Week 35: Seattle, PAX West, and Nintendo Live
- elenalilamartin
- Sep 5, 2023
- 5 min read
Week 35: August 27th-September 2nd, 2023
This week was a whirlwind of activity, so the pain of posting this later than normal is actually outweighed by my exhaustion. Initially, I was going to write about me and my friends' last minute decision to randomly go to trivia night. Instead, I'll skip that entirely (we did win though) and share my experience of going to Seattle for the weekend. I was so excited for this trip because I got tickets to PAX West, a 4-day convention centered around video games and all things nerdy. The cherry on top was that my friend and I also won Sunday tickets to Nintendo Live, an event adjacent to PAX West.
I have a few friends living in Settle and Bellevue, and they were gracious enough to let me stay with them. My flights were also covered by the many Southwest Rapid Rewards points I've accumulated over the years, so my travel expenses were pretty low. With that being said, in theory I technically saved money going to Seattle, so I obviously had to spend money in Seattle. It's only fair (this is a great example of what we call "girl math").
My flight from San Diego to Seattle had a quick pit stop in Oakland, but I didn't have to get off the plane. The 20 of us that were continuing to Seattle got to pick new seats before new passengers got on board. I chose a different window seat toward the front of the plane and even got an extra mini bag of snack mix from one of the flight attendants. It was a small consolation for the crying baby behind me.
I took the Sound Transit, the "Link light rail," from the airport to my friend's apartment near the University of Washington. The area near the campus reminded me of Cal. I went to bed pretty early to prepare for my first big day at PAX.
The trip from UDistrict Station to the Westlake station was only about 12 minutes.
As far as video game conventions go, my knowledge is limited and my experience even more so. I'd only ever been to Comic Con before this. However, my lack of experience was a good thing because it meant I have no expectations. I felt similarly to how I felt when I went to San Diego Comic Con. I went in with absolutely no expectations. I was armed with just my incredible levels of excitement, a healthy sheen of sweat (it was humid!), and a good portable charger.
On the first day, we got seats to see the first PAX speaker, Reggie Fils-Aime. Reggie is the former COO of Nintendo, and his speech was great introduction to the world of PAX West and the gaming community. Reggie was funny, well-spoken, and basically seemed like a really big kid in an expensive suit. I guess regular kids wouldn't have the ability to speak in front of an adoring audience of hundreds, nor about the complexities of a Haitian & Bronx upbringing, the value of failing forward, and the importance of the intersection of capability and opportunity. A lot of Nintendo's success can be linked to him, and it made sense to me. He seemed like a really beloved industry legend.
The next few days were a blur of nerds, games, and lots of walking. I had to juggle the urge to explore Seattle, the need to see everything at PAX West and Nintendo Live, and the management of my waning social and physical (and phone) batteries every day.
Seattle reminded me a lot of the Bay Area. I hadn't been since my Granny's memorial. Downtown Seattle was very similar to San Francisco: with its progressiveness, tourist attractions, fish-related storefronts, strange hilly geography, and the urine-scented streets. It was also nice to see the public transportation being used, especially on Saturday when there was a Huskies football game.
I tried to find time to visit key Seattle attractions. Despite being exhausted from a full day, I managed to visit the Pier and the Great Wheel after PAX. Apart from the use of questionable Native American imagery in some older historical buildings, the Pier/Miner's Landing, and the Great Wheel were pretty cool.
I also was able to visit the Museum of Pop Culture for a bit. The exhibits were all really cool, relevant, and well-done.
It wouldn't have been a trip to Seattle without a visit to my Granny's old stomping grounds at Pike Place Market. I tried to visit the Pike Place Senior Center, where there is a room dedicated to her, but unfortunately it was closed.
Bellevue was an interesting juxtaposition from the grime and grit of downtown Seattle. Bellevue is a wealthy, suburban, forest oasis about 20 minutes outside of downtown. I felt a little out of place staying at my friend's massive family home there, but it was a nice change from the dingy apartments by the University of Washington. I hope Bellevue will become more accessible when the Link light rail stations open up to connect Bellevue to Seattle proper. The stations in Bellevue are currently still under construction.
It is really fun to get to return to the places I traveled with my family as a kid. I feel like my experiences from different eras in my life are melding together and will shape who I am becoming. Exploring new cities and meeting new people, especially in a city with so much to do, feels like a life hack for enjoying life. We were even blessed with oddly good weather, and it only rained for about half a day during the entire trip. I got to eat some delicious food and play tourist for the weekend, and I had a great time.
Being around a bunch of nerds was a great time, even with the musty arcade rooms and social awkwardness of most people at the convention. It is funny to see gamers out in the wild. PAX and Comic Con really can bring out the members of the gaming community who never leave their rooms.
I love seeing the craftsmanship and the dedication of the cosplayers, vendors, and industry legends at conventions like PAX West and events like Nintendo Live. I definitely will be attending more in the future and hopefully will get to return to Seattle soon. I'm realizing I don't mind traveling alone or doing things on my own. Obviously its great to have friends that share similar interests and hobbies, but I'm impressing myself with my comfort in my own independence. I'm learning how to have fun not only with my friends but also by myself, and I think its working out pretty nicely.
See you next week.
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