Comic Con - A Local's Perspective.

Hi everyone, Twifans posted this earlier today. It's basically an informal guide to San Diego's Comic Con. Now I have never actually held a ticket to Comic Con, but I was a hotel Concierge for many years and experienced the fans & even some celebs first hand.  I'm also a San Diego local...born and raised baby!  That said, I thought I'd give my two cents/perspective on this guide.  My thoughts in PINK :)

Thursday, July 21st:

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 panel in Hall H.

Hall H is located on the south side of the San Diego Convention center. You will see a sign for where they want the line for Hall H to start. At least there was in 2009. In 2009, it started at the corner, up along the building heading toward the bay. In 2010, the line was started in the grass to the south side of the building and the area was covered for shade. This does not mean it will be the same this year. Comic-Con is very good at signage and security. It will be a easily found area.


In previous years there were several panels in Hall H. This year there are a lot less panels and long intermissions in between panels to clear the room out.


What this means is that during the Breaking Dawn panel, it's likely to be only TwiFans trying to get seats. So generally we won't be fighting with other fanboys or fangirls from other genres for good seating. There are 6500 seats in Hall H with huge screens everywhere. Every Twilight fan will have a good seat.




What is most important for the best experience at Comic-Con? A sense of humor and a nose-plug...it reeks of B.O. when the freaks and geeks come to town. Just kidding...please continue:




1. Hotel- You should have got this long ago but if you haven't start looking in the surrounding areas like the harbor or Coronado. Even if you have to stay 10-15 minutes away to get a good priced deal, it's worth it. YES, you should have had this LONG ago. Hotels sell out as far as 45 min to an hour away. If you have booked a hotel that seems to be a ways away, there is some good news. Comic Con shuttles to and from the Convention Center from most hotels. PS If you're still looking, try http://www.hotels.com/


2. Line buddies  Other crazy Twifans are essential for a good experience in line. Line buddies can be the people in your group or friends you make on either side of you in line. Line etiquette: Make sure to let everyone around you know how many friends are in your group and if it's more than just a few, people may not be happy. Best bet is to all go at the same time. Security will get very strict about adding additional friends to the line.
Being comfortable in line is different to everyone. Some people bring a chair and survive with a chair forever and others want luxury hotel like digs. Whether you want to pack the whole car or fly in with just the necessities, we have some suggestions and plans for how to build your outdoor line living room.

3. Chairs-The concrete is really hard in San Diego Is it soft elsewhere? I kid. For some reason I feel the concrete is harder in SD than it is anywhere else lol. Oh, you answered this ;) Even with a blanket, it's to hard to sit on for an extended period of time. They make it hard to deter the homeless....kidding, again.

4. Shade & Sunblock-With skin pale as a vampire; keeping cool and not having a sunburn that will ruin your time at Comic-Con is important. We bring a beach umbrella with a basket full of blankets to hold it up, sunscreen, and large hats. Also beach half-moon shade structures are nice. They have them at Costco right now for around $35.00. Oh, I almost forgot Sunglasses!
She couldn't be more right about this. For some reason, oblivious tourists visitors always get sunburned really easily here. I have heard Southern CA is under a very thin portion of the ozone layer.  You will get burned here more quickly and severely than you would in your home town...trust me.
As for chairs & or sunblock, there is a CVS on the corner of 6th and Market, they have plenty at the moment. I think they're gearing up for Comic Con too!


5. Snacks & water - whether you are waiting outside or holding onto your coveted seat inside, having a few snacks and a beverage is helpful. There are concessions available for purchase but for better choices and convenience, bring a few of your own. If you are flying in, not to worry. There is a Ralph's (located on the corner of 1st and G Street/Open 24 hours!) grocery store a short walk from the Convention Center. It is also important to stay hydrated when you are out waiting in the sun.

6. Bug spray-There are very large water bugs/roaches that came out of the planters at night. I will be spraying the ground all around me before setting up my area. If everyone does it, maybe we will be safe from the creatures! "They're not bears bugs, they're COCKROACHES! HUGE COCKROACHES."


7. Notebook & pen-It's fun to exchange your TwiFans profile and Facebook pages with each other to keep touch once you have made friends. This is where Kim and I met for the very first time. You can also draw funny pictures of your friends with mustache's, and also keep it handy in case Rob walks by and you want to slip him your digits.




What will happen when they let us into Hall H? THE APOCOLYPSE!




There will be tons of Comic-Con employees making sure that you aren't running or saving seats, so try to keep your group together. The room is huge not as huge as the wolves. About 200-300 fans will fit in the first couple rows, so don't freak out. You will get a good spot either in front of the panel or in front of a large screen (which you end us watching for close ups anyways).


Once you are in your desired spot ROBS LAP! don't move unless you are going to the bathroom or KStew kicks your ass. Even then, make sure you have someone watching your seat like a hawk.


8. Questions for the panel: Get your questions ready for the Twilight cast. Please ask something that gets new information about the film. Open-ended questions are best, not a question that could be answered with a yes or a no.
EXACTLY & puhlease don't ask all the same generic blah blah blah questions that have been asked a twizillion times...Let's get original..."Kellan, what about a nekkid arm wrestle sesh after the panel?"


9. Cameras-Photos and videos are permitted for the panels. Except when they roll the video clips. Security is extremely tight during the clips. But somehow footage always manages to leak..


10. Poster container or rubber bands-When walking the floor last year we received all types of cool posters, including New Moon posters. But they aren't any good if they are all wrinkled. A poster container will be great place for a brand new Breaking Dawn - Part 1 poster! And don't lose your stuff or leave it on the Comic Con bus. One year we had a girl come to the Concierge Desk crying because she'd lost her TB poster signed by the whole cast. BUMMER.


11. Patience and a sense of humor - Comic-Con has some of the most amazing people watching.  SO TRUE! But the B.O. can be foul...DEODORANT PEOPLE, DEODORANT! Many come in costume. It is a lot of fun, but it can be very crowded and involve tons of waiting to get into panels and between events. Try to enjoy the experience of being there and make new friends. Where else can you go and know that Twifans aren't the biggest geeks in the crowd? It will make you feel NORMAL. Trust. Enjoy!


Hall H is only part of the Comic-Con experience. There are rooms with panels and the convention room floor to explore. Here is the cci11exhib_maps.pdf

12. Schedule-Make your schedule after you register on the Comic-Con site at http://mysched.comic-con.org/. Comic-Con has a program that let's you click on the highlighted panels you want to see each day to make your own custom schedule for the days you are going to be there. You still might not be able to get into the rooms you want to. NIFTY!




There, I think Twifans covered everything! My office is located just a few short blocks from Comic Con, so I'm planning to visit my friends in line for sure.  Please feel free to email me at sotwired@gmail.com if you have any questions about San Diego!

I know quite a few of you won't have any time to sightsee, but if you can squeeze in some time, there is a great all encompassing tour of San Diego called The Old Town Trolley Tour. It takes you to about 6 different stops and you can just relax on it (2-hours if you don't get off) or you can hop on and off. If you do hop off somewhere, another trolley will come back by every 30 min to pick up where the other left you off. It's super fun. You can get discounted tickets HERE.  And they should be good for any day.  HINT: They pick up in Seaport Village (adjacent to the Hyatt Manchester) every 30 min :) It really is great for people on a tight schedule...and it allows you to get a great overview of the city...you'll feel like you saw SAN DIEGO!

This pic must be from 1995...lol

Here's another great local resource: Gaslamp.org


And thought this was funny.....

SEE YOU IN SAN DIEGO!

XOXO J