Our much anticipated foray into the city will be this coming Friday as we attend NYComicCon.

The bus trip is always a hoot. There will be the inevitable delays, accidents and looky loos on the interstate, then the crawl down to the tunnel, the impossible 90-degree turns and wiggling through traffic to get to the Port Authority bus entrance…

Then the mad dash down 9th Avenue, hanging a right at 36 or 37th, depending on whether or not there’s construction impeding pedestrian traffic. And finally… FINALLY… the Javits Center arises in all its glory…

Along with a line of Con-party-goers that stretches blocks and blocks and blocks long. They warn you to queue at 8-ish. It opens at 10am. Some will look like they’ve been there since Labor Day.

This is fun… or it used to be. I’m a tad older and not so nimble nowadays. If the walk doesn’t kill me, most certainly standing in line for a minimum of two hours will. Once inside, it’s a crush of people of all ages, many costumed, all with backpacks and totes, queuing up once more at the elevators to access the upper level and the main exhibition hall.

We’ll head to the artists alley in search of Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, the masterminds behind Monstress. Firstborn will want autographs. I just like to stare at Marjorie. I think I have most of her books autographed already. #fangirling

Greg Rucka will be there, though the odds of getting within a country mile of him might be slim to none.

There’s BOOKCON also, a newish event that we’ll check out. It’s at a different location so we’re hoping to escape the crush at the Javits Center and chill out with some publishers, maybe score some books and graphic novels, attend a few panels.

We’ll eat street food, rub elbows with the unwashed masses, stand in lines and more lines.

Mom will likely end up in one of the lower levels where there are chairs and benches scattered about. I like to people watch and brush up on the salsa of dialog—sharp, shimmying, in your face—and the postering and body language of nerds and wannabees.

It’s a tap dance of diversity. A shared passion. A re-affirmation.

Big Apple. NYComicCon.

Be there. Or be square.