England travel questions

[veronica_rich]

Why is rabid sports fandom culturally acceptable, but "Trekkies" and "Browncoats" and people in other art-based fandoms regarded as mentally unstable and fair game for ridicule? I live in what has to be one of the more rabid football areas of the country, and yesterday I drove past a house with a six-foot nylon blow-up "doll" of the college team's mascot next to the road. People take vacation time to drive and fly in from other states to watch games, they take over bars for the TVs and discussion, and they tie up traffic for 1-2 days at a time here in my fair city - and WE'RE crazy because we like to watch the same movie a few times in the unobtrusiveness of our own homes (and occasionally venture out to a convention center to meet others like us)? And my fandom doesn't cut into anyone's educational budget, either.

I like baseball and NASCAR and soccer's kind of neat, but I'm just saying, why are sports nuts socially OK when we are not? Geez.

To the point of this post: I know some of you have traveled overseas or, hell, even live overseas from my POV (imagine that!). Anyone been to the UK (mainly England and Ireland)? My sister wants to go and I'm curious if there's a travel book or some such that advises WELL how to do so without spending a small fortune, giving realistic expectations of how much $$$ will be needed for food, lodging, travel, admissions fees?

Comments

[restrainedchaos.livejournal.com]

What's a Browncoat, Ver? Trekkies I know, but the only brown coats I can think of are those worn by Jedi. Mmm, Jedi...

Anyway, I totally agree with what you're saying. I'm a freak because I want to buy a book at midnight (Yay for Midnight Magic HP parties!!), but you can proudly paint your face and wear armor and call yourself part of the Raider Nation (I am VERY near Oakland, CA)?! Raspberries on that shit.

[carinmlp.livejournal.com]

I'll jump in on this one if you don't mind - Browncoats are fans of the cancelled sci-fi TV series Firefly. The term comes from the uniform of the Independence army, in which our captain (Mal Reynolds) fought and lost. The unofficial sort of saying is "we will rise again," which is rather appropriate, seeing as through fanpower and cast/crew dedication, the series got turned into a movie (Serenity) last year.

Go Browncoats!

-C-

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

Lonely Planet Guide. It's the Bible.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I might have to see if I can get it at Ye Olde Barnes End Noble.

[wicked-swann.livejournal.com]

You are SO RIGHT. And fandom people are, in general, more intelligent than anyone that I've met. My pirate crew-mates are the cleverest, funniest, most creative people I know - everyone has several talents ranging from sewing to music to writing and more, but people think we're weird because we run around dressed up like pirates.

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

And yet, that makes so much more SENSE to me than running around with giant foam hands and painted all over with one's favorite team's colors O_o

[metalkatt.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the part about the sports fans being so sloppy drunk that they don't wear shirts when it's cold, just body paint. (And most of them are so fugly that they can't pull the look off.)

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

And really, I've seen so many HOT pirate (cosplayers?), AND they were willing to make out whiledressedasJackandWill so.. really, us > them XD

[metalkatt.livejournal.com]

O_O I demand video footage!

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

Sadly, 'tis all in the mind's eye. And someone's camera, though I forget who among my table partners at Yaoicon snapped it. But to give you an idea, a Jack happened by our table, dragging a Will-with-angel-wings in tow--upon requests for a photo, the Jack grabbed Will by the scarf dealie so their faces were bare centimeters apart... and they just kind of stood there breathing on each other while my friend anxiously smacked at her camera, waiting for it to load properly, so all those around our table got to admire the scene for at least fifteen extra seconds. And it was good.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Holy cowsies. Does she have the photo mayhaps, to post??

(I might be of a mind to reward the two of you.)

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

Soon as I can get in touch with them, I will demand said photo with fierce intensity! And then post it, natch.

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

Oh, HA, turns out one of the girls at our table already had them up in her recap. Victory! (Okay, they're both girls, but it's still hot!)

http://shofuzaki.livejournal.com/237750.html -- scroll down to the bottom. They're text linked.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Hellooooooooooo, NURSE!

[metalkatt.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I wonder how much medication I'd need to hold it together enough to go to a Y-Con...

[vejiicakes.livejournal.com]

LINK'D BELOW~~!! XD

[metalkatt.livejournal.com]

*luff*

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I demand footage too!

Soggy England

[ex-verbina262.livejournal.com]

Well I live in England. So I can’t tell you how much it will cost to travel here but I may be able to give ideas on costs once you get here.

As for guides, one I would say to AVOID is the Rough Guide to London. I am about to move to London with work, and although I know the city fairly well I decided to borrow the Rough Guide from the library. I was so disappointed with it. It missed out so much information that I felt should be included. Unfortunately I can’t point you in the direction of an alternative.

I got around this conundrum by drawing up my own 101 things to do in London. Perhaps your sister could start there with the things and places she has heard about or is interested in and then work from there.

If you need any hints feel free to drop me a line.

Re: Soggy England

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in reading more about that 101 things. Is it online anywhere?

Re: Soggy England

[ex-verbina262.livejournal.com]

Actually no, I wrote it up in a note book to have in my bag when ever I head to to the smoke. Perhaps I if I got my self organized I will put it up on my LJ over the weekend. In the list I purposely avoided all the major sites like Madame Tussauds and the Science Museum. I tried to chose places that are slightly off the tourist trail. It's all well and god to visit a place, but I hate trudging around with 1000's of other people all looking at the same thing and wondering why they are there.

Re: Soggy England

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

Sounds a lot like New England cities over here. Everyone wants in!