Suggestions for Comic Con
August 21st, 2004 by Kelson. Posted in Comic Con 2004, Comics, Travel and tagged for ComicCon, San DiegoUpdate July 2009: I’ve got a newer, longer list of Comic-Con Tips over at Speed Force.
Based on experience from the last few San Diego Comic-Cons, here are a few recommendations:
- Pre-register, as early as possible! Not only will it save you money, but the line to pick up badges is always much shorter than the line to sign up. (If you’ve ever stood in line to register, you know what I mean. If you haven’t — well, let’s just say you might not get in until afternoon.)
- Go for at least two days. One day is no longer enough time to see everything.
- Do not set foot on the convention floor on Saturday. Go to panels instead.
- Stay somewhere nearby, preferably with convenient trolley, bus, or shuttle access. Barring that, leave really early so you can find parking.
- If you’re getting a hotel, reserve your room early. Perhaps as much as six months early. Otherwise you’ll end up paying way too much to stay at the Super 8.
- Get a Day Tripper bus/trolley pass. You can get one for 1-4 days, and you can even order it online and have it mailed to you. There are two trolley stops in front of the convention center (yes, it’s that big): Convention Center (of course) and Gaslamp Quarter. In downtown San Diego, trolleys run every 15 minutes during the day, every 30 minutes in the evening, and run until around midnight (later on weekends).
- If you’ve got a good costume, this is the place to wear it.
- Don’t forget to bring a camera and lots of film/memory!
- Bring a change of clothes so that you can wear your T-shirt or costume at the con and then go to a nice downtown San Diego restaurant for dinner.
- Speaking of dinner, make reservations! This is A) downtown in a major city, B) a weekend, and C) during a convention with 100,000 people, most of whom will be looking for a restaurant. Alternatively, look for dinner as far away from the convention center as possible.
- Pre-register for next year, if you plan to come back. We saved $25 each.
(Note: the target audience for this list is the type of person who has already mastered the concepts in Aubrey’s Guide to Con Hygiene.)
Related Posts
- Tips for San Diego Comic Con
- Preparing for Comic-Con
- Comic-Con Sellout
- Badges? You don’t get no stinking badges!
- Comic Book Convention Prices Compared
Also Related
- SpeedForce.org - blog focusing on the Flash
- Flash: Those Who Ride The Lightning - fan reference site
- Comics For Sale
- Convention Reports
Corollary to Tips #3 & 7: Saturday is costume day, especially on the main floor. If you’re after pictures rather than panels, you can camp at a cafe table or against a wall and peoplewatch. If you pick a table, plan to move every hour or so to avoid being Force-choked by impatient people carrying dripping gyros. You can also get a good view of the parade by camping near food stands, restrooms, Starbucks, stairs, and autograph tables.