by: EyesOnly
 |
| photo courtesy: Superherohype |
San Diego Comic Con, some
would say the penultimate convention, others call it a quick cash grab from the
local vendors. Me, personally I
call it a good time to see friends I don’t normally see. If you haven’t attended San Diego Comic
Con before, you should at least experience it once. You might be surprised how much fun you might have or who you
might meet.
This year, I worked for
Gentle Giant Studios -- so I spent a good amount of time at the booth in
costume. Not quite a “booth babe” more
of a “booth Fett” or “booth Ackbar” (in a manner of speaking) so my trip would
probably be a bit different from most fans; but similar in many ways.
Here are some things you
should expect when going to San Diego Comic Con:
Lines! Lines everywhere:
Lines to hall H (which is where a lot of the premiers and special panels
happen), lines for collectibles (best to plan out where you want to be when the
exhibit hall opens), autograph lines, food lines, you get the idea!
Costumes, costumes, and
costumes: You know that one rare cult film or TV show you watch? Yep, somebody’s dressed up as those
characters. Not to mention all of the other cool costumes you’ll see from
various sci-fi, comic book and anime genre.
Swag: No, not the kind you
have in everyday life… I’m talking about the freebies they give away. Remember
when I mentioned lines earlier, yep.
Crowds: There are people
EVERYWHERE! (get used to it) If
you play nice, they’ll play nice.
Heat: Especially waiting in
those long lines, stay hydrated. Also be sure to have some sort of backpack
with water and snacks available. This is essential if you want to camp out
overnight to get into Hall H to see that special Marvel or Star Wars panel you
planned on seeing. Blanket and
pillow are also a good idea. Once
you get into hall H you can stay there as long as you like -- well, until
security says it’s time to leave but you get the idea.
Hotels: Downtown hotels are
always the most difficult to get; considering they always have a lottery system
where you pick your hotels. There
are some that are a few miles away and they always have a trolley or some kind
of system to get you back to your hotel. Now if you want to see celebrities, most of them are staying
at the hotels close to the convention center. You might even run into one or two in your own hotel bar. Now you might be asking
yourself at this point, “Why would I want to go through all of this torture?”
Here’s the main reason for me
above all the glitz and glam… friends! You will meet so many cool people that you will instantly get
along with, because of your shared background and likes that you might possibly
make a new lifelong friend you never would have met otherwise. Now add in the celebrities you bumped
into during your visit -- some might even be in disguise right next to you in
the exhibit hall -- and you may have talked to your favorite celebrity without
even knowing it.
Events: They have some
great events even if you can’t get in the convention center. The Gaslamp District has some great
little places to eat and hang out that won’t break your wallet too.
Here are a few tips from
everybody’s favorite Mon Calamari Admiral for a good convention experience:
Go with friends: That
downtown hotel room that you managed to book? It’s a lot better if you split it with 3-4 of your friends.
Don’t expect to do
everything: You don’t go to Disney your very first time and expect to do
everything do you? The same is true at Comic Con.
Don’t overpack: remember I mentioned
swag? You might want to bring some
stuff home with you rather than ship it home (although that is an option too)
Have fun! San Diego Comic
Con is definitely something to experience. This year was perhaps my best San Diego trip so far. I look forward to going back next year! And remember… “It’s (not) a trap!”
No comments:
Post a Comment