On Sunday, Freak Geek and Unique Geek attended A Sunday in Belgravia, part of the BSI Weekend in New York City. It was a very relaxed event, and my first fandom event of any kind ever, full of people genuinely enthusiastic about being genuinely enthusiastic. With everyone entering expecting terrible silences to pervade the day when removed from our keyboards and our gifs, you can imagine our surprise when all present found themselves hopelessly chatty and sharing stories not just about Sherlock but about everything.
The event was held at the Producer’s club, a TARDIS-like venue (it’s definitely bigger on the inside), with enough seating and space for the large crowd that gathered. As the crowd trickled in we were encouraged to grab a plate and get comfortable, so Freak Geek and I quickly commandeered a couch.
Soon the tea was ready, and to almost everyone’s surprise it was not two or three pre-brewed pots but eleven (maybe even twelve?) varieties of loose leaf tea from Adagio Tea‘s Sherlock blends. My body could only handle so much liquid, but I was able to try Molly Hooper (a light, soothing, and sweet herbal blend), Sherlock (a smoky black tea), John Watson (a very smooth Earl Grey), and Henry Knight (a black tea almost more scented with blueberry than tasting of blueberry). Freak Geek was able to partake in Mycroft (which apparently tasted like cake, it sure smelled like it), The Colonel (a very deep chai), and MoriarTea (a spicy, very gingery chai) as well as more than one cup of the Sherlock blend. Overall the teas were wonderful, and I purchased a tea sampler so I could enjoy more at home (and I will be reviewing the rest of the teas in my sampler here at a later date). I then sat there and smelled every tea in my sampler, because apparently Sherlock fans don’t need drugs, sniffing tea will do us just fine.
In a second room was Cara McGee selling some of her beautiful prints, buttons, teas, and doing on the spot commissions as well as signing some of her work. I received this and this in a gift bag (as well as a generous sample of Henry Knight) which will be going up in some kind of fandom collage of framed prints whenever it is that I get to have a room to myself when I’m an actual adult. She, and everyone running the event, was patient and honestly seemed to be having a good time.
Eventually, after everyone had a good caffeine buzz, a stomach full of cucumber sandwiches and cookies, and had formed a large circle of new friends, we moved upstairs to a small theatre. First came the raffle (if I hadn’t spent my cash on tea, I would have entered, there were some excellent prizes), then a fantastic ugly sweater contest in honor of John’s terrible Christmas sweater in “A Scandal in Belgravia”. The show began, and it was wonderful to watch Sherlock with not just one person but with a crowd.
Overall, a smoothly run event full of some fantastic people. I would recommend events run by Sherlock NYC and the BSI Weekend to any Sherlock fan. They’re attempting to organize more events of this nature, so go out and support them if you can.
Three Chic Geeks 
