Last year I drove down to Seattle for their miniature show (and also a day of comicon). But the major news is that my sister and I went to Chicago for the first time! We spent two days sightseeing, including a visit to the Art Institute, which was great, then headed to the burbs for the 3 shows - the Miniature Show, 3 Blind Mice, and Tom Bishop. I didn't really have a budget in mind and didn't really spend as wisely as I should have. Of course, I ended up shopping for a project I haven't even begun to construct yet. Below are some of my purchases, which will be used in a few different houses or roomboxes. (Hopefully the captions are working.)
Not pictured are the findings I bought from Bindels Ornaments and Laurent Seigle-Dias. Lighting was also on top of my list and I bought a few including ones from Heidi Ott and Jim Pounder. I should have taken more photos of the tables, here are some favorites below: Bobbie Johnson, Vitreus Ignis, (both at Tom Bishop) and a section of the Swan House portion at the Miniature Show.
I doubt that I'd be able to afford to attend Chicago regularly. A few notes for myself and others who haven't been before: the shows are in the suburbs so be sure to take a suburban taxi, otherwise you get charged 1.5x more! The shuttle information on the Miniature Show website isn't totally accurate - they do run fairly consistently during show hours except for the Sunday which is the last day for Tom Bishop. We had a room at the Hyatt but I would suggest changing to the Marriott for Sunday night to avoid paying for taxis. Also for Tom Bishop, you may as well pay for the preview since 2 days of the show cost a $10 entrance fee each day. Bags are available at TB and the Miniature Show but I'd still pack some containers for repacking purchases, especially if flying home. Bring cash, it surprised me that quite a few vendors didn't accept credit cards. Cash might also be a good way to budget. I did try to talk my sister into returning to Chicago this year but she vetoed that idea.