I’ll be attending Tucson for the first time this year and I’ll be 6
mos pregnant while there. I’m assuming I can sit down plenty of
places and get snacks and all that? Any specific advice anyone would
give me?
–b
Hello Bethany,
People are generally friendly and if you look sort of pitiful, will
likely offer you a place to sit and recover. Two pieces of specific
advice from me:
#1. Wear very comfortable foot wear. For me, that’s my trusty Birks.
Since the weather is generally mild, they’ll be just fine.
#2. Invest in a wheeled backpack. It’s small enough to carry or
maneuver on the shuttles, yet will hold lots of the cool stuff
you’ll find, plus a collapsible umbrella, a light jacket, some
bottled water, and whatever snacks you like. My choice for snacks are
beef jerky and some hard sugarless candies.
Hope to see you at the Orchid Dinner and have a great time,
Judy in Kansas
Bethany,
Congratulations! There is plenty of food in each venue, plenty of
places to sit down as well. Also, there are shuttles to take you back
and forth to the different areas.
I hope to see you at the Orchid Dinner!
Best,
-k
M E T A L W E R X
School for Jewelry and the Metalarts
50 Guinan St.
Waltham, MA 02451
781 891 3854
www.metalwerx.com
There are no snack places you should or would want to eat at. Think
of it as a big desert of tables of stuff. It’s definitely not geared
for leisurely shopping. Be sure to bring a backpack of snacks and
water. Wear very comfortable shoes. Locate the bathroom at each
venue. Be prepared for a line. If you are at a larger, nicer hotel,
you’ll fare better with the food. When I go, I bring nuts, dried
fruit, hardboiled eggs, water, baby wipes (sanitary wipes), tissues.
It can be grueling. But if you locate the food you need, the
bathroom, and a quiet spot (good luck!) to sit down (on the ground
probably - bring a plastic trash bag in case it’s wet), you’ll be
fine. I would just stroll and relax if I were pregnant. I’m not, so
I’m going like gangbusters. But it is crowded, hectic, and a
tremendous amount of fun. The main thing is locate the bathroom and
don’t expect much in the way of food.
Have fun! It’s a blast!
Veronica
Invest in a wheeled backpack. It's small enough to carry or maneuver on the shuttles, yet will hold lots of the cool stuff you'll find, plus a collapsible umbrella, a light jacket, some bottled water, and whatever snacks you like. My choice for snacks are beef jerky and some hard sugarless candies.
Well, as long as you’re getting a wheeled backpack, how about tossing
a collapsible camp stool on top? They’re extremely lightweight and
compact. Should find them in a big discount store (even Mall-Wart) if
there’s no camping/outdoor store nearby. They come in handy later,
too, for other uses.
I second the notion of a small case on wheels. I’ve seen them at
other gem shows and will be buying one myself.
The sugarless candies are not recommended since the sorbitol will
give you the wind like the sulfur from hell. Not good if you are
pregnant and want to be around other folks. Dried fruit will do the
same. I’d stick with what you normally eat and try to stay away from
anything that will bind, both in clothes and food. Oh, and try to eat
lightly. It will make the trip easier on you.
Also, I’ve seen some folks at these shows with a small folding
chair, folds up like a baby stroller that folds up like an umbrella.
If you have the rolling case you can put it in that. Then you’ll
always have a seat. There are also small folding stools that artists
use for painting outdoors.
Drink lots of plain water. Reverse osmosis water is pure water and
is better than spring water since spring water has minerals that can
also cause swelling. Having swollen ankles and feet is part of the
trade show experience but can really be a problem when pregnant. Been
there. You can get one or two smaller bottles of water and a gallon
jug of distilled or reverse osmosis water from a grocery store and
fill the small ones from that. BTW, I only use RO water when making
investment, pickle or if I need to wet my flux. Makes a huge
difference in the quality of those processes.
Most of all, have a grand time and let us hear of your discoveries
when you get back…for those of us not able to attend!
Best,
Nel
I just have to add something here. A wheeled backpack sounds like a
good idea and, when pregnant, essential to carry everything, it’s
like having a stroller. It’s definitely going to get in the way of,
if not yourself, certainly others trying to maneuver in and out of
VERY crowded venues. If you take one, just be sure you stay in
strolling mode and please be very considerate of others around you. I
have been tripped by and been banged into by those things many times
in Tucson. It’s irritating, to say the least. But be courteous and
people will be understanding.
V.
(The stool is a great idea as long as the legs don’t stick out and
impale anyone. :-})
Hi, in reply to the lady on the subject of being pregnant and doing
the Tucson show. I would suggest that she buy one of those little
fold up stools with aluminium legs and put it onto your backpack
which is better than a handbag at Tucson. Then you can sit down
wherever and whenever you wish. You may be able to buy them at golf
accessories shop. I would have loved to have had one and I wasn’t
pregnant. At the really busy shows there are no seats available and
standing room only so you can pull out your little portable stool and
take a rest and check out all the goodies on show.
Seating is not available inside most of the shows as some of them
are wall to wall booths but no-one minds if you pull out a little
stool as they think you are probably a serious buyer and you will
spend longer at the booths that you can sit down at.
I did carving demos at the Manning House show in 2004 and the people
who stayed the longest were the ones who got one of the chairs I had
available for seating.
Have a lovely time at the show.
Christine Roussel.
The stool is a great idea as long as the legs don't stick out and impale anyone.
If you have a rolling case, you could very easily attach velcro
straps to the side to strap your folding stool onto the side of your
roller. That way you would have it very accessible, and it wouldn’t
endanger any of the other people you come into contact with. Have a
great time. I wish I was going this year, but the budget and time
just didn’t permit. Hopefully next year I can be buying things in
Tucson again :-))
BBR - Sandi Graves, Beadin’ Up A Storm
Stormcloud Trading Co
“Beads, Leather and Metalworking Supplies”
St Paul, Minnesota (USA)
651-645-0343