Pre-NYCC Sightseeing: 3-Hour Cruise Around Manhattan Island

Guidebooks always encourage tourists to see a city by water, and the weather was perfect Wednesday, October 6, for Doug and me to take the Circle Line's 3-hour, 35-mile trip around Manhattan Island.

As the ferry returned to the Circle Line dock, Doug (far right) decided he wanted to tour the adjacent aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, open to the public on Pier 86. It was built in 1943 and served tours of duty spanning World War II through Vietnam - making 7 trips around the globe and surviving 5 kamikaze attacks, several bomb attacks and one torpedo strike. During that time the Intrepid also served as a NASA astronaut recovery vessel before being retired in 1974.

Initially flown in 1962, the Lockheed A-12 (Blackbird) was the product of Project Oxcart, a secret military program to develop a high-speed reconnaissance aircraft. The early A-12s were used for CIA surveillance missions until 1968. It had a top speed of 2,269 mph.

Another highlight of the Intrepid Museum complex was seeing the Concorde Alpha Delta G-BOAD, which flew 23,397 hours, made 8,406 landings and underwent 7,010 supersonic cycles. It cost $152 million dollars to build (in 1976 dollars). Its last flight took place on November 10, 2003.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Our Last Day in London Before Driving to Stonehenge

Having seen Westminster Abbey earlier from a gondola car on the London Eye, it was on our "must see" list before we left London. Guidebooks say over 1 million visitors annually visit the 700-year-old building, which has been the coronation church since 1245.

After seeing The Changing of the Guard, we walked through St. James's Park (a 58-acre park in Westminster, central London) and on to Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is one of the few working palaces remaining in the world; tourists this year could visit 19 State Rooms and gardens from July 27 to October 1 because the Queen was not in residence. Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded the Saturday morning we visited.

When walking through Harrods, you experience visual overload so we decided to slow down the pace while on the Fourth Floor and check out the The Perfume Diaries, an exhibition tracing the history of fragrance through the ages. No horsing around at the Hermes display; the French company introduced its first perfume in 1951 with Eau d'Hermes and Caleche ten years later.

Before leaving Harrods, we visited the Food Halls on the Ground Floor. My will power was tested; after all, there were 15 restaurants and cafes as well as dozens of specialty counters offering tempting delicacies from around the world.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Sept. 6-23: Vacation in England and Scotland

Within days of Fan Expo Canada, Doug and I were packing for an 18-day vacation in England and Scotland; we spent the first 5 days in London and thought we'd share a few photos before starting photos (Sunday, Nov. 7) from the 5th annual New York Comic-Con October 8-10.

After the 7-hour flight from Toronto to Heathrow, we settled into our hotel adjacent to the Chelsea Football Club stadium. That evening we decided our first meal in London had to be at a neighborhood pub; it was only a few blocks from our hotel, the Millennium.

We took a Thames River cruise, stopping off in Greenwich for a few hours to tour the National Maritime Museum - considered the largest maritime museum in the world - and the Queen's House, completed in 1638. Its art collection displays artwork by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Hogarth and Turner.


Overall we enjoyed mild, sunny weather during our visit to England and Scotland except for the afternoon we decided to take the 30-minute ride on the London Eye, the world's tallest observation wheel. The Parliament buildings and Big Ben are in the distance.

Doug and I spent a day with a friend who lives outside London. After lunch at a local pub, he took us on a visit to Windsor Castle and Runnymede, the site on which the Magna Carta was chartered in 1215. We're at the Kennedy Memorial; in 1965 the land was given by Queen Elizabeth II to the citizens of the U.S. It's maintained by the John F. Kennedy Trust. Doug quipped that it was the only time he's been on U.S. soil and didn't need a passport!

We spent one morning visiting the Tower of London complex, which has been a royal palace, a prison and a place of execution.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Debra, Fan Expo Canada Staff Member, Stops To Visit Doug at Close of Convention

Even though the August 27-29 convention was a busy time for Debra, Fan Expo Canada staff member with volunteer coordination, she stopped by to see how this year's convention went for Doug. (This was the third year he's exhibited in Artist Alley.)

Earlier this year, Doug was invited to exhibit at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival May 8-9; he sketched Debra there when she purchased a copy of Unpublished Sneyd.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Doug Talks With Kevin, Valerie and Lisa as Fan Expo Canada Closes for Another Year

Kevin (from Barrie, Ontario) is a fan of Doug's work and was surprised to learn that Doug lives about 30 minutes north of Barrie.


Even though Valerie lives in Toronto, she's only been to Fan Expo Canada twice but thinks Unpublished Sneyd will be a great souvenir from the weekend.



It was Lisa's first time at Fan Expo Canada; she had Doug personalize Unpublished Sneyd for her husband Ryan. The couple lives in London, Ontario.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Sunday, August 29: Doug Talks With Michael, Brian and Vinnie at Fan Expo

This was Michael's fifth year attending Fan Expo Canada; he lives in Kitchener, which is about an hour west of Toronto.


Brian (from Toronto) talked with Doug about his work years ago for the Toronto Star as an op-ed page cartoonist. In addition, for 12 years in the 1960s and 1970s, the Toronto Star commissioned Doug to paint the company's annual holiday cards.


Vinnie bought 2 of Doug's 11 x 17 limited edition prints to take back with him to Sidney, Australia.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)

Fan Expo Canada Veteran Exhibitors: Imaginism Studios from Toronto

Bobby Chiu, president of Imaginism Studios; Kei Acedera, Art Director; staff members - Thierry, Peter and Ben; and interns welcome the interaction with attendees at Fan Expo.

Bobby and Kei always invite Doug and me to join the group for dinner at the close of the convention on Saturday; we look forward to joining them and having a good time with good friends.



(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)