Staying at the Hyatt for Dragon*Con has many advantages:

• The special edition room key
• DCTV in the room
• The balconies
• Close proximity to the Consuite

The first three advantages are also available at the Marriott, but I’ve never personally stayed there (though I must admit their lobby is incredibly impressive) so I can’t speak from experience. To me, the most zen-mixed-with-cool perk is my access to the balcony that overlooks the Hyatt lobby.

Every night, after a fun and exhausting day at the con, I slip into my PJs and then pad out of the room to stand at the railing of the balcony and take it all in.

Wow.

First, I usually notice the costumes, but last night, what caught my eye right away were all of the other people, like me, standing at railings on various floors, watching.

In the costume department, the memorable ones that came to mind were a couple of young ladies who wore complimentary big-and-fuzzy boots. (One pink with white trim and the other white with pink trim.) My favorites were the steampunk couple who glided through the lobby as though they were about to board a steam train to London.

With the onset of late-Sunday-night, the sad feeling bubbled up. It’s almost over, I thought. And even though I’m incredibly sleep deprived, I’m not quite ready for it to end.

This morning, I checked out, and I’m working my last shift in the Daily Dragon office, enduring the heartbreak of saying goodbye to all of my friends and writers who work with me to put out our great little paper.

Thank you, Dragon*Con, for another year of moments, another bank of memories, but most of all for that feeling of family that volunteering brings.

See y’all next year.