Sherlocking In New York City - 2008
By Don Hobbs

As I was waiting at the airport to board my plane for New York, I was thinking how cold it might be when I arrived. It is always difficult to gauge the New York City temperatures in January. I read the newspaper and watched the Weather Channel but really, it is up to the Sherlockian Gods to decide if it is going to be bitterly cold or a balmy warm temperature. The one saving grace is no matter the temperature, one hits the ground running and never stops for the entire weekend. This weekend must have pleased the Sherlockian Gods because the temperatures were unseasonably warm.

This is about my 200th annual Sherlock Holmes Birthday Celebration Weekend to attend. I see over a million Sherlockians that I know in a span of 4 days. That works out to be about a quarter-of-a-million Sherlockians each day, so one can see how hectic things are during the celebration. I used to arrive on Thursday but recently moved my trip back so I arrive on Wednesday. I do this so I can squeeze in two more events - The ASH Wednesday dinner at O'Casey's and the Christopher Morley Memorial Walk on Thursday. This also allows me to see more Sherlockians, eat more food, and drink to excess one more night. The ASH Wednesday dinner has become the unofficial kick-off for the weekend.

The Wednesday trickle of Sherlockians becomes a flood by Thursday. The CMMW (Christopher Morley Memorial Walk) got off to a slow start on Thursday. The 9:00 start was closer to a 9:47 start and the 18 brave souls traipsed out and braced for the cold that never materialized. After stops on 45th and 46th Streets, we headed to Grand Central Station, where we were fortified with doughnuts from Dori Nash. After our sugar rush, we caught the subway down to City Hall and the Woolworth building. Both places have  a long history associated with Christopher Morley. We spent some quality time there gawking at the building's opulence. At this point, the walk turned south toward the Financial District and I headed north to  Otto Penzler's Mysterious Books. This was a wonderful decision. I arrived at the shop and found it 100% devoid of Sherlockians.

Otto came out a greeted me and gave me my own table, chair, and ladder access. I was clamoring up and down the ladder, extracting book after book; coming back to my table where I could examine each book at my leisure. I did not have to worry about another Sherlockian coming by and pilfering my through my pile. I only bought 12,243 non-English translations and 1 book in English and still only spent $4,856,345. Otto is so kind. He rented a Texas-bound freight train to haul all of my stuff off and for no extra charge! After Otto's, I was able to hook up with the group again in time to go to McSorley's.

This year's Distinguished Speaker was Sir Christopher Frayling. He spoke about Doyle and his writing of The Hound of the Baskervilles. He was able to place the date as April 1901 instead of the general accepted date of March the same year. Sir Christopher had actually bought at auction Doyle's date book/diary from 1901. With meticulous research and cross referencing other known sources, he was able to arrive at the April date. The talk was the best in years.

The Gillette Luncheon is held each year at Moran's and this year was no different. It was a great afternoon of socializing, eating and basic Sherlocking. Marianne McKay and I decided not to waste a beautifully warm and sunny day. We walked the 25 blocks back to the Algonquin. This still allowed enough time to get some R and R before heading to the Manhattan Club home of the Gaslight Gala.

This year was the second year of the Gala. It replaced The Baskerville Bash. The evening has evolved over the years and seems to be the most entertaining dinner held that night. As the evening wound on,  the time arrived for the screening of The Great Whimsical Sherlockian Tour of Oklahoma and Texas and my anxiety rose. I was not sure how well it would be accepted but after the first minute, the crowd was laughing for the entire video. At the end Dean Clark, who was there, and myself received a warm round of applause. I can understand now how actors must feel. Much to my surprise and delight, I was asked to show the video in Nashville and Toronto. For the rest of the weekend, I would hear "Oh my God, it's Don Hobbs" everywhere I went.

Saturday is always fun because it is the day of the Huckster's Room on the 2nd floor of the Algonquin. This is where one can find all sorts of Sherlockian items that they never knew they needed. It's a beautiful sight, so many Sherlockians browsing through a multitude of Sherlockian merchandise. Sadly though, this was the first time that I did not buy anything. I promised myself not to let this happen again. The Baker Street Irregulars Annual Cocktail Party began at 1 pm This was the second year that it was held across from the Algonquin at the New York Bar Society.

This event is open to all Sherlockians and is always well attended. All of the usual suspects were there. The Rosenblatt's recited their annual poem; Peter Blau auctioned off one-of-a-kind Sherlockian items; and Wiggins held court. These are traditions carried on each year. The cocktail party opened with a play by Jerome Coppersmith featuring Elyse Locurto and Paul Singleton as Houdini and his wife. The play was based on the encounters between Doyle and Houdini regarding Spiritualism. The cast had had only two rehearsals yet they nailed their performances with the smoothness and ease of months of preparation.

The final event of my Sherlockian weekend was dinner at Kennedy's, which has become a Saturday night tradition. It started several years ago with a small group and this year's dinner drew 42 Sherlockian from around the world. After a long and relaxing din-din, a select few of the diehards made it to O'Lunney's Irish Pub for drinks and more conversation. The highlight here was the stripped-to-the-waist pseudo boxing match outside on the street between Jerry Kagley and Sébastian Le Page after a mock insult. Of course, no one was hurt and they combatants kissed and made up. There is significant photographic evident to blackmail those involved if ever needed..

I flew back to Texas on Sunday morning. This was the end of another grand Birthday Celebration Weekend. I am already making my plans for 2009. I hope to see you there.

Happy Collecting!!