PAX Prime 2015

Last weekend I flew across the country to Seattle with some friends and guildmates, where a massive gathering of gamers was taking place at the Penny Arcade eXpo. It took roughly 9 hours of travel time one way, but it was worth every minute. I could go on and on about all the cool demos I saw and interesting game I tried, but I’ll just pick a few highlights of my PAX experience:

Crowds on the show floor

Project Morpheus

VR was the big thing at PAX this year. Spread across various areas of the convention were stations where you could try out a new game showing off the latest VR technology. But like almost everything else there, massive lines formed, and unless you got in line before 7 in the morning you were unlikely to get a spot. By some stroke of luck, we were able to get a couple of the walk-in spots at Sony’s Project Morpheus booth.

Project Morpheus

They had several different games available for demo. The game I got put you in the point of view of a tank getting besieged by other tanks from all sides. You had to physically turn your neck back and forth to see where the enemies were coming from, and then use the Playstation controller to move, jump, and shoot. The helmet was a bit heavy, and I definitely got motion sickness after a few minutes, but overall I was impressed by how smooth the game ran. There’s a lot of potential for gaming applications (and non-gaming applications for that matter), and I’m excited to see how the technology develops. I’ll just make sure to have a healthy serving of ginger before trying it again.

Gigantic

About a block away from the convention center was a large restaurant-arcade hybrid called Gameworks. After eating lunch there, we wandered around the arcade, and stumbled upon a demo station for the game Gigantic in the back of the building, completely by accident. Apparently not a lot of other people knew of its existence, so there was no line whatsoever - a miracle! So of course we decided to try it out.

I actually forgot to take a picture of the Gigantic booth

so here's a gigantic Pikachu

Gigantic is a head to head game in which you and your team of five fight the other team and try to take out their guardian, a huge (gigantic) creature that you can only damage after getting enough kills and capturing enough points from the other team. You can pick between many heroes, each of which have their own play styles and special abilities. The game itself was a lot of fun. It was simple enough to pick up and start playing right away, yet complex enough to provide longevity. The only thing I was disappointed with was the fact that it’s only available for Windows 10. Not quite sure if I want to upgrade to Win 10 just yet, but when I do, I’ll have to revisit this game.

Super Mario Maker

If you’ve ever played a Mario stage and thought, “I could design a stage so much better!”, soon you’ll have the opportunity to do so. One of the many game Nintendo had in their massive booth was Super Mario Maker for the WiiU. The game allows you to play stages made by other people, but as the name implies, the point is really to let those creative juices flow and design your own stages. My interest in this game was actually only lukewarm prior to trying it out, but once I got my hands on the controller and started playing around, I found myself really getting into it. How do I make this jump sequence challenging and exciting, yet still doable? How many cannons can I stack before things start getting too ridiculous? The game allows you to quickly go back and forth between editing and play testing, allow for rapid iteration in every sense of the phrase. Alas, this is another game I lack the platform for. Maybe it’s about time to start thinking about getting a WiiU… (Clearly Nintendo’s marketing has worked.)

Super Mario Maker

Console/PC Free Play Rooms

At PAX there were several free play rooms for both console and PC gaming. I actually ended up spending quite a bit of time here because I just wanted to play something and didn’t want to spend all my time waiting in lines. In the console room you could check out current gen and previous gen consoles and pick from their extensive library of games. I’d been wanting to try out Hyrule Warriors for awhile, so I got that. It was basically Dynasty Warriors with Zelda characters. Not sure what I was expecting. 

PC room

The PC gaming room was literally just a room full of PCs. You could hop on a PC and play for 45 minutes, more if no one was in line after your session expired, and pick between the many games they had pre-installed. There were some familiar ones, like Civilization V - although how they expect any Civ game to finish within 45 minutes is beyond me. There were also lots of games I’d never played before, many of which had been sitting on my to-try list for a long time. I tried Bastion, Transistor, and Kerbal Space Program. It was kind of nice being able to just sit down after a tiring day walking around the convention and try out some new games.

***

This was my first time going to such a large gaming convention, and it was an amazing experience. It isn’t everyday that you can walk around and see and play the latest and greatest surrounded by enthusiastic like-minded gamers. I only wish I could have spent more than two days there. Guess that’s something to consider for next year. See you at PAX 2016!

- MC 9/2

Lobsters and Landscapes in Rhode Island

The thing about New England is that the states are tiny compared to the west coast, meaning you could cross multiple state boundaries in a relatively short amount of time. Last weekend I took a mini-road trip, driving through three states in as many hours to reach Providence, Rhode Island where I went to visit some old friends. 

Delicious grilled pizza

Being quite accomplished foodies, my friends introduced me to much of the great food Rhode Island has to offer. Like many other college towns, Providence has a plethora of good, yet reasonably priced restaurants. We went to a small modest looking place called Bob and Timmy’s Grilled Pizza, famous for their grilled pizza, as one could guess. We ordered a Gorgonzola Salad and a half-and-half pizza with Lasagna and Wild Mushroom flavors. Everything was absolutely divine. The cheeses all tasted excellent, the pizza crust was delightfully crispy, and I even enjoyed the olives in the salad - quite astonishing considering I usually try to avoid olives. The whole thing reminded me of Berkeley’s Cheeseboard, but with more choice in pizza flavors.

Super fresh lobster

We actually decided to spend most of the day walking around in Newport, a charming, picturesque seaside town. On the way there, we stopped to eat at Anthony’s Seafood, featured in Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”. We ordered some lobster rolls, crab cakes, and of course the featured Kung Pao Calamari. The crab cakes were delicious, and the calamari was as good as advertised, but my favorite part of the meal was the lobster roll. Lobster rolls are always a little pricey, and this one was no exception, but the sheer freshness of the meat made it worth every penny. The lobster has wonderful texture and it tasted like it had been caught just hours ago, which considering we were in the Ocean State, I could definitely believe.

Scenery along the Cliff Walk

After stuffing ourselves silly, we took a nice long walk to digest along Newport’s famous Cliff Walk, a 3.5 mile path that follows the cliffs right next to the ocean. It was a wonderfully scenic place to sightsee from, with the dramatic seaside landscape on one side and perfectly groomed gardens and mansions on the other. We went to visit one such mansion, The Breakers, previously owned by the railroad empire Vanderbilt family. The Breakers is one of many mansions in Newport that used to be owned by the filthy rich and now function as tourist attractions, much like Hearst Castle in California. Admission included a nice audio tour that introduced each of the rooms in the house, as well as the family members and some of the house staff. I found the tour to be both aesthetically pleasing and a great insight into the life of the Gilded Age upper class.

The Breakers

There’s much to do in Rhode Island despite its small size, and if I get a chance to come back, I definitely want to check out the other Newport mansions and spend some time exploring the museums in Providence. Of course, more lobster rolls are always good too. ’Til next time!

- MC 8/23

Freedom and Seafood in Boston

As one of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston has a tremendous amount of historical attractions to occupy the millions of tourists that visit every year. Last weekend a friend and I met up in Boston and went sightseeing together. She’s Canadian, but we decided to walk the Freedom Trail anyway.

Freedom!

The trail starts at the visitor center in the Boston Common, and winds through the city, taking you to over twenty different historical sites and ending across the Charles River at Bunker Hill. Even though it’s officially only 2.5 miles in length, we made numerous detours, walking around at many of the sites, and ended up walking for a good four hours. Not exactly the most leisurely stroll, but well worth the effort if you are at all interested in history. 

I for one found myself wishing I remembered more of high school US history as we continued along the trail. A few of the sites required admission fees, but there were also plenty of free ones. Among them were a bunch of churches of various denominations, and burying grounds containing some familiar names. We were able to find the gravestones of John “City on a Hill” Winthrop, Paul “The British are Coming” Revere, and John “My Name is Bigger Than Yours” Hancock. 

The whole Winthrop clan

About halfway through the trail we stopped for lunch at Quincy Market, a large narrow building housing food stalls and restaurants as far as the eye can see. It was a madhouse in there, like going to a Taipei night market on a weekend. One would think every tourist in Boston was there, but for good reason - I counted at least five seafood stalls selling lobster rolls and the famous New England chowder, as well as many others serving items as varied as pad thai and bagel pizzas. Finding seating was a bit of a challenge; we ended up eating at a standing table. All part of the Boston experience, I guess.

Baked clams from Quincy Market

One of the most interesting stops along the Freedom Trail was the Charlestown Navy Yard towards the end of the day, a large harbor area north of the Charles River. Front and center was the USS Constitution “Old Ironsides” herself, open for tourists to walk around on deck free of charge. The USS Constitution Museum was right next door, also with free admission (though accepting donations). I found the museum to be very impressive, with well curated and informative exhibits containing a good amount of interactivity. Unfortunately we got there just 15 minutes before closing, as we definitely could have spent a good amount of time there.

Old Ironsides in for restoration

The next day, some kind friends took me on a tour of Harvard University, actually the first Ivy League school I’ve ever visited. It was suitably impressive, especially the giant pillared main library and the majestic gothic style Memorial Hall towards the middle of campus. Though I think I was most impressed by simply how clean and well maintained all the buildings were. Harvard is one of the oldest universities in the country, but the campus was pristine. Such is the difference between public and private schools.

Looks like Hogwarts

Overall, I enjoyed my first taste of Boston. I really liked how walkable the city was, and how convenient the public transit was to use. Last weekend was a great introduction to the area, and I look forward to my next visit!

- MC 8/4

Adventures Awaits on the East Coast

Having been born and raised, and done all my schooling in California, I have spent almost my entire life living and traveling around on the west coast. So when I happened upon an opportunity to take a six month work assignment in upstate New York, I jumped on the chance to travel to the east coast, a part of the country that is still relatively unknown and mysterious to me. 

For the next half year, I will be living and working in Malta, NY, a small town in an area whose sleepy exterior belies the rich history within. Less than ten miles from my apartment is the site of the Battle of Saratoga from the Revolutionary War. A few minutes drive northwest of there, and you can reach Saratoga Springs, a town with it’s own longtime traditions of hot springs and horse races. Even today, you can go there to watch (and bet on, if you’re feeling lucky,) live thoroughbred horse racing, a pastime that seems to be distinctly east coast.

There are also countless activities available for the outdoor enthusiast. Warm summer days offer swimming and kayaking on the many lakes in the area, hiking in the vast Adirondack mountain range, and running through the nearby forest trails. Winters are said to be harsh, but also provide opportunities to ski, ice skate, and snow shoe without having to drive four hours up a mountain. 

As an added bonus, upstate New York happens to be in a great location for weekend trips to popular east coast destinations. Three hours of driving can get you to New York City to the south, Boston to the east, and Montreal to the north. With an additional hour of driving, you could reach Philadelphia farther south or Niagara Falls to the west. I definitely plan to visit some of these locations, as well as others in the vicinity. 

So far I’ve been enjoying the east coast experience, seeing interesting places unique to the area. It’s been a bit hot and humid, nothing like the year round temperate weather back home, but that hasn’t deterred me from going exploring. There’s so much to see and do - more than enough to keep me busy for the next six months.

- MC 7/27

P.S. I'd love to hear any suggestions for things to see/do from all you east coasters!

Ships and History in Halifax

We ended our train journey across the eastern stretches of Canada in Halifax, a port city known for its history and lobsters. In many ways, Halifax almost reminds me of San Francisco, with its ample selection of seafood restaurants and waterfront establishments swarming with tourists. But as an older city that had taken an active role in numerous international events in the past, I found the historical buildings and attractions in Halifax to be much more interesting and impressive.

Famous Halifax seafood

Similar to Quebec City, Halifax also has a star-shaped Citadel built on the highest hill overlooking the city. These fortifications were also built by the British, but were intended to be used in defense against the French. The Citadel in Halifax seemed a little smaller than the one in Quebec, but boasted equally impressive features. A tall wall and deep ditch surround the entire fort, meaning any attackers would, after charging up a steep hill, have to drop 20 feet into the ditch and climb 40 feet up a sheer wall before making it into the fort’s interior, all the while being shot at by snipers on both sides. The inside of the fort contains storehouses and sleeping quarters, giving it the ability to be self sufficient in the case of a siege. It appears just as impenetrable as the Quebec citadel, but we’ll never know how it would have actually held up in battle, because like the other fort, this one has never been attacked. In fact, the only time the Citadel ever functioned as a defensive structure for the city was during the Halifax Explosion of 1917. 

Standing in the ditch of the Citadel

It was the height of World War I, and the French cargo ship, the Mont-Blanc, was on its way across the ocean loaded with explosives. Before heading east back to France, they were to make a stop in Halifax. The big ship barely fit in Halifax harbor, and due to miscommunication, the Mont-Blanc collided with the Imo, a Norwegian ship headed in the opposite direction out the harbor. Fire quickly spread across the carnage, resulting in a massive explosion that wiped out the entire east side of the city. The Citadel however, stood firm, protecting the rest of the city behind it from the blast.

The Halifax Explosion is the subject of one of the many exhibits at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Other exhibits featured model ships with exquisite detail crafted by local hobbyists, and a real full-sized ship outside that was free to explore with museum admission. Also featured was a whole exhibit about the Titanic and the aftermath its disastrous journey, of which I was surprised Halifax played such a large role.

Intricate model ships at the museum

After the Titanic sank, rescue ships quickly set out to bring the survivors to New York, the original intended destination. The bodies of the victims however, were sent to Halifax. Halifax was the closest port city to the wreckage that had relatively easy access to the rest of the continent via railroad. After the bodies were identified, they could be sent to their families for burial. Of course, only the families of the first class passengers could afford the shipping costs, so many of the bodies ended up being buried right in Halifax. During our city tour, our guide took us to Fairview Cemetery, where most of the victims were buried. It was interesting hearing the stories he had to tell us about certain individuals buried there, but also sad to think about the tragedy that had befallen all those people. Many of the tombstones were simply labeled with the date of the disaster and a number, the body unable to be identified, destined to rest there forever in anonymity. 

Grave marker at the Fairview Cemetery, inspiration for the character Jack Dawson

Having gone through the US school system, I learned a lot about American history, but not much about the rest of the world. My favorite part about this past trip was learning about the rich histories of each stop, visiting monuments from a different time, and hearing stories about the lives of people past and present. There are many things that we didn’t have time to get to during our stays in Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax, and discover more stories yet untold.

- MC 6/27

Forts and Castles in Quebec City

The capital of Quebec province, Quebec City, is a curious little tourist destination. The city consists of a few distinct regions, the most visited of which are the Upper and Lower Old Towns. Upper Old Town sits on a massive hill with sheer cliffs on the river-facing side, separating it physically from the lower town and making it an optimally defensible location. 

Entrance to the Citadel

It’s no wonder that the British decided to build a military fort there during their rule. On the highest point of the city is The Citadel, a collection of military buildings surrounded by a star-shaped protective wall. Today, the Citadel is part active military base, and part museum, open to the public for tours multiple times a day. Our tour guide gave us an excellent overview on the background of the place, explaining that the British built the Citadel as a precaution after warded off two previous attacks by the Americans (“those nasty Americans!”). The walls were built in a star formation to ensure that there were no blind spots anywhere approaching the fort. Add that to their highly advantageous position, and it would have been almost impossible to take Quebec using 19th century weaponry. In fact, the Citadel has the proud distinction of never having been defeated. Granted, no one has ever tried.

Majestic Chateau Frontenac

The Citadel is widely regarded as one of the must-see tourist spots in Quebec City. Chateau Frontenac is one of the other ones. Resembling a castle in both size and structure, Chateau Frontenac is a luxury hotel built about the same time as the railroads in an effort to attract visitors to the city. Today, the Chateau is the place to stay for people looking for the 5-star experience and willing to pay the 5-star price. It’s also a popular photo spot for those of us who are too cheap to actually stay there.

Poutine from Chez Ashton

Much of the charm of Quebec City comes from the European style cobblestone streets in the Upper Old Town, lined with small boutiques and restaurants. It’s a great place for shopping and food, and we definitely ate our share of local and regional foods. Right next to our hotel was Chez Ashton, a fast food joint native to Quebec and famous for their poutine. For the price and speed of service, the poutine was quite satisfactory, and way better than most fast food places we have in the US. Just down the street from there was Les Delices de l’Erable (Canadian Maple Delights), a store selling every maple product imaginable. There was maple mustard, maple jelly, even maple lotions and soaps all available for sampling, and also a gelato bar where you could taste maple flavored gelato. Most of the restaurants we ate at also had maple pie available for dessert. I thought the maple pie was really good - it was similar to pumpkin pie but had a sightly grainier texture and obviously a more syrupy taste. If only they had maple pie back home too.

Maple pie!

After a day and a half in Quebec City, we got on a sleeper train for the 20+ hour journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia, our next destination. Our time in Quebec was brief, but enjoyable, and I hope to have the opportunity to return someday. For now, we leave the French-Canadian culture to experience the Anglophone parts of the country.

- MC 6/25

Art and Food in Montreal

In many ways, Canada is very similar to the US. We speak the same language, eat lots of the same food, listen to similar music. Canadians may be slightly more enthusiastic about hockey, but aside from that, you could cross the border at many locations and not even notice you had entered a different country. The province of Quebec is the one big exception, with French as their official language, and many buildings and neighborhoods more reminiscent of Europe than anywhere else. For our last family trip before I start working full time, we decided to do a train tour through Quebec, starting with a few days in Montreal, followed by a stay in Quebec City, and ending in Halifax (which is English speaking and not in Quebec). 

Poutine for dinner in Quartier Latin

Montreal is the largest city in Quebec, and unofficially known as the food capital of Canada. It has all the conveniences of a big city, like subways that take you everywhere you want to go and multiple cafes on every block. But it also retains the atmosphere of a smaller city through its unique neighborhoods. One could spend a few hours just walking around, looking at the interesting buildings, and marveling at how different things look from one area to the next. One of the more colorful neighborhoods we visited was the Quartier Latin, just outside the main subway hub, Berri-UQAM. As soon as you exit the subway station, you see the University of Quebec at Montreal on one side with its towering gothic style architecture, and on the other side you see the bright storefronts of Rue St Denis painted every color of the rainbow. This is a great place to take a walk and have a meal at one of the many restaurants.

Farmers market

For more food options, a good place to go is Marche Jean-Talon in Little Italy. This is basically what you would get if you combine a farmers market with one of those gourmet food markets. In the main central area there are many large stalls selling fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which offer free samples. Surrounding them are dozens of stores and vendors, selling all manner of food, drink, and souvenirs. There was one crepe stand right next to the main sitting area that we especially enjoyed.

Traditional Inuit art

As a city that values art and culture, Montreal houses over 30 different museums. We had the opportunity to visit one of them, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal). This is the largest art museum in the city, and well known throughout the country. It also used to be completely free of charge; it’s still free for those under 30, but for those older than 30 there is now a $12 admission fee. Though considering the amount of content you get - there are three different large buildings housing exhibits - it’s still well worth the price. The museum has art pieces from all over the world and every era, but I would recommend the Canadian/Quebecois art wing in particular. You can see some unique local styles that probably aren’t featured much elsewhere.

Biodome animal sighting

The city of Montreal has been on the international stage multiple times, at various points in the past hosting both the Olympic games and the World Expo. You can still go and see the impressive looking Olympic stadium, and many of the other buildings in the Olympic Park have been converted to tourist attractions, including a planetarium and a botanical garden. We didn’t have time to visit all of them, but we did go to the Biodome, a small zoo that was quite enjoyable despite the hordes of screaming schoolchildren. A few of the World Expo pavilions can still be seen in Parc Jean-Drupeau, a couple of islands located just south of the main city and easily accessible through the subway. The park itself contains many nice paths and an abundance of plant life, making it a great place to go jogging, biking, or in our case for a leisurely walk to aid in digestion after a large meal.

The old US pavilion from Montreal's World Expo

Montreal was a nice place to spend a few days, and definitely recommended to all those foodies out there (though you would probably want to visit in the summer as opposed to winter). We are now on a train taking us to Quebec City, another place of historical significance and food.

- MC 6/23