I managed to attend Anime USA for the first time in over 4 years, since they moved away from the Crystal City Hyatt to the Wardman Park Marriott in DC.
I didn’t get to see everything, but I did manage to get some photos, so enjoy!
Cosplayers and photographers in the main lobby
The AnimeUSA traditional torii gate, a staple of the convention every year
Wonder Woman
Hello scary lady now dressed in black instead of red, with horns…
A very nice thing the actors did, they posed for pictures for the fans, including a group of cosplayers dressed as the characters from “Cowboy Bebop” that the actors provided voices for
A cosplayer, photographing another cosplayer
The AnimeUSA mascot, original version
The highlight of the convention, and the main reason I went, a panel with the voice actors who dubbed the “Cowboy Bebop” anime in English
Cosplayers just seem to get younger every year
Hello scary lady in the red cape…
Old school Batman
Marvel-ous cosplayers
Part of the restaurant was dedicated as a “maid cafe” during the day, and a “butler cafe” in the evening
From “Captain America: Winter Soldier”
Sharing Halloween candy with the scary lady dressed in black with horns
One of my favorite web cartoonists, in his native habitat
Maids stand ready to escort guests to their table, and entertain them with fun games while they eat
The main atrium at the hotel was a hot spot for cosplay photography
Well, after walking and walking and walking, I made it to the end of the parade route, where I was able to finally cross Constitution Avenue to the side where the matsuri was taking place. Then it was another 4 block or so walk to get to the nearest entrance to the matsuri, where I stopped to rest for a few minutes. I decided to pace myself after looking in on the huge crowds of people milling about (or trying to!) inside the matsuri fence, because there would be no sitting inside! I managed to spend about 4 hours there, got to see some interesting booths, inflicted my Japanese on some poor folks, and basically had fun. I saw a very high-energy J-Pop band called “M’sh”, and watched some friends perform in a cosplay “fashion show”. After that was over I decided it was time to start the long walk back to my car in the Potomac Park, so I headed back to the Tidal Basin, taking a few more photos along the way. I did stop at the Jefferson Memorial to buy a soft drink and take another short rest, but since I was so close to the car I figured it would be better to keep going. Finally I got to my car at about 5 PM, after starting at 8:30, drove home, unloaded my SD card, and promptly went to sleep!
So, one week later I managed to upload some more photos here! As always, click to see the full-size photo!
Enjoy!
There were a few people at the matsuri…
… just a few…
… thousand…
And you thought DC *traffic* gridlock was bad…
Dancers performing a traditional Hokkaido fisherman’s dance
DC Japan Model Railroad Club
Some cosplay friends at the NHKWorld booth
A couple of Cherry Blossom Queen candidates
I have a bag, it’s a pink bag, others may have other bags, but this one is mine. Any questions?
This past Saturday, as part of the DC Cherry Blossom Festival, they held a kite-flying festival on the grounds of the Washington Monument and on the National Mall. The day was perfect for kite flying, plenty of breezes in the morning, cool but not cold, with just enough puffy clouds in a crystal blue sky to make the kites stand out. I got some great photos of the kites and the flyers (there was as much color on the ground from people’s coats as there was in the sky) of all ages. I also managed to find a couple of early cherry blossoms, on three trees that just couldn’t wait to bloom. Most of the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin have yet to bloom, but they’re in the late stages of budding, so the coming weeks should have an explosion of petals!
Here are some of the photos, I’ll have them all on a photo page soon. Enjoy!
Two girls in their Springtime finest!
Wings Over Washington!
桜を見ãŸ! A few lonely little cherry blossoms peeking out of their buds early, getting the jump on their cousins (and getting a couple of early photographers, too!)
THERE you are! Another tree with a few handfuls of cherry blossoms
One nice thing about living in the DC area, you have a chance to go downtown and see some of the beautiful monuments and other scenery on nice early spring days. Continue reading “Some DC springtime pictures”
Here is another batch of photos taken in Washington DC near the Tidal Basin. The cherry trees aren’t quite in full bloom, which is surprising given how many flowers there are, but there were still quite a few unopened buds. As you can probably tell, the sun was starting to come out of the low clouds, and so some of the photos are much better lit, with deeper shadows and brighter colors. I may have one more page to put up, just in case you all are getting just about “cherry blossomed out”!
Here’s the first batch of cherry blossom photos that I took over the weekend, these were taken around noon on Sunday. It was a cloudy day to start, so some of the pictures may be a bit dark. You can see a larger image if you click on the picture after clicking a thumbnail, or if you want to see a really big picture, you can right-click on the image. I’ll be posting more, later on.
