Dragoncon Livejournal Community Archive

I envy you - your first D*C is a total trip!

For about the first 5 years we went, we stayed farther out and came back and forth on the MARTA.

This will be the 2nd time in a decade of coming that I'm unemployed and I'll still have a blast.

Don't know about the con suite stuff... we go there for snacks but never thought about using their microwave...

Unless your food budget is non-existent, you can eat a great full meal once a day in the food court for under $10. I HIGHLY recommend that you DO eat one good meal a day. You'll enjoy the con much more if you're nourished.

Here's what we do: We hit the Publix supermarket ourselves and buy a few things (drinks like pop or iced tea, cereal, crackers, lunch fixings, snacks, etc.) for the room. Depending upon having a fridge, we may buy milk and chunk cheese/string cheese, too. If we had no fridge, we'd ht the lobby for little milk cartons as needed.

Food plan: We eat breakfast in the room.

When we were commuting, we'd pack portable snacks in our bags - friuts like apples or pears, crackers, cheese, etc.

Midday: We hit the food court for a full meal sometime between 1:00 and 4:00. There are several places where you can pick an entree and different sides, like Farmer's Basket. There are a couple of Chinese places that serve huge portions - you get meat, rice and veggies. There is now a sushi buffet place, too, and Dairy Queen, sandwich shops, etc. For under $10 you can eat great.

Later/Evening: we have the stuff in the room.

3 Top Tips:
1. Drink plenty of water!!! The main hotels have water stations set up so if you're not a bottled-water fanatic, you can drink frequently for free.
2. Wear comfortable footwear. Translated: broken-in shoes that will not give you blisters. You'll be walking/standing a lot. Take care of your feet or they will ruin your con experience faster than you can say "Klingon!"
3. Get some sleep when your body tells you to. Our first con, we tried to do it all. By Sunday afternoon, we decided about 5:00 we needed an hour's nap. We woke up Monday morning about 8:00, still fully dressed. Missed a lot...

See you there!

From:

ubiquitous-a.livejournal.com

Here's what we do: We hit the Publix supermarket ourselves and buy a few things (drinks like pop or iced tea, cereal, crackers, lunch fixings, snacks, etc.) for the room. Depending upon having a fridge, we may buy milk and chunk cheese/string cheese, too. If we had no fridge, we'd ht the lobby for little milk cartons as needed.

Our group does something similar. Since we doubted we would be able to get a room with a fridge, we picked up a cheapie styrofoam cooler at the grocery store and a couple bags of ice to keep perishables cold. Basically, we stuck to similar foods the above commenter mentioned: fresh fruit, carrot/celery sticks, crackers, sandwich fixings (lunch meat, PB&J, etc.), granola bars, yogurt, fruit juice.

Last year, at the Marriott, they did something smart and had little food stations set up all around the atrium level that sold hot dogs, burgers, or other foods at very reasonable prices. I mention this in addition to the good suggestions provided in the above comments.

Hope you have fun!

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away-fromitall.livejournal.com

how close is the publix to the hyatt?

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pyanfar.livejournal.com

This Publix:

950 West Peachtree Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA‎ - (404) 253-3547‎

Is about a two block walk from the Midtown Marta Station, which is shown by a blue square with a white M in it, if you pull up the address in Google Maps

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datavortex.livejournal.com

The pre-registration vs on-site registration lines on Friday morning is a toss of the dice. You don't need to worry about selling out, but which line will be faster is anyone's guess.

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3horn.livejournal.com

The Con Suite does not have a publicly usable microwave. They have way too much traffic passing through, and it would be a huge jam. Not to mention that someone would inevitably stick a metal can or something in it.

What the Con Suite does have, is a near inexhaustible supply of drinks and snacks, ranging from chips to Subway sandwiches to donuts to Spamwiches. The offering change throughout the day, so if you don't find something you like, swing by again in a couple of hours.

Finally, while Joe and his team do an absolutely amazing job, try not to rely on the Con Suite for all of your nutritional need. The food court in the mall can feed you very well for under $10 a meal. My personal preference is for "Café du Jour", which offers various salads.

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kevshindig.livejournal.com

Where is the consuite? I didn't come across it last year.

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anotherlemming0.livejournal.com

The Conn suite is usually in the Hyatt on the second floor i think

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Hyatt, second floor, near the stairs. So, when you come in the door, take a right to where you see an (empty) phone bank. Go towards that and you'll see a door to the stairs. When you come off the stairs you'll likely see a line of people (or at least a bunch milling about). Entrance is the second door (the first is tucked back a bit, but ppl still try to go in that way), Exit is the third, and Security/Staff is the Fourth.

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midnighttheatre.livejournal.com

I checked user tags because I remember reading the room numbers last year in one of the previous posts, and if it's in the same as last year the con suite will be in the Hyatt rooms 223 & 226.

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I can't imagine them moving it since it's a room designated for that purpose (kitchen, large suite, etc.) and it's right by the stairs. It's been there every year that I've gone.

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midnighttheatre.livejournal.com

lol I never took the time to look around and notice it has a kitchen! I just go in, grab what I need, say thanks, and get out. Oh yes, those sticky stairs.

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Well, they try to hide it to keep us food crazy peeps out! ;)

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majorsamfan.livejournal.com

Adding to the above...

There are quite a few people on the list mentioning they can't go. Help a fellow fan out by buying their membership. For those who bought early on, it shouldn't cost you any more than the "at the door" price even with the $20 transfer fee. The person who can't go, prints off and signs the transfer form from online. They send it to you after you PayPal them the money. You submit the form to D*C with the $20 transfer fee. You can do this by fax if you're using a credit card.

Food - I totally 2nd-3rd-4th what folks said about food. You'll last the con marathon much better with nutritious food (and rest). I like Luna bars and nuts to keep me going. PB&J you can make in the room and carry with you for lunch. I've stayed in the Marriott the 2 years I've gone and used Starbucks for breakfast at least part of the time; their little shop has fruit, yogurt, juice, milk and other items, too. I have never been to the con suite, so I can't speak to its provisions; however, I suspect it's most snacky/junk items and you'd do better with everyone's healthier suggestions.

PLAN - Plan ahead what things are your *must see* and what you'd *like to see* and what can be eliminated if you run out of time or energy.

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How secure is this? I know most everyone will be trustworthy, but what's to stop someone from selling a membership more than once and sending off several copies of the transfer form? Am I being too paranoid?

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majorsamfan.livejournal.com

I guess it's not too paranoid to be somewhat cautious. However, if you pay through PayPal, there's recourse if someone doesn't deliver on what you paid for.

I have only gone twice and done bought someone's transferred membership both times. And this year is the first time I'm buying from someone I actually know. I guess you could ask for recommendations from others in the dragoncon list that might know the person, but unless it's a mutual friend, I don't know how you could be sure of the recommendation.

If you're that concerned, just go straight to D*C.

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I was forgetting that PayPal offered some security, and I suppose if D*C doesn't ever sell out, there's probably not nearly as big a demand for secondhand memberships, so probably less incentive to scam. I will keep my eyes out for what shows up.

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majorsamfan.livejournal.com

People have been posting they can't go for a couple of weeks - check recents posts. I think I saw two just today and yesterday.

Yeah - not as much incentive if they don't sell out like Comic-Con (but then again, Comic-Con doesn't let you transfer memberships either).

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neovenom.livejournal.com

I'm so excited for you going as a first timer! I will be going back for the rest of my life, but nothing will quite be like experiencing it all for the first time.

Reg: Like others said, you're taking chances no matter when and how you register. I did Friday pre-reg once, waited maybe 15 mins. Last's year pre-reg took nearly 3 hours :( I don't think they sell out or cap attendance. If they were to do such a thing, I think it would be announced on the website way ahead of time.

Parade: This is my first year taking part in it. Even though I know I'm going to march with the superheroes, I registered by myself to make sure everything is taken care of. I'll just find them when I get there Saturday morning. I think that strategy would work out for you as well.

Food: You thinkin' ramen with that hot water? ;-) The con suite doesn't have a microwave you can use, plus, think of the back log of people that would line up for it. For reference, the suite is in 2 tiny tiny little rooms that can barely hold a crowd. But they do have nice snacking options, and I've been fine living off the food court stuff (along with my own breakfast goodies). I'd suggest things like nuts, jerky, fruit, and the room temp little packages of Horizon milk (or Muscle Milk if you're super into being buff).

Other: Bring cash. The ATMs will run out in a day, and most of the business transactions are cash only. Bring charging cables for your electronics, mainly your cell phone and camera.

Plan, plan, plan, and expect that not not everything will go 100% smoothly. The Pocket Guide should come out in a few weeks. I have a copy of the '09 PDF if you want to see what it'll look like. Mark the things you MUST see, and set aside time to travel from one hotel to another. If you have time Thursday night (and you don't get in too late as you mentioned), go scope out the area so you're familiar with it. I also wouldn't bother losing precious con time waiting forever in lines for panels. I showed up maybe 10 mins before the start of each one, and I wasn't turned away from a single panel last year. You wouldn't have gotten good seats at the front unless you camped 2+ hours, and even that's a gamble.

I've got a blog where I'm currently writing a guide to D*C. I have one more entry coming that will focus on what to do/not do at the con. Plus, there are good links I've thrown in. Please feel free to check that out:

http://ne0ven0m.blogspot.com/

If you have any other concerns, please feel free to ask!

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I was actually thinking tea with the hot water, I'm a tea addict :-) Although I've found that coffeeshops usually give out hot water for free, so hopefully that will work. I definitely wouldn't want to rely on ramen-type meals for a full weekend. When my sisters and I went to comic-con last summer, we'd cook up a day's worth of food the night before and take it in tupperwares, but we were at a campground so we had a propane stove we could use, and I won't have that here. Just seeing what my other options were.

Thanks for all the tips, especially about waiting in line for panels. That was definitely the worst part about sdcc.

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Be aware that if you're a true tea lover, the coffeemakers in the rooms will give you coffee-flavored tea, no matter how well they clean them or how many times you re-wash them yourself. I'm taking a Black & Decker Brew n Go this year ( I love it so much I have 2!) - weighs about 12 oz but will make a great cup at a time 9or just hot water!) in a handy silver carry mug. I also buy/pack the new disposable cofeee cups with lids you can buy in the paper cup section... a good selection of my fave teas, spoons, sweetener, etc. I can make a great cup just to my taste that way!

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Ugh, I've had bad experiences with hot water from coffeemakers. I have an electric kettle that I often take along when traveling. You don't happen to know of any travel mugs that are truly leak-proof, do you? Mine claimed to be but isn't.

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Never found one that was short of a thermos...

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There weren't microwaves that I remember, but you CAN bring your own. I did for every yr I stayed at the con hotels. The bellboys even helped me move it. If you want to be sneaky, put it in a big bag or wrap a blanket around it. I don't think they care, though. If they tell you "no" when you first get there, you can always sneak it in the chaos later. ;)

Seconding use of the con suite occasionally too, but not as your only option. The mall food court is also decent, but keep in mind that things can close early on the holiday.

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A lot of the food court places do close early but we've seen more and more staying open later... one year, the only one open past 6:00 was the Fuji Express and man! they made a fortune! Now several do, and the Dairy Queen keeps late hours... we usually go get our main meal of the day between 3-5... never had a problem that way. We usually scope several places out on Friday and if they don't have signs out, we ask.

The Hyatt at least does set up shop now with late-night with burgers and things on a couple of floors, pricey but not bad eats. Their Coffee Shop - tucked in behind the main bar - is open 24/7. They have some sandwiches, chips, drinks, etc.

The Hard Rock next block from Hyatt is open late-ish... there is a MCD in walking distance but if it's really late, don't walk around on the streets alone... that's all I can think of right now...

From:

memysza.livejournal.com

A parade hint: Some groups/tracks will have a point person for collecting parade info and then sign up the group for ribbons. These are usually found on LJ/blogs/bbs/etc. Also a good way to meet cool people before con.

Membership transfers are fairly common each year and Paypal has decent dispute rules. Outright fraud aside, it would be stupid to resell a membership multiple times--each badge has a number and a name/contact info attached to it when purchased.

Pens and highlighters.

Water. Water. Water. It gets very hot. Though a scarf/jacket can come in handy in some of the arctic basement track rooms. Or you know, the glactic hitchhikers rule of thumb--always have your towel! ; )

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pyanfar.livejournal.com

Something a lot of folks either don't know about, or just forget: There is ANOTHER food court besides the one in the Peachtree Center "Mall". It's smaller, but it's there. The access tube to the SunTrust Building Food Court is on the opposite side of the Marriott from the Peachtree Center "habitrail" tube, on the same floor. It will make more sense once you get here (I work upstairs at Peachtree Center), but if you are in the Marriott lobby, on the same level as the "sailboat" bar (called Pulse), head toward the stairs that lead to the "loft" area (which is also a bar), and go past the stairs. To get to the Peachtree Center Food court, make a left. To get to the Suntrust Food Court, make a right.

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