My vacation this year took me to the 2023 National Convention of the International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA (IPMS/USA). This year's convention was held in San Marcos, Texas on 2-5 August.
My trip started early on Wednesday, 2 August by driving to The Parking Spot 3, just west of St. Louis Lambert International Airport. I parked my car at the long-term lot just after 3:00 AM, then took a shuttle bus to the terminal to check in for my flight on Southwest Airlines.
Just after 5:00 AM my Southwest flight departed St. Louis for Dallas Love Field. After landing there and changing planes, I caught another Southwest flight to Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Both flights went smoothly.
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After arriving in Austin, I grabbed an iced turbo from Jo's Coffee in the terminal. This drink sure energized me after the early flights. Then, I was off to get my checked bag from baggage claim before walking over to the car rental center.
Arriving at the Enterprise counter, I checked in and had my reservation confirmed. After submitting my driver's license and credit card, I was directed to pick up my rental car (a Toyota Corolla). I checked out my car, put my luggage inside it, then drove off for San Marcos.
I arrived at the convention venue, the Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center, around 10:15 AM. I entered the conference center and found the pre-registration check in line. I checked in and received my packet and the convention t-shirt. In this area, I chatted with a few people I know.
I walked over to the contest registration area to enter my one model in the contest. It was a 1:72 scale Alpha Jet I did a few years back. Having filled in the contest forms before I left home, my time in registration was short and I found the category table in the contest room to place my model.
I walked around the contest area to see the models placed there so far in the show. There were some, but many more would go in there by the time contest registration ended late Friday afternoon. Then, I waited for the three vendor rooms to open. Once open, I began to browse among the approximately 72 vendors present at this convention. One of the vendors, Tamiya, had a limited-edition t-shirt for the first 300 registrants who signed up for their email list. I was among those fortunate people who signed up and got the t-shirt. I also bought some tickets for the convention's raffle of model kits.
After spending the afternoon browsing among the contest entries and the vendors, it was time for me to leave the convention. I stopped by In-N-Out Burger for dinner before driving to the rental room approximately 10 minutes from the Conference Center. I had booked this place on Airbnb.
Arriving at the three-store residence, I entered the security code to unlock the door and made my way to the top floor, where my bedroom and bathroom were located. This accommodation was most suitable for me. After this long day, I went to bed. Day One in San Marcos was over.
To be continued...
Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:
International Plastic Modelers' Society/USA: IPMS/USA Home Page | By Modelers... For Modelers (ipmsusa.org)
The Parking Spot: St. Louis Airport Parking | The Parking Spot
St. Louis Lambert International Airport: St. Louis Lambert International Airport (flystl.com)
Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Make Reservations & Plan a Trip
Dallas Love Field: Dallas Love Field Airport | Home (dallas-lovefield.com)
Austin Bergstrom International Airport: Airport (AUS) | AustinTexas.gov
Jo's Coffee: Jo's Coffee (joscoffee.com)
Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Embassy Suites and San Marcos Conference Center: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center
Tamiya: Tamiya USA
In-N-Out Burger: In-N-Out Burger
Airbnb: Find homes on Airbnb
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