The GDC Experience (Day 1)

Hello there readers! I am here to bring you only the second blog post on this site, and that comes in nearly a month's time. Don't worry, I expect the pace to rapidly increase. In fact I plan to, as best I can, post a blog every day of this week. Why this week? Because I'm currently in San Francisco to attend the Game Developers Conference, that's why!

So, Day 1 began very, very early in the morning. My flight left Chicago at 7:30 AM, but I was up somewhere around 2 AM. For the first time in I don't know how long, I was able to get a little bit of sleep on the plane. After about 4 and a half hours, American Airlines flight 1341 touched down at San Francisco International Airport. This being my first ever trip to the Bay Area, I had no idea what would await me.

Turns out, it was a lot of walking and a lot of homeless people. Because I arrived so early (10:05 AM their time), I couldn't check into my hotel, and therefore was forced to wander around sunny San Fran. So, not knowing where to go, I took the advice of the woman behind the check-in desk and grabbed an F-Line trolley to Fisherman's Wharf. I was fortunate to find the conductor (is that what he's considered) of the trolley was one of the coolest people I've ever been around. He was 24/7 with the jokes...good times.

After about a 30 minute ride, I arrived at Fisherman's Wharf and looked around for a while. I took some pictures, smelled the delectable smells of the Boudin sourdough bread factory, but was stupid enough to not taste any. One gentleman tricked me into donating $10 to the homeless by giving me a sticker that says "I (Heart) Your Smile." I generally don't like falling for those things, but the guy was pretty nice and told me about all the "hot babes" in San Francisco.

I took my sticker and left Fisherman's Wharf, hopping on one of the "world famous" cable cars to take me back in the general vicinity of my hotel. It was an interesting ride, although the "conductor" of that car was much, much less entertaining. When I got to the end of the line, I decided I still had plenty of time until check-in, so I figured I'd take a walk down to AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, six blocks in San Francisco is a much, much further distance than it is in Chicago, but I made it anyways. Let me say this, I in no way think any park can ever beat Wrigley Field, but AT&T Park is a very, very beautiful place. In addition to simply walking around the park, they allow you to enter from the back (that's what she said) and walk along the outfield concourse. I used the opportunity to snap as many pictures as I could before my camera died. Unfortunately, the park was being re-sodded, so the field didn't look as nice as I'm sure it normally does on a sunny afternoon.

After I left, I decided to just take a cab back to the hotel, where I was finally able to check-in. I got to my room and entered relaxation mode. It wasn't until about 2:30 that Andy made it out here from his uncle's place, and then he had to immediately leave to help with setup at GDC. So, I took the opportunity to nap, which I desperately needed. Afterwards, I finally got a hold of Ryan and Ben, who's flight was delayed back in Chicago. I met up with them, Tom and Dave around 6:00 at their hotel and we proceeded to search for a restaurant to eat dinner. We finally decided on The Jazz Bistro, a very nice little jazz club/restaurant in the heart of downtown San Francisco. My angel hair pasta with chicken was delicious (albeit expensive) and we all shared quite a few laughs over the meal.

We went our separate ways afterwards, as the four of them headed back to their hotel and I headed to mine. Now, I sit in my room, tired of typing at this moment, and ready to try and call it a night. I don't have any contact solution, so things might get rough in the morning, but I'm getting excited for the start of GDC. Tomorrow, I will do my best to chronicle the first day of the Game Design Workshop. Goodnight to you all (and by you all, I mean probably nobody).