Read with accompanying photos on my website!

ANE marked my first in-person convention since 2019. The decision was not made without heavy consideration. I chose ANE for several reasons:

• I'd been to ANE before and was familiar with the logistics of the con, hotel, and trip - and what changes I could make for safety.
• ANE mandated full vaccination and mask wearing at all times in con space for all attendees. The hotel itself would also enforce these policies on non-convention guests.
• I knew ANE staff and trusted them to put their money where their mouth was in regards to making sure the con was as safe as possible for everyone.
• I would be enacting personal safety protocol on my end, including double masking with N95s and cloth masks, using hand sanitizer and gloves when touching people or shared surfaces, a no touch policy when fursuiting, and avoiding high-risk scenarios like group pictures, parties, and going out to eat with others.

THURSDAY

We arrived at the con late on Thursday night, and did not have time to pick up our pre-registration badges. I was a bit anxious over how that'd affect our plans for the next day, but busied myself with the more productive action of unpacking and settling into our hotel room. Despite booking the same type as last time, our accommodations seemed smaller and less impressive. My initial thought was that we'd accidentally been booked into a Run Of House room. Fortunately, we weren't sharing with roommates or hosting parties this time as part of our COVID precautions; despite the cramped layout, the room served us well for the weekend.

FRIDAY

We woke up early to pick up our badges from pre-reg. All in all, the wait wasn't too long, though I was still glad for it to be over as I didn't see anyone besides myself attempting to social distance. ANE had a QR code scanning system in place that expedited things.

After that, I got into fursuit and dropped Mika off at the sketchbook swap panel in the Zoo. While she got her doodle on, I headed out for an artistic pursuit of a different kind - a photoshoot with Pine Raven, whom I'd previously shot with at ANE 2019. After years away from conventions, it was so pleasing to walk and talk with a friend again. I was very excited to take pictures showcasing the landmarks of Boston, including a statue of Edgar Allan Poe! We also ran into Dew Shep and other friends along the way.

The sketchbook swap was just wrapping up when Pine and I returned from our jaunt. I took the opportunity to test the dexterity of my new auxiliary paws from The Forgotten Imp. Not many folks can sketch in fursuit, I imagine!

ANE has one of my favorite photo booths of any furry convention. It's always stocked with cute and fun props that match the yearly theme, and this instance was no exception. I was thrilled to see a fursuit sized Ty hang tag, as I was a huge collector of Beanie Babies in the 1990s and even wore a Beanie Baby-themed badge to ANE!
The photos came out great, and really highlighted the dye job I painstakingly performed so that my hair would match the purple, pink, green, and teal hues in my vintage 1990s windbreaker and t-shirt. Doktor and the other photogra-furs are truly masters of their craft.
Another surprise was the option to have your photos printed out instantly as a keepsake. I hope more cons take a page out of ANE's book!

We popped into the PC Games of the '90s panel and took some time to browse the Dealer's Den and Artist Alley before heading back up to the room to get me out of fursuit. Mika and I were both pretty hungry by then, so we had a dinner of sushi, her favorite. I then checked out the dance and played some Jubeat in the games room. Fittingly, Friends was playing on the TV when I returned to our hotel room, so I was able to keep the ANE spirit going even as I wound down for the night.

SATURDAY

My new outdoor-compatible feetpaws were unfortunately not broken in after one day of use. First order of business on Saturday morning was to make a convenience store run for band-aids and blister supplies. While out, I grabbed breakfast from Mike and Patty's, which was offering a discount for ANE attendees.

I normally make a point of participating in fursuit group photos and parades at cons, when applicable. However, I was worried about crowding in with so many people in one room, given ANE hadn't indicated social distancing would be enforced during the group picture. The march outside through the Boston Commons was tempting, considering my new feetpaws were built just for the occasion, but I ultimately decided it'd be more trouble than it was worth.

The pin trading panel exceeded my expectations! I made a bunch of swaps - obtaining more pins for my cheetah collection, helping people obtain their dream trades, and even getting a little gift for Mika.I could only catch the tail end of the Lady Furs meetup, which was very subdued. Most were already clearing out of the room to allow the trading post swap to set up. However, I did get to say hi to Drifa!

The trading post panel could best be described as an extension of the pin swap. In addition to enamel pins, folks had stickers, rare coins, collectibles, fursuit supplies, custom art, and general geek miscellany up for grabs. Mika set up her sketchbook for art trades while I offered my pins and ANE exclusive stickers. I found myself wishing I'd brought along even more furry memorabilia to exchange. Hopefully, we see similar panels arise at future conventions.

After a small rest and regroup at the hotel room, Mika and I sat in on some very educational trans panels. Feeling quite hungry from a long day, we sought breakfast for dinner at the Friendly Toast, an ANE staple for us.
I then got into fursuit and put on my cyberpunk-inspired rave outfit. Not quite enough leather and too much color to read as the Matrix, but appropriate for a 90s themed furcon rave nonetheless!
Dancing at a furry con rave is so freeing. We actually ran into some local friends of Mika's on the dance floor. I was able to check two events off my furcon bucket list - dancing on stage in fursuit (which I'm still seeking footage of - I know it was recorded!) and getting my fursuit scanned by the Furcon AI bot (I am not a muzzle, but nice try).

SUNDAY

Sunday is generally a chill con day for me, allowing us to get some rest after a late night raving, browse the Dealer's Den for final-day deals, and wrap up any loose ends. My delightful rat surprised me with a breakfast scone and tea from the Starbucks in the Boston Park Plaza lobby, which I supplemented with some 1990s snacks, of course. (Can you tell I was really into the theme this year?)
I'd hoped to get some photo room pictures in my third outfit (paying homage to The Lion King, a formative piece of 1990s media for me), but as I approached the hall I met the unwelcome sight of a line already stretching past the corner. The photo room would close at 3 PM, and I could tell there was no way I - and likely, the poor saps near the end of the line already - would have a turn before closing. I wasn't about to gamble several hours of my last con day on a maybe, so I forewent booth pics in the hopes that I'd run into a photographer or two on the con floor and end up with some candids.
Leaving the photo room at the same time was Pine, who mentioned wanting pictures with the Edgar Allan Poe statue outside. Mika and I gladly volunteered a hand (and paw), so off we went. We shot some solos of Pine and a couple pics of us together. A Boston tour bus stopped by while we were shooting, and the passengers certainly got more than they bargained for that day - a real live Raven visiting Edgar Allan Poe! (Plus a bonus cheetah, of course.)

We headed back inside the Boston Park Plaza after our little jaunt and bid farewell to Pine. I made a final sweep of the Dealer's Den and Artist Alley with Mika, picking up some final day purchases and making a trade at the Fursona Pins swap board (another brilliant idea). Mika headed off to do her thing while I prowled con space saying hello to friends and taking more footage for my con video. I received word that all Jubeat participants were entitled to a prize - off to the games room to claim mine!

Our final day's dinner was from Thai Basil, a spur-of-the-moment choice that I don't regret. I then got into fursuit for one final romp. Though things were visibly winding down, there were still plenty of folks around looking to wring every last drop out of their convention weekend. I was treated to an impromptu acoustic performance of Hey Ya by Scurrow and Mortis, and spent some quality time with the ever-alluring Strobes.

Loath as I was to call it quits, my poor paws had had about as much as they could take. My sights were set on having a nice luxurious soak in the tub with a gothic bath bomb I'd packed just for the occasion. It was, indeed, quite relaxing until the fire alarm went off. Fortunately, it was just a drill, and no cheetahs were made to trudge outside into the below-freezing streets of Boston sopping wet.

We capped off our ANE vacation with chocolate mice from LA Burdick Chocolatier. I'll certainly miss them, but I hope to attend ANE in 2023 at its new location. Time will tell!