I’ve always been fond of Baltimore . Starting in the '90s I would take regular trips there once every year or two. Although somewhat overshadowed by larger neighbors like Washington, Philly, and New York , Baltimore is a cool city in its own right. From Fort McHenry to the Washington Monument (yes, Baltimore has one of its own) this city is packed with history. As a railfan, I enjoy riding the Light Rail, Metro Subway, and MARC trains just for the heck of it. Baltimore is also home to the B&O Railroad Museum. Since the 1970s, the Inner Harbor has been the focal point of development and tourist activity. This activity has spread westward along Pratt Street to the Orioles Park at Camden Yards. Opened in 1992, my roommate and I visited last year for my birthday to celebrate the ballpark’s 20tanniversary. This facility kicked off the trend where several cities built new ballparks and other arenas as close to the established city center area as possible. In recent years, development has started spreading eastward along the harbor with several new office and residential buildings going up. There is always something going on even in the middle of winter. While I didn’t attend them, I have seen similar events such as Otaku Con being held at the Baltimore Convention Center. You’d see a lot of young people there wearing anime T-shirts and costumes. So, no, pony shirts and costumes aren’t going to look out of place at all.

But most of all, I'm excited as this will be my first MLP convention. I've been to multiple Transformers conventions as well as ComicCon in San Diego plus some smaller gatherings. So I while I have a general idea of what to expect, this is still new to me as the emphasis will be on ponies. Unfortunately, it looks like the people I talk to the most on this website aren't going, but I have time between now and August to become better acquainted with those who are.