Just a few bullet points about my National experience:
--One would think there would be a direct flight between West Palm Beach and Cleveland, but no. Best bet seemed to be American but with the inevitable plane change in Charlotte, necessitating a mad dash between Concourse C and E. Not fun with a backpack filled with entombed baseball cards. No coronary to report.
--Now Thursday morning and at breakfast sat next to Frank and Mrs. Robinson. Tried not to listen to their conversation but couldn't help myself.
--Over to the Center and was immediately impressed with the layout. Food court and bars off to one side away from the dealers tables. Great choice of junk food, particularly the soft ice cream stands, where I made about a dozen stops over the next few days. Didn't understand the carousel in the middle, which seemed superfluous and a bit silly. No Wi Fi was a bummer but didn't affect me much. Access in and around tables seemed easier than prior Nationals.
--Crowd size seemed manageable and not overwhelming.
--Stopped at LOTG and submitted a nice consignment of pre-war cards to Al. Finally met Jeff, who is a great addition and I am sure will help take LOTG to the next level. The usual suspects were hanging around, drinking Al's free water and generally making a mess of his booth.
--Didn't buy much, mainly, I guess, to due sticker shock and miserable attitude on the part of some dealers. Major auction houses were showing lots of eye candy and strutting their stuff. Their power and influence was palpable.
Did, however, snag a couple of great '14 Cracker Jacks, a Chance and Hooper, from Don Hontz who was kind enough to take my personal check for part of the purchase after I ran out of hundred dollar bills. Thanks Don.
--SGC was, at best, shambolic; tiny submission area, terminals to handle submissions rather than people, terrible communication, broken sealing machine etc. Dave Foreman no where in sight to try and defuse things. A lot of unhappy SGC supporters muttering under their breaths. Meanwhile, even though the crowds were predictably large at PSA, things were moving along and their customers didn't seem about to revolt.
--For me, the Sheraton was a disaster mainly because I suffered a nasty scrape to my leg on the shuttle bus. The Sheraton's attitude was appalling, no offer of medical help, total indifference to my bleeding leg and so on. Carolina Brights is my witness. I am seriously thinking of taking legal action against them, which is something I would never consider if they had responded in a more humane fashion. I will never be their guest again if I can help it.
--Leon, you were missed, but still met up with some old friends and a few Net 54'ers.
If I can get a direct flight, will probably hit Chicago next year. Atlantic City is doubtful. Just don't like the place.
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