Hal-Con and the Classy Lord Nelson Hotel

Lobby of the Lord Nelson Hotel

I spent last weekend at the elegant Lord Nelson Hotel in Halifax, transformed for one fantastical weekend into a galactic royal palace. You see, the Lord Nelson Hotel hosted Hal-Con , Halifax’s prime science fiction / fantasy / comic & gaming convention, which has returned this year—after an over-decade hiatus—to a sell-out crowd of enthusiastic fans.

Boba Fett, Carmen Sandiego and various jedi warriors mingle in the lobby

Over 1,200 fans poured into the spacious lobby on Halloween Friday night, forming a moving sea of elaborately costumed SF and Fantasy characters beneath its sparkling chandeliers. It looked like Premiere night at the Hollywood Bowl only on Antilles Seven. Throughout the entire weekend, characters from Doctor Who, Star Wars,

"Enterprise" Babes look after Toulouse

Star Trek, and Iron Man—just to name a few universes— milled about, entertaining hotel guests in the elevators, hallways, lobbies and pub. The staff joyfully embraced these strange and wonderful “aliens” with their typical charming maritime hospitality.

Toulouse and Wolverine talk "hair"

Named after England’s greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson, the Lord Nelson is Halifax’s most historic hotel and frequently hosts royalty, politicians and celebrities from all over the world. Besides the galactic celebrities such as Doctor Who, Boba Fett, Darth Vader and Princess Leia, the hotel has seen its share of Earthly celebrities like the

Sterling, Dalek, Ramona and Milan discuss Dr. Who with Toulouse

Rolling Stones, Keith Urban, Anne Murray, Jerry Seinfeld, Ozzy Osbourne and Paul McCartney. The walls of the Lord Nelson were built of bluenose brick with an ornate frame and Nova Scotia trip. The hotel closest in style to the Lord Nelson Hotel at the time of construction was the Van Curler Hotel at Schenectady, New York, which was built for the General Electric Company.

As I wandered the hallways and the

Toulouse jokes with the Good Ferry to bemused Trecky

 splendid lobby of the hotel, I met up with old friends and made new ones. I met Ramona and her two sons, Sterling and Milan—both gifted writers and illustrators from Nova Scotia—at the book fair. We met at the Nova Scotia Writer’s Federation table, where Nina was selling her books, and ended up at the Victoria Arms Pub to discuss fascinating topics like the role of the artist, Schumann’s Resonance, Halo 3, and why green smoothies are good for you.

Walter Koenig mugs with Toulouse

Good friend Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series, found me sampling some of the delightful hors d’oeuvres in the Georgian Room during the VIP event. We talked about his new project with Bluewater Comics to create a cool comic series called “Things to Come”. I asked him how he felt about it. “I’m very pleased,” Koenig said. “I anticipate an exciting professional relationship and the opportunity to tell stories with style and artistry.” He told me that the comic mini-series will provide a fresh perspective on a post-apocalyptic world in which vampires are the dominant species.

Toulouse in a pickle

Many hors d’oeuvres later, several of us headed into the Victoria Arms Pub to have a drink. As we approached it, a rabble of storm troopers spilled out of the pub.

“Look at this Cool Cat!” One of them pointed at me. A greasy smile slid across his face… Well, I imagined the smile through his helmet from his surly voice… “Wonder what would happen to it if we flushed it into space?” He turned to his cronies with a guffaw. “Would it blow up?”

Robert and Toulouse discuss how "size matters not"

“Nothing would happen,” I said, betraying a huffy voice at being called an ‘it’. “I’m a stuffed cat.” Then I added under my breath, “moron.”

He must have had enhanced hearing through his helmet, because his head jerked forward…Oops… Before I knew it, I was facing the muzzle of his gun.

“What did you say?…” he growled.

Luckily for me, Robert Maillet (the big guy in Sherlock Holmes) loomed up from nowhere and plucked me out of the brute’s grasp.

“Excusez moi,” he said in lyrical French. “C’est mon ami, qui je n’ai pas vu dans longtemps!” Then, with a bow, he offered to escort me into the restaurant. The storm troopers, who were a little short compared to Robert, quickly shuffled aside with lame smiles. Robert is easily seven feet tall and looks fierce at the best of times.

Once seated at the bar, he looked down at me with a curious smile.

The Victoria Arms Pub

“You have a propensity to incite disturbance,” he said. “I remember Paris.”

I smiled in silence at his reference to our university days at the Sorbonne and ordered a Guinness for everyone. Yes, Paris, my favorite city… After a few beers, we were joyfully discussing the cosmology of diversity and how this elegant hotel served as a nexus for a motley gathering of galactic characters, all celebrating life in all its facets. Even storm troopers… :-3

We spent three days in the alternate reality of sci-fi/fantasy; visiting, eating, drinking, learning about anime and cosplay, playing Geek Jeopardy and discussing galactic politics over red wine. It was all great fun. I met so many old friends and new ones too in an atmosphere of great camaraderie. 

Toulouse enjoys gourmet soup at the Victoria Arms

Special guests also included Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbet, P.J. Haarsma, Coner McCreery, Drakina Muse, Matthew LeDrew, Kenneth Tam, Ellen Curtis, David C. Rhind, Sherry Ramsey and my friend Nina Munteanu, who gave a lecture on “the Hero’s Journey” and talked about “following your bliss”. She also launched her new book Angel of Chaos at Hal-Con. Congratulations, Nina! After her launch reception in which she handed out Bliss Chocolates, Nina and I met in the pub and shared a few Guinness beers and a splendid cream of cauliflower and roasted bacon soup  accompanied with the Arms’ signature homestyle biscuits.

As my eyes swept the pub, gleaming with happy “alien life”, I was

Toulouse thoroughly enjoys his Guinness

 reminded of the Cantina scene in Star Wars that featured a bevy of wild and wonderful creatures drinking and cavorting.

Dayna and Jenny take good care of Lord Nelson guests

I’m definitely coming back here, perhaps when the place has returned to Earth. Meow…

But for now, I’m the COOL Galactic Travel Cat…

May the Force be With You… Moew… :-3