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Five Things They Never Tell You About Attending Conventions

If they were "abundant" this year then they must have been in areas that I did not go, and I was there both Friday evening and all day Saturday. Admittedly, though, I did not queue for or attend any of the dances.

(And it's funny that you should mention the smell of smoke, since the Hyatt did have to be temporarily evacuated that Friday night due to a fire alarm going off - and that was during both the rave and Anime Hell. Impressively, people just automatically re-queued for the events when we were allowed back in the building; no one had to tell them to do anything.)

The advice in the article seems like it's catered to a very specific type of con-goer, namely old people who aren't as gung-ho about the actual convention and want to make it more like a leisurely vacation. I think anyone in their 20's or anyone who's ever been camping is going to be okay sharing a hotel room with people. I think the more widely applicable advice is: Vet your roommates. Taxis also seem kind of unnecessary when I've been able to walk everywhere at the conventions I've gone to. Maybe my experience isn't diverse enough. I will say it is good planning to prepare for any kind of weather though.

Oh wow, you got to be on Jeopardy!? I love watching Jeopardy!, so it's pretty cool to know someone on Anime News Network has been on it.

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Anime Expo attendees must be a lazy bunch or something. How far away are those restaurants like McDonald's and such? Around the LACC, there's a sharp dropoff after about three blocks, even though after about five blocks there are a ton of affordable restaurants. Going south, there is a massive row of restaurants with cheap food, ranging from nationwide fast food chains to local businesses. It's meant to serve USC, but it's about a 20-minute walk from the convention center.

Hiroki not Takuya wrote:

At AX, stay away from the LACC foyer from 10am-noon on day 1 unless you want to be in that crowd that someone photographed for Zac's article. Wait until 12:15pm and you can get in after the legitimate stampeeeed and if your exhibit hall plan is focused, you won't miss out on merchandise.

Oh, I tried that last year and missed getting hats of Happy from Fairy Tail. They were sold out almost immediately. You not only had to be there when the exhibit hall opened, you had to be near the front. I also failed the year before to obtain a plush of Twilight Sparkle, as by the time I found a vendor that sold them, they had already all been sold.

If it's not too late, my tip for AX is never get the "premier fan" badge, it's not worth the delta in cost. The only thing you get more than the "regular attendee" is access to the lounge, which crowds up anyway. At the Last Exile premier, the "premier fans" lined up alongside us "regular" fans and only got to get in slightly sooner than us which gave them no special advantage. I've been going to AX for years and I have never seen "fans" have any advantage. Also, tip #2 is to stay away from the convention center foyer from 10am-noon on day 1 unless you want to be in that crowd that someone photographed for Zac's article. Wait until 12:15pm and you can get in after the legitimate stampeeeed and if your exhibit hall plan is focused, you won't miss out on merchandise. Tip #3, last year the compass cafe' did away with the Ramune and Pocky and really good sushi, so bring your own snacks and go to the food trucks across the street.

Honestly, I think AX Premier is a waste this year IF you go for autographs. And I say this as someone who has gone as Premier for several years.

Read the autograph policy this year. It sounds great, doesn't it...line up and you'll get a ticket. But this is a con that attracts 80K people, and one where people will not hesitate to line up hours before the autograph booth opens just to be one of 75 guaranteed slots.

Point being..if you want an autograph this year, expect no sleep.

I think anyone in their 20's or anyone who's ever been camping is going to be okay sharing a hotel room with people.

Yeah, I was on Jeopardy last year. I taped my episode in March, and it aired on June 25th. I came in third place, won $1000, half of which I spent paying back my family for the plane and hotel costs (no, they don't pay for you to fly out, but the flight wasn't all that bad, around $330 round trip from JFK, and they give you a discounted hotel deal as well), and the other half I mostly spent on merch at NYCC last year. If you look up the episode, you might find out my real name (shock and horror!).

The McDonald's is 1 block down 34th from the Javits, and it always gets packed. Other fast food places are closer to Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, maybe 3 blocks away. Still, these are NY avenue blocks, so 1/5 of a mile each? A decent walk, probably more suited to when you're leaving the con for the day. Javits is kinda far from everything, since it's on 11th right near the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, so there's nothing really there for at least a block around except for the hot dog carts and that McDonald's.

The city is redeveloping the area with condos and office buildings as part of the Hudson Yards project, another legacy of Mayor Bloomberg, after the whole plan for a new stadium for the Jets and NY's 2012 Olympics bid over the old train yard fell through. So there might be better options there in a couple of years, when the construction is done and depending on who moves in.

Also, once they open the new 7 train extension to Javits from Times Square, it might be easier to get to and from the convention center, but the MTA has been saying that they'll get it finished for years now, and it hasn't happened. They say it'll happen this year before NYCC happens in October, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Passing by there a couple months ago, it looks like it might open by then as the construction is mostly done at least from what I saw, but then again, knowing the MTA, who really knows when they'll get their construction done...

Really sorry to hear it, I've never had that problem though. If there is a very specific item I want, I look up possible vendors the day before in the exhibit guide and make a fast bee-line to those first. By all means then, if what you are wanting is likely to be rare or in short supply stay in the LACC foyer from about 10am on because that is the only way you will be near the front. In that case, for AX you will want to get in the line for registration by 7am. Also, tip #4 don't wait to register at-con. There were so many problems with that last year, I feel sorry for those who went through it.

Heh, knowing which episode it is won't do me any good, because if I find an archive of Jeopardy!, I'm going to watch episode after episode after episode, and I'll find the day over in a flash.

That reminds me: Sounds like your options in NYC are getting better. I just remembered that it's going to get worse in LA. AIG Stadium is going to be built right next to the LACC, which will make the already terrible traffic into a nightmare and a lot more people wandering around everywhere.

noblesse oblige wrote:

I think anyone in their 20's or anyone who's ever been camping is going to be okay sharing a hotel room with people.

You don't have to be "old" to be an introvert either. I'm in my 20s. You couldn't pay me to spend 72+ hours sharing a small space with more than two other people. Okay, maybe with my job you could pay me, but you get my point. I wouldn't fork money out of my own pocket to do it.

The article doesn't say not to share the room anyway, it just says if you can afford to share with just one other person you'll probably be happier.