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Foolscap, Day the First
Sat, Sep. 20th, 2003 06:44 amLeft work at about 5:40 PM and went over to the Bellevue Hilton, just around the corner from my office, to pick up my badge and seek dinner companions. Hooked up with FrabjousDave, CE (an old and dear friend) and, in the way of Foolscap, a complete stranger, PdJ who, as it turned out, was another expat East Coaster. We walked over to Pogacha, one of my favorite restaurants in Bellevue, for dinner and had quite a lovely meal. Pogacha serves Croatian food, usually centered around a hearty round flatbread. Myself, I had a new item on the menu, the portabello mushroom ravioli with chicken in a wine sauce--quite wonderful, very rich, and very, very filling. Pogacha is not only a restaurant but an art gallery, and the walls were mounted with paintings by an artist whose last name was Flash--very modern: daubs of bright primary and secondary colors applied with a palette knife. I don't usually respond to that sort of thing, but I quite liked what I saw. There was a lot of energy on the canvasses, with all those boldly-smeared bright reds and yellows. It was the first time in quite a while that I was tempted to stroll the whole restaurant and look at all the paintings.
After an excellent meal and good company, we headed back to the hotel. CE and I went to the artist's reception, FrabjousDave and PdJ headed off to programming. The Art Show and Dealer's Room are sharing space this year, and I think it's a fortuitous arrangement; traffic to one will benefit traffic to the other, and at a small convention I think that's important. The Art Show looks as though it's going to be quite good, especially once Sergio has a moment to hang his art. If I have one complaint, it's that it looks as though some of the artists are hanging prints rather than original work, which I always find a disappointment.
Following the reception, I sat in on the last half of the panel on Books That Influenced You, a nice way to get insight into fellow attendees.
Concluded the evening by attending the Potlatch party in the Hospitality Suite. Caught up with Vonda McIntyre, along with Greg Bear and his wife Astrid, and a number of friends I haven't seen in a while.
All in all, it was a good start to the show. I came home far later than I intended to, and now I'm rushing about, trying to get ready for the rest of the weekend. Will continue to report as the opportunity presents itself.
After an excellent meal and good company, we headed back to the hotel. CE and I went to the artist's reception, FrabjousDave and PdJ headed off to programming. The Art Show and Dealer's Room are sharing space this year, and I think it's a fortuitous arrangement; traffic to one will benefit traffic to the other, and at a small convention I think that's important. The Art Show looks as though it's going to be quite good, especially once Sergio has a moment to hang his art. If I have one complaint, it's that it looks as though some of the artists are hanging prints rather than original work, which I always find a disappointment.
Following the reception, I sat in on the last half of the panel on Books That Influenced You, a nice way to get insight into fellow attendees.
Concluded the evening by attending the Potlatch party in the Hospitality Suite. Caught up with Vonda McIntyre, along with Greg Bear and his wife Astrid, and a number of friends I haven't seen in a while.
All in all, it was a good start to the show. I came home far later than I intended to, and now I'm rushing about, trying to get ready for the rest of the weekend. Will continue to report as the opportunity presents itself.
