Laci Morgan

When we talked about ideas for Halloween costumes this year, Josh and I joked about how with the height difference between us and the kids, how perfect it’d be to dress up as Skeksis/Mystics and Gelflings/Podlings. and then came the announcement that there would be a Dark Crystal panel and Cosplay Contest at LA Comic Con, which we were already planning on attending. (We love doing family costumes there, like last year’s Puppy Dog Pals!) And just maybe, I could alter an existing dragon or bird mask to look like a Skeksis…

Like that adorably detailed Sheriff Woody Toy Story Bag, this cool etched leather Groot one, and a funny little chibi Star Wars bag (complete with Ewoks! ). Since women’s clothes rarely have useable pockets (grumble grumble) and I like to keep my phone within easy reach to check line statuses and my schedule, I also wear a little pouch belt around my waist or a very small crossbody bag meant to hold just a phone and wallet. We’ll talk a little more later on about what to put in your bags to feed and occupy the kids, but for the rest, think mainly about what you require if you’re out of the house all day and not near many stores, but keep everything compact. Refillable water bottles, sunscreen (yes, even when it’s overcast… you will get burned, and no one wants skin cancer! ), any medications needed, your wallet, maybe an extra power bank or charging cord for your phone.

Of course we couldn’t take the stroller up, so Josh had to go ahead with the kids while Laci frantically searched for an elevator. By the time she got to the top and parked the stroller, the room had reached capacity and she had to beg to be let inside Moral of the story: if you have a stroller, you won’t be able to ride up the escalators with it, so you’ll have to seek out an elevator, and it often has a little bit of a line. It is sometimes worth it to keep your stroller with you in a line until the last minute, if possible, because it can provide shade, a seat for tired legs, a snack tray, or easy portability through a long line that might otherwise be difficult for your kids if you decide to brave a panel event.

Sure, we could always rent one from the car rental company, but we wouldn’t be able to guarantee its cleanliness or verify that it hadn’t been banged around or in an accident. And then there was New York to think about…we weren’t renting a car there, and while we planned on using the subway most of the time, I wasn’t able to get a definitive answer on whether the bus from the airport to the subway required car seats or could accommodate them. New York TECHNICALLY doesn’t require car seats in cabs, but there was no way I was taking that chance with the kiddos’ lives. So the search for the perfect travel car seat that we could carry through an airport, on the plane, and to two major cities began.