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”I don’t normally tell you what to do,” my friend Andrew said (wise man, for sure), “but Fan Expo may be a challenge for a person in a wheelchair.” He then proceeded to tell me about the massive crowds, the lineups, the crowds, and oh, yes, the crowds. He knows me well, knows I hate crowds, knows how difficult it is to have fun when you travel seated and the masses around you are standing. He has also attended Fan Expo and Comic-Con a number of times and knows whereof he speaks.

Naturally, I ignored his advice.

The Boy has been a fan of The Frantics for a very long time and they were appearing on Friday. Since the Friday was allegedly a less intense day than Saturday, this is when we chose to go. Because: The Frantics!

Normally when we are out, I take a lot of photos, as does David. This time, there are embarrassingly few. I was too overwhelmed by the everythingness of what was happening to remember my camera. And that was early on a Friday!

We wandered around the “smaller” exhibit Hall

geeking out at the interesting stuff brought by the vendors, bemoaning that all T-shirts seemed to be made for teens/svelte geeks, and…

Wait. Is that Kathleen Turner signing autographs? I’ve loved Kathleen Turner for decades and she is a fellow RA fighter!

I’m still giggling over that one.

I wasn’t the only one who got a casual photo op. Here’s David with Maurice LaMarche.

It was very difficult for me not to go home with one of these voracious stuffies

I was also pleased to meet Zombie Jesus, with whom I had a very funny chat about rising from the dead.

The title of that shot? Jesus takes the wheel. Of course.

We decided to venture into the larger exhibit Hall, just to check it out. Three elevator rides later, we were there and it was… It was…

Thank you, Fan Expo

There are no words for Fan Expo. Except possibly overwhelming. Spending a day there is physically exhausting, but also mentally mind-boggling. There is so much to look at, so many impressions, and that’s just the vendors. You throw in a gazillion people — over the four days, it was estimated that 140,000 people would attend — and cosplaying. Which ranges from homemade and thrown together at the last minute, to intricate movie-quality costumes.

So. Much.

And then it was time for The Frantics. First, there was an hour-long Q&A with Paul, Dan, Peter, and Rick. An undeservedly fairly small audience, but it lent an intimacy to the event that made everything even better. Afterwards, we headed to the photo op area and the result was more than worth the price. Just take a look at that top photo!

Getting back to my conversation with Andrew. Before we went, I told him that this was likely a one-time deal — going full well knowing how crazy it would be, but being able to say that I’d been there. And then never going again. Unless of course Patrick Stewart would be attending.

When we left, exhausted and impoverished, The Boy and I looked at each other and immediately agreed that we would be back next year.

As long as you know what you’re in for — massive crowds, long lines, spending money — you’ll have a blast.