sneak preview of the new attraction opening up June 26, 2014 at the historic Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.  The San Francisco Dungeon is the first dungeon attraction in the United States, continuing the scary fun reputation of the Dungeon attractions in Amsterdam, Berlin, and across the UK.  This attraction is operated by Merlin Entertainment, the company who runs the Madame Tussauds Wax Museums around the world (also opening a new SF location next door).  From their press release:

The San Francisco Dungeon is an entertaining, 60-minute theatrical trip through outrageous moments in the Bay Area’s rich 200 year-old history where the audience is part of the show. The Dungeon originated in London, expanded into Europe and will open its first-ever North American location in historic Fisherman’s Wharf. This attraction introduces immersive sets, along with a regaling cast that will captivate audiences with their edgy humor and scary, fun antics.

I didn’t quite know what to expect before venturing into The San Francisco Dungeon.  It’s promoted with the tag line “Being scared has never been so much fun!”.  Now, despite my fascination with all things haunted, true crime, forensics, and the like… I’m a wimp.  I get startled very easily, don’t like haunted houses or thrill rides, and can’t watch scary movies.  Yet I’ll sit for hours in front of nonfiction shows regarding true ghost stories and haunted locations (true “nonfiction” if you believe, I guess, but just go with me).  So I when I was invited, I asked if I could bring a friend… I had a feeling I’d need some moral support!

The Experience

My BFF since 4th grade Rachel came with me, and I’m glad she did.  I knew she’d be able to take the day off (she has a lot of PT time banked) and that she would enjoy it.  We definitely did!  Visitors to The San Francisco Dungeon will travel below through nine live actor shows, which are very scripted to keep the flow of the groups moving.  Groups of victims (guests) will be sent through in 8 minute intervals throughout the day, very similar to a haunted house to allow for maximum traffic but more staggered so they have unique experiences that don’t run into groups behind or ahead of their group.  Each live actor show lasts for approximately 5 minutes with the whole experience taking about an hour, which includes the dark boat ride.  The press preview we attended was a shortened version that did not include the boat ride, but I can’t wait to go back and check that out!

I was impressed that there were very few animatronic elements.  I could only pinpoint a couple, and one was so good I’m still not 100% sure if it was an actor or a projection onto a blank faced dummy (like the singing ghosts in The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland).

You’re probably wondering if I was scared, screaming, crying, or worse by the end of our 30 minute preview.  Not at all!  It was a ton of fun – especially having a friend there with me.  It certainly was a dark vibe, not a friendly cheery experience, but a lot of fun in a way that I don’t find most “scary” attractions fun.  This was definitely scary fun!  Throughout the different scenes there is some audience participation, which is designed in such a way that the actors can roll with any punches that may come from unpredictable guests, but the show is still highly scripted to keep the group moving.  The artistic director for The San Francisco Dungeon, Kieron Smith, told me that keeping the groups moving is one of the more unique challenges to an attraction like this that a traditional theatrical show or even a haunted house wouldn’t experience.  A lot of the “scary” portions are more startling than scary.  The actors use a lot of lighting effects to their advantage to get a good amount of misdirection to startle guests.

The History

What makes this attraction different from an haunted house is that scaring you isn’t really their goal.  They’re also whipping some education at you.  The shows cover actual history – 200 years of San Francisco and California history is the through line of the shows.  Some of the shows include history of the gold rush, gangs of San Francisco, the mines of Sutter’s Creek, shanghai’d visitors, the plague, and finally the ghost of Alcatraz.  The general manager, Adrea Gibbs, is a California native, and like most of us natives, remembers going through the California history portions of 4th and 5th grade.  She emphasized that this attraction is very true to history – lots of research was done to make the script both entertaining, startling, and accurate.  Even the costumes and sets were heavily researched to ensure accuracy.  Speaking of the sets, they were incredibly detailed and very impressive considering they only started building this elaborate underground history attraction back in February!  At the end of the journey, like any good attraction, you exit through a gift shop – where there are lots of fun souvenirs and you can buy a map to visit the actual places referenced in the show.  How’s THAT for living history?

Behind the Scenes

We were fortunate to have a Q&A session with the general manager Adrea Gibbs and the artistic director Kieron Smith where they answered some more detailed questions.  I had a long list prepared, but some were asked before I had the chance and some were answered naturally while they answered other related questions.   Having a degree in Theatre Arts myself, I was very interested in a lot of the technical aspects of this kind of 360° theatrical experience, and I was certainly not disappointed in the answers.  What I would give for a full behind-the-scenes tour of the place!  Some fun facts that came from the Q&A session:

• Why not New York or another US city for the first United States Dungeon attraction?  The stories and rich history of the Bay Area and California just lend themselves beautifully to an attraction, with the kinds of stories they knew work in the European Dungeon attractions, like gangs, plague, and other seedy stories.

“I’m mean, it’s nice to know that things like plague and torture are actually universal!” – Adrea Gibbs, General Manager

• Fisherman’s Wharf was a natural fit for the location, being a hub of tourism AND right on the Barbary Coast, so the attraction is where the history happened.
• The individual shows within the attraction aren’t likely to change any time soon.  There’s the possibility for seasonal shows (hello Halloween!) or changing some of the core shows in a couple of years.  With the company of 36 actors, victims (guests) are very likely to have unique experiences every time they come to the attraction.
• This is an ideal attraction for teens and families looking for a fun and adventurous thing to do, while secretly learning about California history!
• All the wood used in the attraction was reclaimed from a former Japanese internment camp in Arizona.  Nice to turn something that was not a great part of American history into something positive and fun.
• Very little is improvised; it’s mostly very set scripts to keep the crowd going and moving along so groups don’t run into each other.

The Price & Accessibility

As far as tourist attractions go, and theatrical productions go, The San Francisco Dungeon is a very reasonable $26.  The opening day is June 26th, and you can actually save up to $7 off per person if you buy tickets online in advance.  Madame Tussauds is right next door, and you can even upgrade to a combo ticket for both attractions and save up to $10 and get more bang for your buck.  There’s plenty of places that are inexpensive to eat at in the area, namely my favorite clam chowder in the world, Boudin’s, right across the street!

The attraction is mostly ADA compliant, however any guests who wish to participate in the boat ride will need to be able to get themselves in and out of the boat without assistance.  As a word of warning, there are some jarring movements and strobe lights used in the production, so there is a warning posted at the beginning of the attraction stating that strobe lights are used and advising anyone with back issues or are pregnant to proceed with caution/at their own risk.  The tour is not guided by any cast member, instead the crowd is more ushered along by the script and cast, so there would not be an opportunity to know when the strobes are coming to skip just those parts.

Verdict: Visit The San Francisco Dungeon!

It was tremendous fun and a very unique attraction.  I will definitely be checking this out with my friends at some point to experience the entire 60+ minute tour through 200 years of history!  They also will be having Halloween events October 3 – November 2 and even Christmas events November 28 – December 28!  The San Francisco Dungeon is located at 145 Jefferson St., in between the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the Rainforest Cafe.

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