Saturday morning was quiet at the Nebula Awards. Prior to 11AM there was nothing but the screening of one of the new fan made Star Trek episodes. I did some web work in the room, then went down to take photos of the first panel.

Lunch was nearby at Steamer's Landing. I loved the view of the traffic on the Hudson River and the ladies in short shorts jogging past my window table. My seafood pizza was so-so.

After stopping briefly back at the Marriott Financial Center and taking a few more photos, I headed out to Times Square see the play. Subway construction complicated traveling both ways, but other than extra walking was no real problem.

Inherit the Wind is a revival of the 1955 play about the Scopes monkey trial. It has been filmed three times and this production seemed almost identical to my memory of the 1960 movie. It is running for just 16 weeks. Brian Dennehy was a natural for the bible thumping Matthew Harrison Brady, but Christopher Plummer stole the show as Henry Drummond (the role Spencer Tracy played in the movie). I very glad I saw it.

After the show, Times Square was packed with people and I was ready to return to the quieter end of Manhattan. With the subway construction, I had to take a different rout and has a longer walk across the south end of Manhattan. When walking in this area you are constantly see or are reminded of the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11

The evening's events began with a reception outside the banquet. I helped by taking down the trophies and setting them out on a table on stage. Made a nice "save" - when the names had been taped over, the name of award was also taped over. Since I already knew the results, I peeked under the tape and added notes on the outside.

I was privileged to sit at the front of the room, at the table of Grand Master James Gunn and SFWA President Robin Bailey. It probably didn't hurt that they are both friends, but I assume it was to let me take photos. I got to sit between Diana Bailey and Chris McKitterick. The meal was good for banquet fare. Particularly the small lump crab cake appetizer.

Everyone at our table liked the center pieces which included the art from one of Jim Gunn's novels and a recorded message from Professor Gunn. We each also received a small squishy SFWA robot.

The ceremony with Ron D. Moore as Toastmaster, was fairly straight forward. Some of the folks were near tears when presenting James Gunn as Grand Master, and the Author Emeritus, D.G. Compton, did have tears when he was presented on stage.

In a previously unannounced presentation, Tom Doherty was recognized by a congressional aide for Tor's contributions to schools and service people, and was visibly moved. There was an odd video to go with the presentation, but the sound (which was working fine before the banquet) did not work.

The Nebula Awards went to Jack McDevitt, James Patrick Kelly, Peter S. Beagle, and Elizabeth Hand and Howl's Moving Castle. Justine Larbalestier won the Andre Norton Award. McDevitt, Kelly, and Beagle were present. Kelly was funny, bringing out a long list of the acceptance speeches never used for his previous nominations. McDevitt pointed out that he had previously failed to win the Nebula Award even more times.

Following the ceremony, I posted the results to the SFWA website, changed out of my suit, and went down to the hospitality suite for a couple of hours. The crowd was more interesting and the room wasn't too crowded.

Copyright 2007-2009 by Keith Stokes  My other trips.