TR Contest: Best/Worst Nerdy Road Trip Stories

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I’ve gone out of my way to take a picture of myself at London’s Fenchurch Street Station because Douglas Adams’ named Arthur Dent’s girlfriend after it. I’m such a fan of Escape from New York that I absolutely had to eat at a pizzeria with the film’s name during a trip to San Francisco. While in Brooklyn a few years back I went several blocks out of my way to pick up a can of X-Ray Vision at the Superhero Supply Store there. During another trip to NYC, I wandered around Chinatown in search of Bret and Jemaine’s Flight of the Conchords apartment. the point I’m making here is that I love checking out places associated (even loosely) with my nerdy obsessions. And yet with the exception of a few conventions I have never really taken a full-on nerd road trip.

So here’s my chance to live vicariously through all of you. Because Rob is immersed in the unique hell that is moving, I’ll be handling this week’s contest. And because this is our first time, I’ll go easy on you. Just simply tell me in 200 words or less what your best or worst nerd road trip is. The stories in and of themselves don’t have to be uber-nerdy, just as long as they happened during a nerd road trip. But please be specific about where you were going.

You can enter twice — once for best, once for worst — and I will be giving away a spiffy Topless Robot shirt for each of those categories. There will be honorable mentions aplenty as well. The contest ends at 12:01 a.m. EST Monday, August 9.

What I’m looking for:
 
Best road trip;
Did you ever make a pilgrimage to the Monroeville Mall and wind up hanging with Ken Foree? Or travel to a sci-fi convention only to find some vintage Star Wars figures mint-on-card at a store on the way? I’m looking for stories of triumph, happiness, fulfillment and all of those other things that a nerd’s life is usually devoid of.

Worst road trip:
Something like say, going to SDCC and getting stabbed in the eye by an overzealous Resident Evil fan. Hilarious and/or heartfelt tales of woe that resulted from your getaway to geekery. Let’s just steer away from ultra-depressing tales of death though, shall we? Regrets, non-fatal personal pain and soul-crushing disappointment are all fine though!

Remember, 200 words or less and each person can have two entries–one for best and one for worst. I look forward to seeing what you come up with. The winners will be announced early next week.