Busy Bea's Buzz: Why we didn't go to Comic Con this year.

Photo Courtesy of Victor Perez

There are visitors from all over the place at Comic-Con today; and for the first time in years, we didn't go this year-2012. If you're unfamiliar with the Con, let me tell you a little about it.

Waiting to cross Harbor Blvd.

ATTENDING COMIC CON

lines face Coronado Island

Comic Con is relatively inexpensive to attend. Last year I think we paid $30 per adult, per day to attend; unless you get the 4-day pass and then it's even less expensive. There are five of us so the teens get a discounted rate of $15. Everything is done online. (4-day tickets for the following year's Comic Con are also sold on-site and sell-out- lines are LONG!)
The San Diego Convention Center is perfect for it, as far as dividing all of the areas needed, but they really do need more space-they're working on it. Behind the convention center is a park and the harbor (with a Joe's Crab Shack). The Summer Pops Concert Venue is also there. While people are waiting in outdoor lines, they have fantastic views of the harbor as well as feeling the coastal breezes. The Con provides tents for shade while waiting outside. They also provide a color coded shuttle system to take you back and forth to your hotels. Works even if your hotel is 7 blocks away!!! If the Con were to move to LA or to Anaheim, the ambiance would be completely contrary to the Comic Con way of thinking.

CHECKING IN

Line of 5 hours!

The day starts at 8 am. That's when the people are at the doors waiting for it to open. There are thousands of people in costumes from every type of character ever drawn, created or imagined. Newbies need to first check in at area E and then they are allowed to enter the hall. Everyone is immediately directed to the escalators which leads to an upstairs pavilion where there are dozens, if not hundreds of people checking you in. These lines move extremely fast. The staff knows what they are doing. They hand you your badges and point you in the direction of the people handing out programs and 4 to 5ft-sized comic bags to, either arrange in backpack style, or to carry like messenger bags.

Lines wrap around park

There are lines everywhere! This pavilion is where you get your reservations to get into another line later to meet artists, cartoonists or whomever. So, people are in line, to have a ticket, to get into another line later, get it?
The programs are generally mailed out or are online, so if you go through your previously mailed program, you'll know who and what to expect. At the Con, they let you know if there are changes-sometimes. They do have information people in a tent. The programs tell you which halls have which shows, movies and stars. Ballroom 20 holds about 7000. Hall H is huge'r-we were never able to get in. Now comes the important part, the popular shows and draws have waiting lines that begin days before the Con. You may or may not be able to get in, so expect a LONG WAIT at some-4 to 5 hour waits are common! People who have been going to Comic Con are very patient.

Hotel Sponsor

Downstairs is the exhibit hall with all of the sponsors, gamers, shows, and artists. It is wall to wall people. Thank goodness this year they prohibited strollers!!!! Seriously, who brings babies to these types of things???? The exhibit halls are where everyone sees everyone, of every size, smashed into storm trooper uniforms or spiderman's and batman's. This is where, if you have an earlier ticket from the pavilion, you get into another line at the "sponsors booths" to get autographs, demo games, or meet artists-Warner Bros. DC, Marvel Comics, Disney, Pixar, Nintendo, etc.

Harbor Blvd to Gaslamp quarter

Across the street from the convention center is the Downtown Gaslamp Quarter-Restaurants, Bars and "Party Central". It's a constant "New Years Eve" atmosphere during the Con. A number of Comic Con Vendors give out their crap in this area. There are warehouses that have been rented out by Cartoon Network, Pepsi and Coke vendors, Movie studios, and others etc. You name it, they got it! Just obey traffic rules and watch out for the trains and the trolley.

Waiting for Orange Shuttle

"Orange" shuttle to hotel: Already asleep!!!

OKAY SO WHY DIDN'T WE GO THIS YEAR???

Tickets were so confusing this year; the system always crashed and after we jumped through the first and second hurdles, it just didn't seem to be worth it. My husband and I have jobs; yes, we are fortunate enough to be able to have a job, and, waiting for a system to keep crashing just was too much.
I'm not into comics and neither is the hubby. Movie stars are not that big a deal to us either. We were only doing it for the kids and our kids were trying to get summer jobs this year. We didn't know if they would be able to go. (one kid is finally employed! and another one is still waiting and looking, our third child is taking a class).
The people who are now jumping on the bandwagon, seem to be ruder than years past-they push in front of you and have no respect. I have impressionable teens. The geeksquad nowadays comes in the form of females who need attention and dress very inappropriately. One lady was in front of my teen son-with a large hole cut out of her pants and no underwear! Problem: she smelled, and she was very overweight-tight convention area with her exposed nasty butt! Who wants that????
We typically would stay downtown to save time on getting to the Con early. The only hotel downtown that lets you book (WAY) in advance was the Indigo. (on the other downtown hotels, you have to basically wait for the lotto-no guarantee that you'll get a downtown hotel) Very nice hotel, but you are billed "cash upfront" on your room rate-That's $400 per night!!! Just too expensive but we noticed that a lot of the movie execs stayed there.
It is very tiring day at the Con, they (purposely) don't have seating, and, THEY really don't want you sitting on the floor-safety?? You take a shuttle to your room and fall sleep at 3 pm!!! Our hotel was less than 7 blocks and our kids fell asleep right after sitting down!!
LINES, LINES, AND MORE LINES! It's not for someone who is in the middle-age prime of their lives (like me). This convention really is for the young. By that I mean-middle school age-to young adult (late 20's at the most). Marrieds with teen kids would be okay. FACE FACTS: You need a lot of energy to stay alert and the people with the most energy at COMIC Con are the young.