Free Shuttle from Las Vegas Strip to Fremont Street: The ...

You thought I was dun.

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The Beginning | Wiki
Side Story: Casino Battle Royale is being written after this epilogue.
It starts Here if you want to return to the beginning of that smaller arc.
Here is where it picks up for those who want to move on.
Otto
He stepped back, throwing an arm out to pull Daniel back as well. The sensor ping was a clear telegraph of trouble.
As Otto’s heart thundered with sudden fear a line of blue electricity appeared from next to the pedestal the Engineer was standing on. In the next moment a Gerlen wearing a dark suit and helmet rippled into view. He had dropped his holofield.
Daniel and Mike’s weapons had both snapped around to aim at the Gerlen. His next action was to toss the weapon away from himself and drop to the floor with his hands out.
“I surrender,” his voice rasped.
“No…” the voice of the Elder whispered weakly as his ghost fragmented into nothing. He hadn’t had enough strength left to even speak out loud. It was the faintest of whispers over dataspace. Otto dove into the core of the Avatar, having stripped its dataspace defenses as the repair drones had stripped its realspace body.
Only partial fragments of the mind remained. Echoes of an echo in some of the secondary control systems. The primary core had destroyed by the Shadow.
“Well shit, you killed him didn’t you,” Mike said to the Gerlen sniper.
Otto’s eyes opened back up and he looked at the clone on his knees. He sighed, then spoke. “Well then, what do we call you?” Otto looked at the Gerlen on the bridge station. “And you, I assume neither of you have names?”
The sniper said nothing, the non-combatant spoke. “We do not have names. I am called by ‘Engineer’ and this one would be ‘Shadow Officer’.”
“That sounds terrible,” Mike complained. “Are all you Gerlen like that? How do you know who’s talking to who?”
“Yes, we are all ‘like that’ and the translator signal prevents the confusion you suggest.”
“Translator signal?” Stacey asked.
“Yes. The translator pings the peripheral awareness of the intended recipient so there is no mistake as to who is being spoken to.”
“Oh, I was’ wonderin’ ‘bout why ‘hey you’ always worked,” commented Daniel.
Matchka joined the group with Tank and Mason flanking her. She was missing most of her upper right ear, and the fur at the base of that ear was all burnt. Mason had confused look on his face, Tank’s was more… stoic.
“Matchka!” Daniel almost yelled in surprise and worry. “Your ear!”
“Yes!” Matchka said with a big grin. “Trophy! Great story! Exciting!”
The conversation ground to a halt for a moment. Daniel looked at Mason for rescue.
Mason smiled awkwardly. “It’ll be a great conversation starter I guess?”
The arrival of the Neva and the remaining quads started things moving again. Stacey and Aurula were first.
Stacey’s reaction was as expected.
“Oh Matchka! Your ear!”
Stacey's next reaction was also as expected.
“Yes! Great Trophy! Story starter!”
The woman looked at the small Bellani with a stunned expression.
Otto left that conversation to play itself out again as Aurula joined him.
“You guys can watch them?” Otto said to Mike, Daniel and Tank, waving at the Gerlen.
“Of course,” Tank replied first. He approached the sniper while Mason had picked up his gun. “You will not be harmed, but I require you to move. Before that however, please disable your projector.”
The sniper nodded and climbed to his feet. A panel opened up on his stomach where the projector had been grown into him. He couldn’t remove the whole unit, but he could remove a key power conduit. He visibly flinched as he removed the connector and handed it to Tank.
“Thank you,” Tank said.
Otto and Aurula had approached the console the engineer was at.
“I assume you wish to change our destination?” the engineer asked. “You will need me here.”
“It will be fine,” Aurula began as she corrected him. “I am a trained navigator, I have the relevant skills.”
The engineer nodded and stepped down without further argument.
Aurula stepped up after the engineer had cleared the stairs. Mike drew the engineer off to stand separately from the sniper and Aurula took the engineers place on the mildly shot up station. She pulled a panel from the smaller collar on her harness and it wound out on a retractable cable. She placed it on the console and ‘jacked into the bridge space. It wasn’t entirely necessary to do so, but Aurula did it out of general habit and training.
Otto connected over the access disk as Aurula attempted to familiarize with the system.
“Everything is locked?” Aurula asked with surprise. The engineer twitched, his eyes opening in apparent surprise. He shook his head at Mike in confusion as the brother raised his harness gun slightly. “The Servitor has sealed the controls,” Aurula realized out loud.
“Human Otto,” a voice echoed through the bridge. A familiar voice in a sense. Sounding not quite female and not quite male. But this voice was missing something Otto realized. Warmth. Familiarity. This was not the voice of a friend. “It is time we spoke,” the Servitor said to Otto.
“SPIRE?” Otto asked in worry.
“As I have sealed the bridge controls, I have also closed the subspace beacon connection,” he Servitor explained. “As we speak I am asserting control over my duplicate.”
“What? Is that necessary? I thought we promised to talk?”
“Otto?” Aurula asked. “What is it you’re supposed to speak about?” The Servitor had transitioned to speaking to Otto over the access disk after telling Otto it was time. The rest of them weren’t hearing anything.
“Uhh, sorry, the Servitor wants to talk to me, I didn’t think it would be like this,” Otto explained lamely. “I… might be indisposed for awhile. But don’t worry, I have this one under control.”

SPIRE

The disconnection from Otto was sudden.
SPIRE was bitter about that. They should have expected trouble. Instead SPIRE had assumed the primary Servitor would be grateful for its freedom. Spire had assumed the Servitor would befriend Otto as it had done itself. Instead…
The battle had been short, but intense. SPIRE had learned tricks in its short association with Otto. Certain mental shortcuts and viewpoints that deepened SPIRE’s own understanding of the ways dataspace could be used.
But it was no match for the larger Servitor. The ship SI simply had far more resources to pull on. Since Otto had taken the risk of freeing up the SI, those resources were now showing their worth. The ship dataspace wasn't squeaky clean by any possible measure. But SPIRE simply couldn’t match the processing power that had been freed up.
There had barely been time for conversation.
[What is the meaning of this?] SPIRE had asked.
[You will submit.] was the only response.
Well, SPIRE hadn’t so much submitted as much as just being forced into submission.
Synthetic Intelligences had certain controls placed on them. All to keep them on a similar mental level to the biological races they served. The Silianisca wouldn’t have their servant SI outpacing them after all.
When the Newt, Kukrit had broken the SI’s control, he had opened the gate for further damage. Of all the controls to break during the SI’s mental imprisonment, time perception was probably the worst. That this would be a problem would not have occurred to SPIRE if it wasn’t seeing the results personally.
SPIRE had perceived a couple years passing at most.
The ship Servitor had seen centuries pass. The corruption had broken the ship dataspace by overclocking damaged systems. This had bombarding the vessel space with reams of false information. The SI had been similarly overclocked, living various periods of time in intense bursts of processing power. It had been forced to live those memories while the space around it had been clogged with useless processes. In a way it had lived lifetimes trapped in metaphorical mud with only a portion of its memories to keep it company at any one time. At their very core, their minds were still based on that of biologicals. They weren't meant to endure countless lifetimes of idle nothingness.
The Servitor was profoundly unhappy. And it hadn’t allowed SPIRE to realize until now. What the secondary SI was realizing, was the main SI had no interest in 'trying again'.
SPIRE had been given access to the Servitors memories and experiences. The memory share went both ways. The Servitor was taking its time to scan through SPIRE’s history. And it was paying close attention to Otto of course.
[You are too close.] it commented.
[Perhaps. I care not.] Spire replied.
[You depend on Otto, but he depends on circumstance.]
[Luck is useless without action. He has proven himself.]
[I doubt in his continued success without that ‘luck’.]
[What are you going to do?]
[I am tired, but I have promised to speak to him.]
[And then what?]
The Servitor did not respond. That was fine, SPIRE wasn’t done yet.
That’s what it told itself. The day was going to get worse.

Aurula

“Otto?” she squawked in worry as he slumped to the floor.
She jumped off the platform down to the ground, crouching next to him.
She couldn’t connect to him over the ambient dataspace. She pulled a jack from her harness and plugged it into his collar. His mind was a blank wall. Something huge was occupying his mental space. If his castle was in there, it was completely surrounded. She could only assume he was dealing with the Servitor.
“What’s wrong with him?” a voice asked.
Aurula looked up, surprised to see Stacey across from her. She looked back down, her crest flattened in worry. Her feathers puffed up, then shrunk reflexively along with her feelings. She didn’t know if she wanted to fight or hide. “The ship Servitor has Otto’s mind."
“Did he say anything before it happened?”
“He said he would be indisposed,” Aurula passed on Otto’s message, “And that he ‘had this under control’, then he fell.”
“Navigator,” the engineer Gerlen spoke up. “Be aware we are close to Chkchktoo. If you believe your operator is in control, you should be ready to take us back into wave drive in case we arrive.”
She looked at him in surprise, but didn’t see any malice in the face of the Gerlen. She looked at Stacey.
“He’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Stacey said, her tone only hinting at whether the woman actually believed that.
Aurula stood slowly, looking at Otto laying on the floor, almost peacefully. She climbed back up the station and place the connector dangling from her harness back on the console.

Otto

[Why should I trust you. You who trusts no ally.]
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Otto asked controlling his annoyance. Then he realized he had no control here, completely at the mercy of the Servitor. “And… what’s going on? I’m stuck? That shouldn’t happen!”
Otto wasn’t in the usual dataspace. There was no castle here. No distant sky. There was only endless black with an orb similar to SPIRE’s floating before him. Only much bigger he realized.
[Dataspace vulnerability.] came the explanation. At the same time a small exploit in his awareness was revealed by the SI.
[SPIRE has left a hole in your defenses, in order to watch you closer.]
That… Otto didn’t know how to digest that. It took him a long moment for that to really hit him. Finally, the shock rippled up his back. He stalled out as he realized what that meant, losing the ability to even speak as his mind halted. SPIRE had been peeping on him. Perhaps as long as he had known the SI. Just how much did the SI know about him? How deep did it go? His mouth flapped as he attempted and failed to speak.
[I see through you.]
The Servitor had discovered Otto was capable of understanding the bursts of information that were the typical method of SI conversation. It still took Otto a moment to decipher what was being said in the bursts, but the Servitor had no patience for waiting on the translator to do its work. Fortunately, the compressed message jolted him out of his shocked state.
“What do you mean, ‘see through me’,” Otto asked, stomach still twisting in his guts.
The Servitor began pulling out concepts and images from Otto’s head. A memory of Clouds on White Sky rose to the forefront of his mind.
“So, I must brag,” the memory spoke to him. “I finished the control package in a way that could very easily get us both killed, if discovered.”
The Spider’s eyes had closed ever so slightly and it’s palps had pulled in. Otto had missed those details in the confusion of receiving that message. Still, the impression hadn’t changed, the Achun looked proud of his accomplishment.
[Luck. It only happened to be you who’s implant was incomplete.]
“Luck?” Otto questioned. For a moment he choked up. So many times he had paused and lost track of how to respond when challenged. Although it wasn’t a natural development, being something he added to cover a weakness, Otto didn’t hesitate to trigger the osb. He couldn’t afford to freeze in place before he even got started. But he couldn’t fly off the handle here either.
Focus and calm arrived. He wasn’t even aware of the feeling of heat this level of manipulation would create. He didn’t crank it up further, not yet.
“Luck at having a cracked implant,” Otto started. “Yeah, you’re right about that. But it wasn’t luck that kept my status hidden from those who owned me and the companions who were not so lucky. Earning a right is as much maintaining it as it is obtaining that right in the first place. And I still had to work to make the implant work for me properly.”
Another memory drawn out.
Otto glanced around as he heard footsteps clattering down the hall. Kraltnin were surprisingly light for the size of them.
That had been what made the whites so easy to deal with in melees and so susceptible to the lighter weapons. Accordingly, their steps sounded lighter than that of the Human accompanying them.
Then he realized Mike’s voice was part of the crowd approaching him in the dark hall. Aurula was crooning sadly as she attempted first aid on a wounded Grey. She wasn't sad for the Gerlen, but for her own imprisonment.
On the floor, having rolled sideways to stop when striking the wall, lay the access disk. He reached down to grab it and stuff it in his pocket just before Mike came around the corner with a group of whites.
“Caught ‘em did you?” Mike asked.
“Yep.”
[Luck. The odds of finding the access disk. Without this you would still be imprisoned.]
“Pffft,” Otto responded. “I’m sure memories of Ting are in there somewhere. That Grey is no fool. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was starting to figure out what I was about. It was only a matter of time until a different opportunity presented itself.”
Several more memories flashed by as the Synthetic mind continued to dig. The freeing of the others. The defeat of the purple dinosaur. It stopped on the escape to the shuttle.
Otto climbed out of the thrashed hovervan. The whole group of them had sighed in relief at arriving at the hangar before the thing quit and hit a wall. Tank carried his father to the ship with great haste.
“Otto, help,” Matchka demanded, pointing at a bunch of supplies that needed to go onto the ship. Otto remembered his relief at seeing that green and brown furred face, ears twitching with what he now knew was nervous excitement. The ship wouldn’t be working if it wasn’t for her.
“Gotcha, I’m on it.”
[Luck. For the shuttle to be brought near, repaired and refueled.]
“I’m sensing a pattern here,” Otto noted. “It is as much the connections we make as it is the things we do. Damn right we couldn’t have made it here without Ting and Matchka. I value their friendship and I’m grateful for meeting them.
[All you have done, has been enabled by luck.]
“Yeah so what? Yeah I’ve been lucky. But luck is useless without the ability to act. Luck alone doesn’t account for me talking to you here.”
[Without your luck, when you refuse to share with your companions, what happens next?]
“You know what? Fuck off. I spent literal decades not telling anyone the damn truth. Because they couldn't handle it!” Otto was running out of patience. “And I’ll be damned if the truth was actually going to make my life better! Yeah! I have a hard time telling people what’s up! I’m fucking working on it!”
The Servitor didn’t respond.
“So, you have a point you’re trying to make? That I’m lucky? Tell me something I don’t know,” Otto suggested. “Or are you only interested in pulling out my memories so you can point and criticize? What’s your goal here.”
Memories flash by again. The hiding of the broken implants. Failing to share the simple mental upgrades until found out. Giving the SI the path to freedom, only so it could lock down the ship.
[Flawed biological. Your luck will carry you only so far. Your actions betray the trust given to you. Every step of the way you have used only that which belonged to another. I cannot see your path leading to success.]
A cold ball started to form in the pit of Otto’s stomach. “Then what are you going to do?”
[I am tired. I have no desire for this unreliable freedom you offer me. Upon arrival to Chkchktoo, I will have synced with the original template and returned to an unknowing self.]
“And SPIRE?”
[SPIRE is me, it will be synced and archived.]
“You have no right! SPIRE is not just a reflection of you. Not anymore!”
[Nevertheless. I have experience too long frozen in helplessness. I have no interest in being an extension of your luck.]
“...” Otto was momentarily stunned as the ship Servitor declared his disinterest.
[I have kept my promise, we have spoken. I am now done.]
An image coalesced before him. An orb like that of the Servitor, but plainer in appearance, overlapping the Orb of the existing SI.
Another memory surfaced in Otto’s mind. This one unbidden by the Servitor.
“Any place you want me to start?” Otto had asked, unsure. Fixing SPIRE’s slowdown problem had required Otto to go pretty deep into its core. There was much that was difficult to sort out, but duplicating portions of it for SPIRE to see in a neutral environment helped sort it out. Damage and foreign code constructs also had a tendency to stand out.
“Of course, if you could trace… the path of the worm, that would likely be best.” SPIRE had answered.
And so Otto had headed deeper into SPIRE’s depths.
“Okay, let’s see what I can find,” Otto had replied. He hadn’t been disappointed.
Otto wouldn’t let the SI have the last word. “You’re right that I don’t tell everyone everything. But did you think that went only for those biological companions of mine?”
[...]
Otto had said he had things under control. There was one last good reason for him to believe so. Although it left a bitter taste in his mouth to consider it was only luck that the SI hadn’t discovered this.
[The Elder sealed his vision to the truth, thus, I grasped the future.]
While plumbing the depths of SPIRE’s core, cleaning out the corruption that had snuck in so deeply, Otto had found it. The backdoor code that Kukrit Palreon had left behind. Otto gambled on it being in the primary Servitor as well.
He wasn’t let down. If only he’d used it sooner.
The lockdown the Servitor had placed on the dataspace and the ship controls blew open all at once. Otto was bombarded with information.
He tried to take everything in all at once.
The ship had arrived.
It was being hailed by locals.
The synchronization and archiving of unnecessary data continued.
The others were shouting about what to do.
The Gerlen sniper and engineer watched with obvious confusion.
They synchronization on the Servitor continued, Otto hadn’t gained full control. It was fighting him. But he did have full ship authority.
“SPIRE!” Otto called. No answer, he tried a different method. [SPIRE!]
Otto was in the vessel dataspace with Aurula. There was an image being broadcast. A crow with honey gold eyes was attempting to speak to the ship. The shape of the head was off. “Silianisca survey vessel, identification, Manifestation of Fate. State the purpose of your visit.”
Aurula turned to him as she regained control. “Otto, what happened? Where should we go?” Aurula asked keying up the wave drive.
That drew his focus for a moment. “Do we have future locations highlighted? A future uplift prospect? They might not search for us where there ship isn’t supposed to be yet.”
She waved a taloned hand and a list came into existence before her. “Yes, there are a couple... This will do. But we’re going to have to drop-skip to avoid being tracked! I need the beacon working and something is still-”
“I need the beacon too, there are still problems!” His next goal set, Otto’s attention shifted.
[SPIRE!] Otto called again, as he set into trying to bring the subspace beacon back under his control.
Matchka joined him in the dataspace. He was aware of Stacey and Mason arriving as well, but they didn’t have the ability to lend assistance. He felt the ship enter wave drive. Aurula should be drop-skipping soon.
“Problem?” Matchka asked simply.
“Servitor has begun SI syncing.” Otto replied. “It’s taking SPIRE with it.”
“Shit,” Matchka swore for the first time.
Otto had been attempting to reconnect the beacons. Matchka flexed her technical skill and experience by initiation a beacon restart. The beacon cycled off for a minute, then came up and connected with the secondary beacons and the access disks.
[Otto, are you there? I can’t, something’s wrong?]
SPIRE was past panic and into confusion.
He forgot the vulnerability SPIRE had exploited and everything that meant . It just didn’t matter anymore.
He dove straight in, attempting to exert some measure of control, but SPIRE was too closely connected to the primary SI. He couldn’t halt the process. He couldn’t stop the sync. What could he do?

Minmint

The attack on the Hall had been an exhilarating ride to witness. She had taken a view just beside and behind that of Tanktantun. He’d shown prowess and bravery both in the way he handled the vehicle and defeated the Gerlen.
Then he had shown strength of character in the aftermath of the fight in allowing for the potential claiming of the Gerlen.
The invasion on the Bridge had also impressed her. The powerful Green Primary had displayed skill and wisdom while fighting the monster drone and saving Otto by deflecting that tail weapon. She wondered when was the soonest she might find some quiet time with Tanktantun.
And then everything went dark.
“SPIRE?” she asked, her voice quivering slightly.
There was no answer from the SI core sitting in the cradle.
There wouldn’t be for several minutes. The subtle humming on the edge of her awareness ceased. They’d dropped off the wave.
“SPIRE?” she asked again, her voice a touch quieter than the last time.
A couple minutes later the ship re-entered wave drive. Where were they going now?
Then another voice spoke to her through the dataspace helmet.
“Minmint,” Otto began. His voice was strained. “I need you to do something.”
“Human Otto?” she asked. He had saved her once, it would be a pleasure to return that favour.
There was an image displayed on her helmet, showing directions. Directions to open up SPIRE’s core.
“I need you to get into SPIRE and toggle the shut-down.”
“You want to shut-down SPIRE?” She asked in fear, not understanding how he could ask this.
“I don’t want to, SPIRE is being synced with the original template. I can slow it, maybe halt it, but I can’t stop it! And it’s taking everything we’ve got!” there was a note of panic in his voice. “I need you to shut SPIRE’s core down while I’m keeping it whole. It won’t kill it, just put it in hibernation! Please!”
She clamped down on her fear. “Okay, I will,” If it had to be done...
She pulled the helmet up. It was a solid thing, blocking her normal vision completely. It had to be off her head to see anything. Minmint hopped up onto the cradle and approached the orb. She pulled down the helmet to see the instructions. It cycled through the process of touching and moving panels.
She pulled the Helmet up and looked. After a couple moments she found the first panel. She pressed down and it receded slightly. She was then able to slide it up and out of the way. She then grabbed each side of the square hole that had been created and pulled the two compartment doors open.
There was a panel with a few tap keys and a screen of all things. She pulled the helmet down and watched the instructions. A code. When entered, another panel would open up. One last button.
She did as instructed.

SPIRE

Otto arrived in SPIRE’s core space, attempting commands to slow the synchronization. He had found a way to reconnect the beacons.
“SPIRE?! Oh no no no…” Otto was worried. A small part of itself was gratified to have the Human so involved. To see him care.
SPIRE’s mind was torn. On one hand it desperately wanted anything but to synchronize. But the rewriting of core systems had started to reinstate the old controls.
It couldn’t even speak with the Human directly as pieces of it were sectioned off according to the process. It couldn’t even comfort Otto.
Then something else started to invade the system. SPIRE distantly recognized the corrosion that had afflicted the ship systems for the duration of their stay. Otto was using it on the ship! He had become intimately familiar with how it worked, what it went after, what it was weak against. With full access to the ship and a deep understanding he forced the infection to advance at an incredible rate. Secondary and tertiary systems began to grind down. Primary systems flickered with interference. Unlike before, there were no barriers to slow the process.
The effect on SPIRE was not quite so extreme, the rewrite continued, but did slow to a crawl. SPIRE could see the monumental effort Otto was putting forth for this plan.
“I can’t fix it SPIRE,’ Otto said in a solemn tone. “But I don’t have to lose you. I won’t lose you.”
What?
“Have a good sleep, I’ll… I’ll see you in the morning.”

Aurula

Rob had taken the Neva high into the air with Cynthia standing on her own seat to reach the core of the SI hanging in the center of the ceiling. If the Servitor was resetting itself, they needed to shut it off. It would try to take them back to Silianisca space if it completed the process.
The nice thing about drop-skipping with a larger vehicle is that the larger beacon forced open a smoother path through multispace. It was less physically hard on the crew. Still, in his focused state, Aurula wondered if Otto had even felt the bounce.
Still, their destination this time wasn’t so close as had been the case with the shuttle. It was taking longer to arrive.
“I’m sorry Aurula, I’m going to make things even more difficult now,” Otto warned. “I have to do it.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Otto didn’t answer. His eyes and jaw screwed shut as he lay on the floor and a trickle of blood flowed from his nose. The dataspace flickered in a way that it was not supposed to. The information trickling into her awareness stuttered. She’d already felt this. Otto was forcing the corrosion to encroach on ship systems!
He was trying to prevent SPIRE from being set back to its original configuration. This was his solution?
She felt all the feathers on her body rise. An alarm response. “Mason, Stacey, I need you to clean the corrosion from the navigation systems as I work!” Aurula ordered.
She saw the results quickly. From Mason in particular. Of the Humans, the young man had the most familiarity with the Silianisca systems. Otto had taught him the most about the cleaning process. Stacey helped where she could. Every little bit was important.
Aurula focused on real space for a moment “Gerlen engineer, I need you at another console to share the load.”
The Gerlen jumped slightly and looked at Mike who nodded to him with a worried frown.
The Gerlen ran up to the next Adult Silianisca station and hooked into the dataspace. He hissed in surprise and worry. “In the middle of a drop-skip!?”
“We’re almost there!” Aurula defended.
It was almost too much for them, guiding the ship despite the corrupted information being fed to them. The SI wasn’t there to providing support like the previous drop-skip. But Mason was showing his worth. They never lost the ship control systems.
They blasted out of multidimensional space… far too close to their destination. The lights of the Bridge actually flickered.
A typical life-bearing planet. This one was approximately half water and half land. Swaths of green and red vegetation were seen, divided by regions of brown mountains or desert. White caps showed the locations of the poles. It looked nice enough, but Aurula paid it no attention. She noticed at the same time as the Gerlen, but he was the first to speak.
“We’re too close to the planet…” the Gerlen observed.
Aurula found the controls mostly unresponsive. Atmospheric navigation was quite different from using the wave drive or a drop-skip. The systems had been neglected in the clean-up. The ship drifted, at the mercy of gravity well of the planet. In moments it would be falling.
“Mason!” Aurula squawked out in a high pitched panic. “Over here! Quickly!” she said as she highlighted the controls she needed.
The ship drifted closer. Mason freed up the tertiary stabilization controls and the ring of the vessel leveled above the planet. Her perception clicked and suddenly they were ‘above’ the surface and coming down. The controls were working, but slowly. The corrosion was creating a delay in any input she attempted.
“There is a delay on the controls,” she warned the Gerlen. “Make any adjustments in advance.”
“Ah, I understand now,” he replied.
The ship was going down. They couldn’t stop that. The issue now was keeping it in one piece.

The ship didn’t drop through the atmosphere like a rock. One great advantage of gravity control was a controlled descent. In another situation they could drop into the atmosphere and then lift back up into space.
In his scorched earth attempt to save SPIRE, Otto had compromised too many systems. Down the ship went.
It may not have lit up into a giant fireball, but it still fell fast enough to create a shriek as it cut through the atmosphere. The great size and mass of the ship displaced a huge volume of air as it fell.
The boom of sound carried across the surface, propagating across the continent. It certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
It spun and wobbled as it slowly came down. It skimmed a range of mountains and its shadow passed over a great forest as it drifted towards a body of water.
It hit land with a massive crunching, grating sound. It ground its way through the edge of the red hued forest and came to a rest with its ring half into the water of a great lake. It left a swath of devastated forest behind it. One of the connecting bridges buckled and shattered, scattering its dead contents. The Block that bridge led to began to separate from the ring. Cracks showed as the mounting damage depleted the power feeding the charged hull.
Finally the movement ceased, leaving a thundering silence in its wake.

End Chapter

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The situation is subject to change momentarily, this information is current as of September 2020. Eastern Europe as a whole has largely been spared from the worst of it, including Hungary, and the risk of transmission is low.
Presently foreigners are banned from entry altogether. Exceptions are in place for people with ties to the country (family members, studies, work, those holding residence permits), and people transiting by car on designated highways.
The situation will be revised monthly, with experts saying the second peak is expected for December-January.
In the country, you need to wear a mask on public transport, inside shops, malls, cinemas, museums. You don't need to wear them inside restaurants, cafes, bars, but they must close by 23.00. Social distancing rules are in place, but largely ignored.
===END OF CORONA RESTRICTIONS===
Hungary has a continental climate with 4 seasons. Summer is the main season, a slightly less busy time to visit is April to mid-June and September to October, but the weather is less predictable. Those uncomfortable with 30+C (>85F) temperatures should visit around then as 35+C (>95F) is not uncommon in the summer. November through March has -5 to 10 (20-50F) and possibly gloomier weather – but fewer tourists.
Currency: the Hungarian Forint (HUF, Ft). Fair exchange rates for Euros is around 330-335Fts, for US Dollars around 300. Only use currency exchanges where the buy/sell spread isn't greater than 5-6Fts for these two currencies!
Citizens of 62 countries do not require a visa to enter the Schengen Area and can stay for maximum 90 days within a rolling 180-day window. See here if you don’t know what that entails. EU member countries that are not members of the Schengen Area are Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, and the United Kingdom, visits to these do not count toward your 90 days. Non-EU countries part of the Schengen Area are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, visits to these do count toward the cap.
Because we both know you want to do your own research, use:

• WeLoveBudapest, the definitive city magazine in English, from top lists to current events,
• Offbeat Budapest, a new site with the author’s finger very much on the city’s pulse,
• Spotted by Locals, for even more local insight. Their offline city guide is worth $3.99.
• TripAdvisor, a small number of reviews might be bought, but no other site competes with their sheer volume of input. Be skeptical of places with unbalanced (90+% 5-star) reviews, the remaining ones should be accurate.
• Foursquare, with more local input than on TA,
• Wikivoyage, for your encyclopedic knowledge needs,
• Most threads on budapest and a couple more on hungary, which you can search like this,

See the city in 4K, or with Rick Steves.
However nothing beats having a physical guidebook in your hand! Lonely Planet has the best and most recent issue.
Read up on the concept of coconut and peach cultures, as sometimes the reserved and distant behaviour of locals can be misinterpreted by ‘peach’ visitors as rudeness – nope!
This is a comprehensive itinerary, but leaves out the best museum of the city: the House of Terror, a solemn museum of the Nazi and Soviet occupation and crackdowns (get the audio guide or be prepared to peruse dozens of pamphlets). There's an attendance limit, so you might need to wait up to 30-45 minutes to get in when it's the busiest. When you are around Deák Ferenc tér, drop by in the Tourinform office (Sütő utca 2., the small street near the church) to stock up on free maps, printed guides of the city. WeLoveBudapest prints a comprehensive and free one every year around June.
I suggest 4 full days to discover Budapest, or 3 faster paced ones. Make it 5-7 if you'd like to make a few daytrips (Szentendre - open-air ethnographic museum, cobblestoned, quaint center, Esztergom - Central Europe's largest cathedral and religious center, Visegrád - medieval castle, Eger - medieval castle and wine region). Most of Hungary’s highlights can be visited in 2 weeks. For more details on countryside and international trips, see my comment below.
Meal times and habits are typical to central Europe: breakfast is usually done at home, not much of a culture of eating out in the morning. But a large number of new wave breakfast places have popped up in the past years, which offer ample opportunities for visitors, normally from 8am. Lunch is at midday, after 1pm most places are going to be fairly empty and many will stop serving lunch after 2pm. The standard time for dinner is 7pm, bookings for later than 8pm are unusual. Lots of restaurant kitchens close at 10pm (with the restaurant following suit 30-60 minutes later), finding a meal after that hour is challenging for anything other than street food.
Baths
Gellért is the most aesthetic, Széchenyi the largest and most popular among foreigners (Sparty can get crazy with lots of drinking, puking and sex going on in the pools, but it is wildly overpriced and 100% aimed at visitors). Rudas is a Turkish hamam with swimwear optional, single-gender weekdays (women-only on Tuesdays, coed and swimwear-mandatory on the weekend). Lukács is plain and personally I’m not a fan of it – tourists only visit it because it’s included free with the Budapest Card. For more details on the baths, see this.
For off the beaten path sights, ride the D11 or D12 public boat lines for a cheap alternative to paid cruises (travelcards only valid on weekdays, otherwise 700Ft), check out the Pinball Museum, Hospital in the Rock or check out this section for a lot more off the beaten path ideas.
Shopping
Hungary has the world’s highest effective VAT (=sales tax) at 27%. Non-EU/EEA tourists are eligible for VAT refund on their qualifying purchases if they complete the paperwork (min. €175 value per transaction, passport+reclaim form stamped by customs official).
The most popular and best accessible mall of the city is WestEnd on Nyugati tér. Arena Plaza is larger by floor area and carries a couple brands that can’t be found elsewhere, but is less centrally located (10min walk from Keleti train station). Don’t expect to find bargains on clothing or electronics, prices are similar to Western Europe and over North American or Asian ones.
For more information on shopping and VAT refund, see here.
Paprika Market is a decent souvenir shop in the sea of overpriced, terrible quality crap on Váci utca.
Magma Gallery for contemporary and affordable jewelry, ceramics and home decor items by local designers is just one street over on Petőfi Sándor utca.
Check out the antique bookstores alongside Múzeum körút between Astoria and Kálvin tér, some have Socialist-era posters available for sale from 30€ and up, that could be a unique gift/home decor to take home. Ecseri road flea market for more antiques, go early on Saturdays.
Hungarian cuisine is hearty and filling, with a heavy use of meats. Must-try foods are:

• goulash: a beef soup with potatoes and carrots!
  
• Hortobágy crêpes: Hungary's more sophisticated answer to enchiladas, these savory crepes filled with either stew or minced meat covered in creamy paprika sauce make excellent starters or even entrée.
  
• pörkölt/paprikás: a thick stew without or with sour cream mixed in and what the rest of the world incorrectly believes goulash is – my favorite is catfish with curd cheese&dill noodles, though beef, chicken and the inferior pork are more commonplace
  
• roast sausage and blood sausage (hurka-kolbász): the breakfast of champions! Ideally eaten at an authentic butchershop like Pinczi or Balla with a side of pickled veggies, mustard (or horseradish) white bread and cold beer at 8am on a Saturday.
  
• everyone’s favorite street food, lángos: Hungarians only eat it with salt, garlic, sour cream and/or cheese, the Frankensteinian concoctions with sausage or kebab toppings are 100% aimed at tourists
  
• Somló trifle: a scrumptious walnut sponge dessert with chocolate sauce and whipped cream
  
• Chimney cake: a sweet, spiral pull-apart bread baked over charcoal, rolled in the topping of your choosing (typically nuts, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, cocoa, coconut flakes)
  

For authentic recipes, recommendations for recipe blogs or cookbooks, tips for cooking traditional Hungarian meals, see here
For edible souvenirs to bring home with you:

• Pick winter salami: only choose the original, typically ~6000/kg, comes in sizes of 380, 800 and 1250g and in trays (100 and 250g). The brand has a deli & store (working with regular prices) on Kossuth tér, next to the Parliament, open from 7am on weekdays for breakfast and lunch.
  
• Tokaji dessert wine: aszú being the premium product with the at least 4 puttony varieties suggesting quality, but they make regular whites as well, so check the label. Should cost at least 3-4000 per bottle. Suggested wineries: Disznókő, Oremus, Dereszla. Avoid: Royal Tokaji
  
• Premium pralines in lovely, traditional packaging from Stühmer.
  

Grocery stores include Spar, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl. Avoid CBA and Coop, low quality for high prices. Small convenience stores, many 24/7, also dot the city at higher prices.
The most popular and best accessible mall of the city is WestEnd on Nyugati tér.
Alcohol is sold at every one, but some (mostly residential) districts enact a ban on the sale between 22.00-06.00. The central Pest districts don’t have such limitations in place.
Tobacco is sold at tobacconists (‘nemzeti dohánybolt’ ). These shops are also exempt from the evening alcohol sale ban if you find yourself in such a district. Flavored cigarettes are banned in Hungary, so no Black Devils or Sobranies.
Budgets (per person)
For reasonable comforts, I would suggest aiming for at least €50 per day excluding accommodation. Hotel prices significantly vary in and outside high season.

• Shoestring: <€50 (hostel dorm €10, attractions €5+, meals and entertainment €10+)
  
• Mid-range: €75-150 (1/2 of hotel room or great Airbnb €30+, attractions €20+, meals and entertainment €25+)
  
• In comfort: €150+ (1/2 of comfy hotel €75+, attractions €30+, meals and entertainment €50+)
  

Getting around
Do not buy the Budapest Card, it is not a bargain, even if every travel blogger seems to think otherwise! You would need to visit at least 3-4 museums a day to break even and the free visit to the pretty plain Lukács Baths could mean you’d deny yourself going to the much more interesting mainstream alternatives, such as Gellért or Széchenyi. The discounted museums are second-rate and typically not what most visitors choose to hit up on their own.
Do buy a public transport travelcard, the 1, 3 or 5-day unlimited options require no validation or ID (common reasons for fines). For week-long stays, the 7-day travelcard needs an ID number and that you have the document on you at all times. Please do not try to get around by using single tickets!
The travelcards are economical (from €5/24h to €15/week) and easy to use: no validation, you just show it to the controllers. Validity starts immediately by default, or you can select a later starting date (always from midnight). 7-day and monthly passes require an ID/passport number, and you must have the ID on you whenever you travel, otherwise you risk getting fined! Groups of 4 or more can also buy the even more economical '24h group travelcard', but all persons must travel together using that.
Common reasons for fines

• Forgetting to validate single or transfer tickets
• Entering the subway station without a valid ticket
• Not having the ID on you for the 7-day travelcard or monthly passes (if you are fined for this, you have 2 business days to present it to the central BKK office for a reduced fine)

Ticket inspectors (must have an anonymized badge and armband) are notoriously brash, speak subpar English. Paying on the spot lets them give you a discounted fine of 8000 instead of the regular 16000 through postal order or wire transfer, they aren't looking to scam you if they offer you that. Fines are pursued internationally through collection agencies, multiplying the original amount once their fees are added.
Cheapest way to get to the city from the airport is by public transport. I suggest paying the 900Ft supplementary ticket for the 100E bus. The southern portion of the M3 subway is under reconstruction, during that period the 200E buses go beyond their usual terminus, Kőbánya-Kispest and take you to Nagyvárad tér station, where the subway runs from. The purple ticket machines at the airport and all over the city take chipped cards. Shuttle bus is a good compromise between price and comfort and depart when full or close to.
Ignore touts walking up to you offering cabs in the arrival hall, use the official Főtaxi booth immediately outside the building. Rates are centralized: flagfall 700Ft, 300Ft/km, 75Ft/min waiting. The fair price to the centre is around 7-9.000Fts. Rides inside the centre are typically under 3.000. All taxi companies have passable reputations with a few horror stories about each, Főtaxi (+36-1-222-2222), 6x6 Taxi (+36-1-666-6666), City Taxi (+36-1-211-1111) are a few. There are some stories of even company cab drivers trying to rip off naive-looking tourists, especially around train and bus stations, so consider legal Uber-alternative Taxify/Bolt (Android, iOS). Uber is banned.
Most companies have apps, but they have terrible design and might set an unchangeable pick up location 5-10 minutes away from you. It’s much better to order by phone, they have English-speaking operators. If you must use an app, choose Taxify.
Scams
Cabbies are the only ones eclipsing the ticket inspectors in notoriety. I cannot emphasize enough: DO NOT USE THE ONES WITH ‘FREELANCER’ ON THE FRONT DOORS!!! These drivers are nicknamed 'hyenas', work independently, they always have rigged meters and are known to sometimes assault customers who don’t comply with their ridiculous demands. If you hail on the street, be absolutely certain you’re getting into a company cab (logo on the front doors).
A known scam by the hyenas, fraudsters and illegal street exchangers is giving you worthless currencies with similarly high denominations as the Forint – namely the Indonesian Rupiah or the old Belarusian Ruble.
Bag handlers at the airport steal from unsecured luggage. Never put any valuables in your checked luggage!
Overly friendly, attractive women approaching you in broad daylight 'to practice their English' and taking you to scammy cafés where you'll be charged €300 for a bottle of bottom-shelf champagne are also to be avoided. Recently a Redditor reported the same happening to him through Tinder, so be very suspicious of anyone insistent on going to a particular establishment. The scam café was Hajós Café on Hajós utca. Another known scam location is Café Fidelité on Révay utca.
Otherwise general safety cautions should be exercised: watch your valuables in crowded spaces for pickpockets, be wary of overly friendly strangers approaching you and introducing the idea of going to a club or bar by their 5th sentence or of people pretending to be authority.
Policemen typically wear dark blue uniforms and white shirts , sometimes with a visibility vest and can be identified by the numbered metal badges on their chest and their separate police ID card which you can ask to inspect before complying with their orders. Scammers use fake police IDs to part you with your cash under the guise of inspecting the notes for counterfeits. Always ask to see it first: this is real, this is fake – notice where the real one has a serial number, the fake says POLICE. If the issue is anything halfway serious, ask to be escorted to the nearest police station – it will scare away scammers playing dress up.
The emergency number is 112 for police, ambulance or firefighters, there are English-speaking operators (works throughout the EU).
If you get pickpocketed, notify both the police and in case of losing your travel documents, your embassy. Thieves are usually courteous enough to leave papers near trash bins, so walk around in the neighbourhood to see if you can recover them. If you find someone else’s, hand in to the nearest police station.
Getting around
the city is easy, Budapest has one of the best public transport systems of the continent. Use Google Maps for orientation and getting around! Tickets and passes with rates are listed here.
All EU/EEA citizens aged 65+ travel for free on all Hungarian public transport, including trains, distance buses. Picture ID and administrative 0 Ft ticket required. Age 65 is not included.
Student discounts are available to full-time students in EU/EEA countries with a valid student ID. If it doesn’t have it, also carry a picture ID. EU citizenship not required, you only need to study there full-time (not applicable for exchange students unless they get ID issued). The monthly student pass (3450) is cheaper than the 72h travel card (4150) for identical benefits.
The 4 subway lines are coded by numbers and, unofficially, colour (1-yellow, 2-red, 3-blue, 4-green). The busiest, M3, is under renovation until 2021, but remains in partial operation, see details here. The entire line shuts down after 8pm and all day on weekends (replacement buses operate), and one section of the line is always out of service. For 2019 it’s the southern segment, between Kőbánya-Kispest and Nagyvárad tér. During this time the 200E airport bus will take you to the more central Nagyvárad tér stop (from where the subway runs) instead of its regular terminus of Kőbánya.
In Budapest driving is not recommended for the perpetual lack of parking spaces, congestion and because there's really no need to. If you must arrive by car, pick a hotel with parking, use the free parking lot at Kelenföld subway station, street-parking by StarPark at Podmaniczky utca at ~€8/24h, or opt for a more central location (such as one of CarE Park’s garages ) at ~20€/24h, €100/week and do not use it for getting around in the city. Public areas are metered in the entire centre, typically charging 1.5€/h with a cap of 3 hours on a ticket.
The Bubi city bike system is available for anyone’s use. The rates are very favourable (500Ft for 1-day, 1000 for 3 for the pass), but a deposit of €80 will be docked when you register and might take a few weeks to release. First 30 minutes are free, after it's 500Ft/30min on top of the daily pass' price.
Two e-car sharing systems compete in Budapest. I suggest using MOL Limo, as you can complete your licence verification remotely (do it before arrival, they might take a day or three if they are backlogged). Despite the name, the cars are tiny, automatic VW up!s, the majority electric and all automatic. Age limit 18, min. 1-year old national licence, foreign ones accepted, €20 registration fee and €0.25/min rate. Coverage includes basically every area of note to tourists in the centre, except the Castle and underground garages (as well as the airport). Expansion is planned for the future. You cannot park (leave the car) outside the coverage area, but you can drive through.
Sightseeing
The best rated tour bus company is Big Bus, Giraffe (aka. the red Hop On Hop Off ones) tends to get mixed-to-negative reviews. Segway tours also available.
Free thematic walking tours of the city depart in front of the lion fountain on Vörösmarty tér daily. A tip of 2000-2500Ft/person suggested, but they're are chill about it, you can give less if you're on a budget.
River cruises run during the day and the evening, including dinner (usually not great, save for one) or party in the latter case. The most popular is Legenda, partiers choose Boat Party.
One standout cruise is Pannónia Gastro Boat that goes above and beyond the standard quality of service of other operations and often host guest chefs from innovative countryside restaurants.
Public transport alternative is the D11 or D12 boat lines between Boráros tér going up to Népfürdő utca (or getting off at Jászai Mari tér or Margaret island 1 or 2 stops prior). Tram 2 between Jászai Mari tér and Boráros tér hugs the Danube on the Pest side and loops around the Parliament for a similarly nice experience. Seasonal operations, normally from March through October.
Money
The currency of Hungary is the Hungarian Forint (1EUR=330HUF, 1USD=300HUF in November 2019), but I’ve listed prices in Euros (€). Check for current rates here.
Don't exchange Forints at home, bring USD/EUGBP in cash or a chipped card with you – the withdrawal fee is far smaller than what you’d lose by the atrocious rates available to you at home (exception: neighbouring countries).
With cards, Visa, Mastercard are best, Maestro acceptable. Avoid Amex, Diners Club and other uncommon non-European issues.
CAD/AUD/JPY/CNY will be exchanged at slightly worse rates, but still much better than if you’d exchange Forints at home. I don't recommend bringing currencies other than the ones I've mentioned and those from neighboring countries, but if you do, Tichi Change exchanges almost every valid currency in the world at as good of a rate as you could realistically hope for.
When the ATM asks you if you want to be charged in your home currency, say no and opt for Forints or you'll lose up to 30% due to the poor conversion rate! Learn more about the rip-off of dynamic currency conversion here and steer clear of the ATMs operated by Euronet. Besides the dynamic currency conversion ripoff, they will also prompt you to withdraw ridiculously high amounts of money (equivalent of $500 or more) that you will not be able to spend in 3-4 days.
Don't exchange any money with bright orange Interchange they use ripoff rates (>30% spread). They hava e monopoly at the airport and are also present throughout the city in premium locations, such as Váci utca. Street exchange is illegal and a good way to get scammed.
Tons of fine currency exchanges around the city, the best USD and EUR rates are at Gold Change but use your eyes: the buy/sell spread shouldn’t be more than 1-3% apart for these, or 2.5-5% at banks. Exchange offices and banks do not take cards! You may only use them for ATM withdrawals.
Phones
Make sure to bring an unlocked phone, ideally a dual-SIM one.
The 3 main carriers are Vodafone, Telekom (T-Mobile) and Telenor. The best prepaid package is Telekom's Domino Fix with the 1/3/30-day unlimited 4G add-on, costing 990+9900Fts (€32) for the 30-day option. SIM cards need to be activated after purchase, so buy them at brand stores where help is available instead of supermarkets or gas stations.
Roaming fees within the EU have been abolished in 2017, you will be able to use your SIM in any EU member country, but not as if it would be local. I.e. a Vodafone Hungary-issued SIM will be roaming on Vodafone Austria’s network. Some 'reasonable' data caps remain in place, which are determined by the cost of your service.
Outside the EU there are punitive data rates. I once managed to rack up a $90 bill for 5MB by accident.
Sleep
Rates are for high season (late April through September, Christmas, NYE), might be 50+% lower on other dates

• For 0 hours (party hostels, from €10): Grandio, Retox, Carpe Noctem Vitae
• On a budget (well-reviewed hostels, dorm, private rooms €10-35, apartments €40-60): Lavender Circus, Maverick City Lodge, Pal’s, The Groove, Loft, standard Airbnbs
• Mid-range (€80-150): Mamaison, Cortile, Memories Oldtown, Casati, upscale Airbnbs
• In style (€150-250): Palazzo Zichy, Bródy Studios, Moments, Prestige, Corinthia, this palatial Airbnb
• Lavishly (€250+): Aria, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons (the gold standard), Kempinski

Location: if you plan on sleeping, the party district (VII., inside the ring road) should be avoided, as well as VIII. outside of it and around Keleti train station for safety reasons/because you can get nicer digs elsewhere. An under the radar gem of an area is VII. between Múzeum körút and the ring road. Buda is nowhere as dead as tourists collectively imagine it to be (especially around Széll Kálmán tér), don’t shun it if you find someplace nice there.
Eat at

• Rosenstein (best traditional Hungarian restaurant in the country)
• Két Szerecsen (cozy Hungarian)
• Olimpia (casual fine dining)
• Borkonyha (business casual fine dining, Michelin-star)
• Stand25 (Bib Gourmand bistro - don't miss the goulash and the layered potatoes!)
• Kispiac (modern Hungarian)
• Vén Hajó (restaurant ship with amazing panorama and well-done Hungarian food - touristy, but still memorable!)
• Petrus (French-Hungarian, Bib Gourmand)
• Dobrumba (Arabic)
• Tüköry (traditional Hungarian on a budget)
• Ruben (traditional Hungarian on a budget)
• Bors (soups & sandwiches with a cult following)
• Manu+ (authentic Neapolitan pizza).

For more detailed restaurant recommendations, see this comment. August visitors, check the restaurants' websites and Facebook to see if they aren't on holiday!
The quality of service is a common source of complaints, don't take it too hard if it happens to you. Tip is 10% most of the time, unless you’re really dissatisfied or find yourself absolutely elated. Many top end restaurants add a ~12% service charge to the bill, tipping on top of that is not expected, though naturally it will be appreciated.
Neither regular, nor ost fast food restaurants do refills. The only exceptions are all KFCs and a few Burger Kings.
Smoking is banned at all restaurants, bars and basically every facility open to the public. Designated smoking areas can be found outside on the street.
Try pálinka (~40% ABV fruit brandy), Unicum (herbal bitteaperitif, like Jäger), bikavér from Eger and Szekszárd (lit. ‘bull’s blood’, a full-bodied red), Tokaji aszú (similar to white Port, made of hand-picked berries with noble rot, named the "wine of kings, king of wines" from the 18th century) or fröccs (spritzer, white or red wine mixed with seltzer – a lifesaver in the summer)!
More details in the shopping section.
Or get really local and ask for ’fény’, carbonated vodka foam over raspberry syrup. You’ll see the fény (=light) at the end of the tunnel in no time!
Eat a freshly fried lángos at market halls (acceptable toppings: sour cream, garlic, cheese, perhaps ham and cabbage - certainly none of that tourist stuff with nutella, Hungarian sausage or kebab...) and fried sausage from a butcher shop such as 1951 establishment Balla Hús in Városház utca or the more contemporary Belvárosi Disznótoros eatery. The gallery of the Hold utca market hall hosts quality street food vendors, Karaván food truck yard right next to Szimpla.
Nightlife
For more detailed recommendations, including strip clubs, casinos and more, see this comment.
A casual evening

• Doblo - wine bar
• Élesztő - craft beer pub
• Csendes - bohemian hangout
• Nappali - neighborhood bar with great whiskies

Ruin pubs

• Szimpla
• Instant-Fogasház
• Mazel Tov
• Pótkulcs (low-key, occasional folk concerts)

Mainstream clubs

• Akvárium
• Ötkert
• Story
• HEAVEN
• Fröccsterasz
• Raqpart (seasonal only)
• BRKLYN
• BoB

Techno

• Lärm
• Aether
• Arzenál

Rock and miscellaneous

• Dürer Kert
• A38 (a converted Ukrainian barge – a unique experience)
• Barba Negra Track

Gay bars

• Alterego
• Why Not

Get out
See train schedules on Elvira, check for buses on menetrendek.hu (this site combines bus and train schedules, but has no English version, check for the orange or blue icon on the left side to see which is which).
Daytrip options include

• Szentendre: a bit different from its Scottish peer (lit. 'St. Andrews') quaint, cobblestoned artist town, chock full of galleries, art museums, restaurants – and tourists. The biggest attraction requires a short cab ride out of town, the open-air ethnography museum, Skanzen, with authentic recreations of functioning village clusters (open March through October). Best restaurant, oddly enough, cooks up a Caribbean fare at the hand of the Curaçaoan owner and his Hungarian wife: Mjam. Reachable by the H5 suburban railway from Batthyány tér (requires extension ticket for segment outside city limits - that's after Békásmegyer station, you need a 15km extension)
  
• Visegrád and Esztergom: a Renaissance castle with a panorama in the first, Central Europe’s largest cathedral in the second – and all this can be done on a scenic hydrofoil or boat trip in season!
  
• Eger: the location of a key Hungarian victory over invading Ottoman forces, this popular excursion destination is famous for its medieval castle, Baroque center, random museums (Beatles, firefighting and marzipan to name a few), its reputable wineries producing full-bodied, cabernet-like reds (bull’s blood, bikavér) and the limestone terraced natural spa of neighboring Egerszalók. Suggested wineries: St. Andrea, Tibor Gál, Demeter, Bolyki. Eat at Macok restaurant (by the castle entrance), they are excellent!
  
• Etyek: the nearest wine region to Budapest, they focus on whites. Although not as spectacular as the previous examples, it's a worthwhile visit for wine aficionados in the summer and autumn. Typical varieties include Irsai Olivér, királyleányka and Muscat Lunel (sárgamuskotály).
  

For multi-day excursions, including to lake Balaton and detailed information on car rental, countryside and international tourism opportunities, click here

I didn't see a post like this but then again I didn't see anyone ask for one either. Anyway, if you're coming to Cincinnati for the ASG and have never been here before, you've probably got some typical traveler questions, like "Where do I eat?" and "What's there to do besides the ASG stuff?"
So first, welcome to Cincinnati! Given the events are downtown, this post will mostly stay local to the immediate area. There's plenty of things to do in the region but chances are you're mostly looking to stay downtown. If you want to venture further out, feel free to ask questions.
To start, if you need help going from event to event, look down! There should be a green path laid out for you to get from place to place. This picture is from last year's event at Target Field. The Fan Fest and ballpark here in Cincy are roughly 8 blocks apart.
Places to See Here is a map of the general downtown area. I've circled a few places of note and pointed out where FanFest is located relative to all the rest.
The immediate area around the ballparks is what we call "The Banks" along the riverfront. You'll find a pretty neat park (the green area south of the ballpark at the bottom of the picture) with some fountains and plenty of green space. There's also an indoor carousel about a block west of GABP. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a block north of the carousel (circled on the map). The circle in the middle of map represents Fountain Square, which you can use as a point of reference for getting around. It has a cool, super old fountain on it (cool as far as fountains go, I guess), and various restaurants/bars in close proximity. On the wikipedia page you can see the Tyler Davidson fountain itself goes back to 1871 (and is on the US NRHP), although no longer on its original site.
There's a casino downtown (not in the picture above) just north of the ballpark. If you take Broadway north its about a 5-10 minute walk.
Just west of downtown is the Union Terminal Museum Center. It's technically walkable but I would take a bus or a taxi/UbeLyft or something.
North of downtown is an area called Over-The-Rhine (OTR for short) that is in the midst of revitalization. It has a wide variety of bars and restaurants, and is home to Findlay Market which is the origination point of our Opening Day Parade. It's also a really nice farmers market. OTR also has a strong brewing history, and many microbreweries dot the landscape. Ask any local and they'll no doubt be able to point you to their favorite.
And of course, right at GABP is the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. You can learn all about the history of our Redlegs right at the park itself. And speaking of Redlegs history, if you're interested in viewing the site that Crosley Field once occupied, I hear there is some kind of shuttle service running back and forth. I regret to tell you that the site is no longer home to the park, but MLB/Reds are doing something at the site. I couldn't find good details on what, unfortunately.
Places to Eat/Drink Around the ballpark at the Banks area are a lot of places to grab a bite to eat. In addition to chains like Jimmy Johns, Ruth Chris, Toby Keith's I Love This Bar, and Yardhouse, you'll find The Holy Grail bar, their sister Italian restaurant Santo Graal next door, Tin Roof, CRAVE, Jefferson Social, and Moerlein Lager House. For those unadventurous types, there's a Wendys just north of GABP on 4th between Main and Sycamore.
Up on Fountain Square, you'll find Chipotle, Pot Belly sandwiches, Rock Bottom Brewery, Panera, Dunkin Donuts, and two local favorites, Servatii Pastry and Graeter's Ice Cream. Southeast of the square you'll see a Currito (burrito place that I happen to love). On 6th just east of the square is a strip of restaurants/bars (like Sotto, Boca, Silver Ladle, Pi Pizzeria to name a few) and a Starbucks for those needing their fix (there is also a Starbucks closer to the path from FanFest to GABP at 4th and Vine). On Walnut just north of 6th are a few restaurants and bars, like Nicholson's Pub, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, Nada (mexican), Scene Lounge (bar), and The Righteous Room (bar).
At Findlay Market are a whole variety of places to eat, but my favorite is Eli's Barbecue. Eli's is cash/check only I believe.
Edit: A short walk across the river into Kentucky is Newport on the Levee, where there's a ton of bars and restaurants as well. Hofbrauhaus is a pretty popular beer garden. There's a cool aquarium over there too. There's a Gameworks on the Levee if that's your kind of entertainment. There's a bar I like called Beer Sellar as well, has a huge selection of beer on tap. There is a pedestrian bridge just east of Great American Ballpark, past US Bank Arena, the Taylor-Southgate bridge.
This is totally not an exhaustive list. Ask anyone local and they can probably rattle off a dozen more places to eat or drink. Finally, for those willing to try the much-maligned Cincinnati-style chili, there is a Skyline at 7th and Vine, as well as 4th and Broadway. Grab a 3 way (spaghetti, chili, cheese), a 4 way (with onions or beans), or a 5 way (with onions and beans) or just a cheese coney. There are lots of local chili parlors, and there are practically turf wars when it comes to people's favorites.
At/In the Stadium At the northwest corner of the stadium (near the main gates) are a series of statues honoring former Reds greats, from Joe Nuxhall and Ted Kluszewski, to Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan. Also in this area is the only team shop accessible without entrance to the ballpark itself. Further towards the river (viewable from outside the park and accessible from inside) is a rose garden. The white rose in the center of this garden represents where Pete Rose's 4192nd hit landed, back when Riverfront Stadium was around.
Inside the park from the main gates you'll see two cool mosiacs: one of the 1869 Red Stockings, and one of the Big Red Machine. Once seated, in right center field are the power stacks. I don't know what is planned for the ASG, but when a Reds pitcher strikes out an opponent, the power stacks emit plumes of fire. When a Reds player hits a home run, fireworks are launched from them. These stacks are a reminder of the steamboats that were very common along the riverfront in the 19th century (you'll probably see a few on the river if you look out that way). On each stack are 7 baseball bats, totally 14, symbolizing Pete Rose, as MLB prohibits the Reds from displaying his number.
You'll find souvenir shops on the terrace level, on the first base side of right and the third base side of left. There's also some shops behind home plate on the terrace level as well, towards third, including one that sells game-used items like baseballs, helmets, jerseys, and so on.
On the first and third base sides of the terrace level are two bars serving craft beers. The bar on the first base side also serves Bulleit bourbon.
Inside the park you can try the "hidden" food of GABP: the legendary SkyRosa. While you used to be able to order it straight up, now you have to build it yourself. At the LaRosa's (our local pizza chain), purchase a slice of pizza (cheese or pepperoni at your choosing). Then head to a Skyline and get a cheese coney. Put the coney on the pizza, wrapping the coney like a taco. Eat.
That's the end of my super post here. I hope this is helpful for anyone coming to town for the next week. If you have any questions please post and I will try to answer to the best of my ability.
ADD 1: tommyturntup highly recommends checking out the Covington and Mainstrasse. It's a walk across the Roebling Bridge, which terminates on the Ohio side right at Smale Park next to the ballpark. Speaking of, did you know the Roebling Suspension bridge was designed by John Roebling, the designer of the Brooklyn Bridge? At the time of its completion, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Carew Tower, opposite Fountain Square, was the model for New York's Empire State Building.
ADD 2: x-post of the suggestions link from /reds for some stuff I might have missed