Not doing the press badge thing this year: I missed the deadline for applying, and it didn’t really buy me anything last time except access to the free drinks and snacks in the press room.
Best swag bag award (so far): SAR USA.
Walking distance today according to my phone: 5.8 miles (including the round trip from the Hyatt Regency in downtown Houston to the convention center).
It seems smaller than Wanenmacher’s, even though the Houston convention center is larger. It feels like the NRA show is more spread out and there’s a lot more space to move around. Mike the Musicologist and I covered a little more than half the exhibit floor today, and expect to finish off tomorrow. Which leaves us Sunday for return visits to targets of opportunity.
Cool stuff seen: well, not a whole lot that has me drooling, and nothing that made me go “ooooh, that’s a cool and clever idea”. Yet. Though I’m becoming more interested in the new Smith and Wesson CSX, and I get the impression some people have made a commitment to 30 Super Carry. I’m waiting for someone I trust to try out the CSX and report.
Encounters with protestors: very few. I didn’t notice any coming in this morning, and while there were some coming out this afternoon, they were all on the other side of the street. And quite frankly, their chanting was so poorly synchronized I couldn’t understand any of what they were yelling.
Price for two bagels, a medium coffee, and a juice at the Einstein Brothers bagels in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency: $14+.
More tomorrow, I hope.