Beyond 300 vM: Saturday and Sunday

Read my post for Thursday here and my post for Friday here. 

Saturday was the most delicious day of the trip. Though not the most conventional breakfast, Aaron and I began our morning with street hot dogs, something Jimmy had recommended. We sat down in Union Square and planned our day. Saturday, we especially missed Jordan. The main reason he wanted to join us on our little adventure was to meet our friend Roswin. Aaron and Jordan met Roswin over Xbox Live in middle school (about seven years ago) and have been friends ever since. Roswin lives 30 minutes outside of the city, so Aaron and I had the opportunity to meet him during our last visit to San Francisco, but Jordan has yet to meet him in person. 

Aaron and I met Roswin shortly after finishing our hot dogs. We each forked over $2 for a MUNI ticket and made our way to the Castro area. Before heading over to the Tempest Bar for the live recording of Super Knockin' Boots, we had planned to meet up with Jimmy, his dad, Scott Lowe, Eriq Martin, Nic Vargus and a few others for lunch. It. Was. Astounding. Usually for lunch, I repulse at the idea of getting a sandwich - I ate way too many in grade school. However, when Aaron, Roswin and I got to the little shop, I was amazed at the hour-long line that blocked the door and the front of the building. You see, these were no ordinary sandwiches. They were from Ike's Place, and Ike's sandwiches taste like God himself made them. 

Instead of joining that crazy long line, Eriq, who had previously worked at Ike’s, hooked us up and had our order out in a matter of 10 minutes. We took our meal to a nearby park for the best picnic of my life. It was a beautiful day with wonderful people and exquisite sandwiches. The only downside of the meal was when a cute dog decided it was okay to pee on Nic’s friend. It quickly turned into one of the most hilarious events of the day. As soon as someone called out the dog for its rude action, Nic's friend whipped around and pushed the dog over so it nearly rolled down the hill we were sitting on. (Don’t worry, it ran away just fine.)

Stomachs full, we made our way to the Tempest Bar. Though we got there 30 minutes before the show was to begin, the bar was already packed. Most guests were people from the Beyond 300 crowd. Even my locksmith buddies made it out. Super Knockin’ Boots is a sex advice podcast put on by, at least for this episode, Greg Miller, Daemon Hatfield, Anthony Gallegos, Ty Root, Brian Altano and a number of guests. Once again, we ended up having to stand, but the podcast was so great that it made the time fly. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since it was my first time listening to the podcast, but listening to it live was absolutely the right way to do it. Jimmy’s dad, Samantha (The one who writes here!) and my new friend Vanessa all managed to get on the show. Jimmy’s dad’s portion was especially hilarious. (Listen/watch the show here. This is a sex advice podcast, so be prepared.) 

Once the podcast was over, our group stayed to mingle. I once again had the opportunity to talk with Andrew Goldfarb, Mitch Dyer, Ty Root, Brian Altano, Greg Miller… basically, everyone from Saturday. However, this time, instead of feeling like some star struck fan, I began to feel more like a friend with everyone around me. Polaroids were taken, Wrestle Jump was downloaded and played and friends were made. We knew it was time to leave when I was awkwardly hit on by a very, very drunk non-IGN fan. Despite the encounter, it was an amazing afternoon. 

After saying our goodbyes to everyone at the bar, Jimmy, his dad, Aaron, Roswin and I made our way to Super Duper Burger for dinner. With my taste buds already reminiscing of Ike’s Place, the burger wasn’t quite as great as I remembered it to be, but it was still delicious. We finished our food and said goodbye to Jimmy and his dad and Roswin shortly after. 

Sunday was short. Aaron and I spent some quality time together in Japantown, eating sushi and cute crepes. Since I’m learning Japanese, I picked up some reading material for the plane: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s book and a compilation of modern Japanese short stories. On the plane, I didn’t read much. I found myself once again questioning the validity of my trip. It was just too perfect.

It’s been a few weeks since Beyond 300, and I’m amazed by how much this one trip has affected my life. Though I’ve had many friends and friends of friends to play video games with, I never felt like I had my own group. Now I do. People kept mentioning to me how Beyond 300 was a fantastic networking opportunity, and it was. But for me, I saw this as a chance for me to finally make some friends who really understood my passions and life goals. I didn’t ever feel awkward approaching someone, whether they were a professional or a fellow fan.

One thing that will never stop amazing me is how great the Beyond community is. Every “Beyond!,” even the drunken ones, had an unbelievable power behind them. It’s inspiring how one podcast about video games can touch so many people’s lives in a special way. Though I haven’t listened to the podcast nearly as long as many people I met at Beyond 300, I’m glad everyone happily welcomed me into the community.

BEYOND!