This post will focus on the last 3 years, 2018, 2019, 2020 and my thoughts on 2021. The year 2018, to me, is the start of a new chapter of going to conventions. In March of 2018, I moved from Southern California to Chicago, IL for work and to live with my now husband. With work being more prevalent in my life, I knew I’d have less time to go to events, but I made sure I was still able to go to some.
2018
There was one event I went to 2018 and that was BlizzCon. It was the first time since Anime Central in 2011 that I actually traveled to an event. Funny enough for Anime Central, it was from SoCal to Chicago and in BlizzCon 2018, it was from Chicago to SoCal. It was definitely a fun event and during our time, we met with a lot of people we grew to know in the competitive Overwatch community. It was also an opportunity for me to see my family again in SoCal so that was nice. The day after BlizzCon, we spent the day with my brother at Disneyland then had dinner with the family right after!
2019
Again, we only went to one event but this time it was a convention in Chicago called C2E2. This was the first time I ever heard of it but like WonderCon, it was focused on western comics. They did have an anime and gaming area which we mostly hung out in. It was my first time going to McCormick Place and I was surprised how large the venue was. It was nice being back at a convention again, especially since I haven’t gone to a large convention. Yes, I’ve been to BlizzCon but that has such a different vibe than something like WonderCon or Anime Expo. We only went for a day, but we had a great down. After the event, we went to Chinatown for dinner.
2020
You’d think with 2020 pandemic and shutdown, I did not go to an event. Well, I actually did. It was more work related but I did go to C2E2 after a meeting. On an odd stroke of luck, C2E2 was scheduled earlier than their usual March dates in 2020 so they were able to go on with the show. We didn’t really stay long this time around but made the most of our time there.
2021
With the pandemic still ongoing, I don’t know if I’ll be able to go another event this year. We don’t even know if there’s going to be events at all, at least in Chicago. I can only hope that there will be, at least here in Chicago. I don’t plan on traveling to events any time soon.
Final Thoughts
Conventions have been a huge part of my life. As an older teenager and young adult, they were the things my friends and I looked forward to to escape the stresses of high school, college and even work. I made so many memories throughout the years and it’s always fun to look back on. Looking into the future, I hope to make more memories, especially when I have kids old enough to enjoy these events. Anyways that is it for me and this little series. I will see you next Saturday!
