Helen’s DaveCon 2006 Trip Report
III. The Post-Show Festivities
After the show we stayed in our seats and waited for Tony Mendez, Walter Kim, and Jay Johnson to come out for us. Usually at this point the pages are trying to shoo us out of the theater and we have to tell them we’re waiting for Tony, but nobody tried to boot us out this time. Maybe they were told ahead of hand that we’d be staying. Anyhow, we had a fantastic time shooting the Tony Mendez Show. Everyone got to be attacked by the stuffed coyote, except for Renee, who, naturally, was attacked by the giant rat. For the ending, they wanted some volunteers who were willing to lie down on the floor (pretending to be dead). Needless to say, almost all of us were eager to do this. As Traci said to Walter afterward, we’ll do anything they tell us for the TMS.
After shooting the TMS, the ever kind and generous Tony gave the new people (Kate, Keith, and Tom W.) a backstage tour. Our dinner reservation wasn’t until 8:00, so the rest of us tagged along on the tour. Tony couldn’t come to dinner this year since he was going to the ballet, but he came outside with us after the tour and hung around for as long as he could. Finally Walter came out to get Tony (they needed a few more shots of him for the TMS). Tony gave cue cards to the new people and anyone else who wanted one before he left.
Dinner was fantastic. We went to Cascina Ristorante on 9th Avenue, between 45th and 46th, where Traci had reserved a private room upstairs. The food was delicious (and there was plenty of it) and the service was great. This is the best place we’ve been to yet for a DaveCon post-show party.
After dinner most of the group went to a bar next door. I don’t drink alcohol, am uncomfortable when there is a lot of drinking going on, and normally would have gone back to my hotel at this point. I’d be leaving in the morning, though, and I wasn’t quite ready for DaveCon to be over, so I came along. The music in this place was painfully loud, to the point where the people working there must all sustain permanent hearing damage. Seriously. I nearly lost my voice carrying on a shouting conversation with Steve. After one round of drinks (for those who drink), we left and walked over to Hurley’s, where the music was a little less invasive, but still awfully loud. At some point after we had been there a while, the Hurley’s people noticed that only about half of us were drinking. They told Keith that there was a one drink minimum, and unless we all ordered drinks we would have to leave. Traci was incensed by this, so we decided screw it, we’ll leave.
Twenty-two of us attended the show, and by the time we left Hurley’s we were down to eight or ten people. We said good-bye to Marilyn and Nick, Dake, and Steve. Some of us were still reluctant to call it a night, though, so I invited those who were left (Traci, BostonBill, Keith, and Ann) up to my hotel room (literally next door to Hurley’s), where we hung out until my eyes were ready to snap shut. (We tried to watch the end of the LS, by the way, but could not find a remote control for the TV, and there wasn’t a way to get to the TV channels without the remote.)
And so ends another wonderful DaveCon. It was great to see old friends and new faces. My thanks to Traci and Renee for all their hard work organizing everything; to Jay and Walter and our pal Tony for their kindness and hospitality; to Rupert and all the LS staff who put up with our pestering them out on 53rd St.; and to David Letterman his own self, who puts the Dave in DaveCon.
See you all next year!