Day Two of the IPMS/USA

2006 National Convention

by Steve Filak  --  ARC Staff

Well, here we are at Day One of the Nats.  After a long and very stressful year at work, I was more than overdue for a little 'Me Time', and while I tend to get a little melancholy when preparing for the trip, I'm always happy to find myself at a National Convention. 

After a late night of packing, laundry, organizing, and paperwork, I awoke at around 6:30 to the sound of my wife's voice, telling me that it was time to get the day started.  After kisses goodbye from the wife and kids (my wife told me to have fun in St. Louis....just goes to show how much she pays attention to things :)), it was off to the airport.  A tank of gas, an ice cold Diet Pepsi, and an Egg Mc Muffin, and it was time to hit the New York State Thruway for the two-hour ride to LaGuardia Airport.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the New York area, this is a trip down the Thruway to the Tappan Zee, to Major Deegan Expressway over to the Triborough Bridge, and then the Grand Central Expressway to LaGuardia.  Once you hit the Major Deegan, you've got do do at least 80 MPH to keep up with everyone else, or they'll run you off the road.  Kind of like the Mad Max movies, only the cars aren't as nice....a veritable 'no-man's land' where speed and agility are the order of the day.  In particular, a ten-wheel dump truck almost ended my trip before it started, when it veered into my lane and cut me off.  I had enough time to stop, but I was more than a bit concerned that the guy behind me (who was so close that he could have tapped me on the shoulder) would follow suit.  As luck would have it, he must have had very good brakes.  Why he chose to flip me the bird still escapes me, though.  He could obviously see that the truck cut me off, but he still felt the need to wave the fickle finger of fate at me. 

I should mention that this wasn't the original plan.  My wife had every intention on driving me to the airport.  However, my trip and the installation of our new swimming pool just happened to coincide at the last minute, leaving me to fend for myself.  Traveling through rush hour traffic from 9 to 10 AM, and the thermometer already at 90 degrees, I know that I was in for an adventure in defensive driving.  

Things were fine until I missed the exit for the Triborough Bridge, and had to double back to get to it.  Actually, I was on the right track, but the secondary exit to the bridge was closed.  This took me on a detour through the Bronx that I wouldn't recommend to my worsst enemy.  Of all the times to be unarmed, this probably wasn't the best one.  Be that as it may, I made my way to the Avi Star lot, and hopped the shuttle over to the airport.  I traded my e-ticket info for a boarding pass, took a farily quick trip through TSA security, and was on the plane in no time.  Good thing, too....with the delays, I had about five minutes to spare.  When I arrived at the gate, they were already pre-boarding the aircraft, and I had just enough time to get myself squared away and on the plane.

Once on board the aircraft, I was pleased to discover that we would be flying to Kansas City on a brand-new Boeing 717.  Seats were situated two-by-two with a center aisle, and the seats were extremely comfortable.  While I have your ear, I have to tell you all that I recommend Midwest Airlines VERY highly.  This was easily the smoothest flight I've taken in many years, and the service was second to none.  You can't beat an airline with big, roomy seats, inflight meals (almost a thing of the past these days), and great service.  For ten dollars, you got a bar-sized pizza (which was WAY better than you'd expect to get on an airline), a small salad, and a fruit cup.  Pretzels, soft drinks, and fesh-baked chocolate chip cookes were provided free of charge. My only regret was having to fly out of LaGuardia.  I normally fly out of Newark because it's much easier to get to, but the only way to get a direct flight from NY to KC was through LaGuardia.  However, while the drive was frustrating, the flight was outstanding.  We did experience a bit of turbulence here and there, the overall impression of this flight was the feeling of being chauffered in a limo, rather than being ferried in a school bus.  When they say "the best care in the air", I think that they're serious.  A trouble-free flight that arrived early, and a very courteous flight crew made for a relaxing trip.  The flight attendants really went out of their way to make sure that everyone was taken care of....and they did it with a smile. 

Once we touched down at Kansas City International, I grabbed the KCI Shuttle over to the convention center, there to begin the experience that is the Nats. I learned my lesson last year in Atlanta, and only took a carry-on bag and my laptop.  It was nice to slide right on through the airport without having to wait at the baggage carousel, anxiously hoping that my bag wasn't lost.  Armed with the knowledge of what to expect, and the memories of a fantastic trip to Atlanta for the 2005 Nats, I checked in and picked up my convention packet, went up to the room, briefly got settled in, and then went downstairs to the convention are to look for familiar faces (and ARC polos). 

Frank Crenshaw, Steve Filak, Steve Bamford

Many of the familiar faces were there:  Frank Crenshaw, Waco, Steve B., Jack Zeleznik, Don Flynn, Steve Stohr, and many, many others.  The contest room was already starting to fill up nicely, and there were some beautifully done models, particularly in thejet section.  All in all, this is shaping up to be a great convention, both in terms of the quality/quantity of models, and the atmosphere.  The overall feel of the convention is very casual and laid back, much like the ambiance of the city itself.  I should mention byt the way that Kansas City is an amazing place....it almost seems as if someone dropped a brand new city right out of the sky,  Kelly Quirk and crew have done a great job in organizing this convention, and everyone really seems to be enjoying themselves. 

Thursday night's dinner was at Skies; the rotating restaurant at the top of the Hyatt hotel.  Nothing like a prime rib dinner on your first night in town to set the mood.  Good food, good company, and good atmosphere were the order of the day.  From there, it was on to the Twobobs shindig, where there were a lot of old friends to be seen, as well as new friendships made.  The party went well into the night, and at about 1 AM, I finally went upstairs to call it a night.  I had been traveling from 8 AM to 2 PM, and I was pretty much cooked at that point. 

That's it for Day Two, folks.  We'll check back in with you tomorrow, and keep you up to date.

Steve