Con Reports

I think it would be really cool if we could report our con experiences someplace, and share our experiences out here. I thought about this after I'd been to San Diego Comic Con cause I think my experiences will be helpful to others, I can probably also look back at my memories, and I hope everyone will get to use it. :) If nobody has something to post first, I'll post mine to start.

Comic Con 2014(Mostly Badgeless/on the cheap/free): So, my comic con experience was on Saturday which in my opinion is the most chaotic and awesome day to go. There is the Masquerade which is basically a huge cosplay contest. No skits involved necessarily, you can give them background music and showcase your costume for a few minutes, but having some action is very beneficial. I remember a long time ago this kid dressed like Beast Boy, played the Teen Titans theme song, danced, did fight poses, and energetically did martial arts moves around the stage. He came out on top for everything. Anyway, Masquerade is a ticketed event, the tickets get passed out very quickly, so if you line up for tickets, try to do so as soon as possible. However, if you can't you can still hang out in the overflow area which is the Sails Pavilion. (Which is really great that they do that! I wish more cons were like Comic Con!) Anyway, I am going to make this mostly covering the free stuff that badge-less people with a budget can enjoy, like a lot of my people out there. Comic Con pretty much takes over Downtown San Diego, so just going down there, you will walk right into some cool comic con events like Nerd HQ, or the Comic Con Interactive area (Which is part of Comic Con, with vendors and food trucks as well as very large-scale interactive sets made for fans to walk through and experience their favorite shows/movies in a different way. The best way to get Downtown if you are in an outlying area is to catch a shuttle. I would strongly advise to look at the shuttle locations and see if one is close to you. Shuttles are sponsored by companies at Comic Con and also the con itself, they run 24 hours and come frequently, though during late night hours they will come less frequently. These shuttles not only stop at hotels but at places to get food, drink, and shop. I wish more conventions had this, and the best part is it is FREE!!! I took the Purple Line from it's last stop, Hazard Center Double Tree. Hazard Center has a parking structure underneath, and parking on the street. Street parking is hard to come by and in certain spots on the street it is very iffy. There are signs that say NO EVENT PARKING, this area is for patrons of the Hazard Center shopping venue where there are stores and restaurants such as Smashburger, Applebees, Joe's Crab Shack, Starbucks, Yogurtland, and also the theater. HOWEVER, if you drive past that towards the Double Tree there is a sign that says EVENT PARKING LOWER LEVEL! *angels sing* FREE PARKING IS A LUXURY!!! But, it is possible to find it in the lower level of Hazard Center. I walk up to the street level facing the the trolley center, take a right down about half a block and on the side of the Double Tree facing the Trolley Station is a Comic Con Purple Line shuttle stop. Television networks tend to take over my favorite Gaslamp Quarter restaurant, The Tin Fish and turn it into a TV show themed venue. This year it was The Blacklist. Next to it was a display for Guardians of the Galaxy, and a little interactive area for Constantine where they handed the participant a bag at the end. For the fans that for some reason forgot to shave or perhaps forgot their razor or toiletries, Gillette had a shaving station where a man could get a nice shave and Old Spice was passing out toiletries. There was no excuse to look like a slob or smell like one either! lol At the hotels, video game companies and Cartoon Network sponsored different things such as laser tag and a video game room where players could try out all the games for free. (No badge required!) I saw some cool cosplays and also a few that puzzled me. Everyone was very friendly, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I encountered a cosplayer that parked in some $30 parking right next to the con's interactive area which is the closest you can get to the convention really unless you bought your spot beforehand (you can order a spot online in advance by the convention center near the Hilton Bayfront). I gave him a quizzical look as he got out of his car with a titan bodysuit holding some orange-colored sword, a sash, and a sonic-head hat. He said "Hello!" and I pointed at his bodysuit "Titan?" I asked. He nodded, "Yes, and sonic, and a few other things. I couldn't decide what to cosplay, so I'm doing them all!" I smiled, thinking perhaps he only could get a badge for Saturday. It's difficult to get a full 4-day badge and though there are scalpers nearby, I wouldn't trust them. I examined one scalper and his "badge" carefully as I passed and I am certain it wouldn't get you inside the doors. For dining, if you prefer to just grab some cheap food and sit outside, there is a 7-11 off of Park Blvd and I could swear many others following it, but every 7-11 has $1 slice pizza of $5.?? to get a large pizza. I have yet to encounter the elusive large pizza to determine the size, but I think for a handful of hungry con-goers that are Downtown and trying to clench every penny they have to splurge on important things like a $150 figurine a 7-11 pizza would be an inexpensive feast. For a pleasurable sit-down venue, most places will have a line to wait in, in fact- if you hate lines to the point that it will drive you mad: DON'T GO TO COMIC CON!!! THERE ARE LINES FOR EVERYTHING!!! I highly recommend Tin Fish for some nice fish and chips. If you prefer Mexican, con-goers that know their food always are willing to wait in line for some Lolita's. Lolita's is located right outside of Petco Park and they are delicious. I have the benefit of living close to one, the Petco location is very new. :) If you want a good burger and don't mind shelling out a little money for a quiet place to eat The Corner is my second home, they do have Comic Con events there lately, but when they don't they are quiet and you may catch a celebrity or two there. If you are doing Comic Con on the cheap, make sure to look up all the events going on, there will be MANY events, and that way you can plan every step of your free Comic Con journey. Wear COMFORTABLE SHOES, keep your eyes out for freebies, go to the interactive areas, bring sun block, read the shuttle schedules and maps, make sure you plan events so you will make it into lines, keep your eyes peeled for celebrities (THEY ARE EVERYWHERE), BRING A POWER BANK FOR YOUR PHONES AND DEVICES, budget wisely, and of course have a great time! I think that Comic Con is really the best con ever because it provides so much for it's fans, and also makes it so that as many fans can still enjoy the con despite the crowds and the lines. The experience with a badge is enviable and so amazing, but without a badge there are many things that can be enjoyed outside of the con. This is the holy grail of cons and there is a very good reason for this. Despite the chaos and the crowds, I find the speed of the lines to be superior to those of of other cons. There is so much to do, it's hard to not find a panel to attend or something to do. It's a given that those lines will be long and that if you want a good spot you'll have to get there early, but even if you can't get up close they make sure the sound is proper and that you can see the video screens and usually will have a recap or overflow room for you to watch if they can't get you inside. Just keep a good attitude about it, and you'll still have a great time.

Comic con was such a blast when I went the other year, I just hope that I'll be able to manage to go to next year's comic con and have a blasty blast there.

I hope you can too! Comic Con is always a good time. I don't know how they do it with all the crowds and lines, but I always have a great time. :)

I really wanted to go myself haha XD I heard so many good things from it. They also presented a certain item that I must have. A star trek phaser wand remote so to speak.

Someday, Oreo! I was raised in geekdom, I have gone to comic con since I was 3 years old. :P I think I made all the artists I encountered draw me Ninja Turtles lmao

Haha I was actually considering doing like a vlog the next time I work a con but some of the bigger ones might be picky about what backstage things could be posted. :/ I might try for oni-con though. It's not a terribly big convention so there's a more relaxed mood that makes us staffers sillier hahaha

That actually sounds awesome and pretty interesting. Do you get to work with the performers? That sounds great. One of these days I want to go to a Texas con, my friend that does A-Kon urged me to go next year. It'd be nice to meet some Texas people.