You've gotten good answers to your questions, but for more general first-timer advice, the best thing I can recommend is to watch any DragonCon videos you can find on YouTube, and look at the maps of the hotels (someone posted a link to GoogleMaps recently, but the PocketProgram, once it's released, will have maps of all the levels of the hotels too. Last year was my first year, and because I'd watched a lot of videos and looked at the maps ahead of time, I managed to only get lost once (in the bowels of the Sheraton).
Even just knowing the relationship of the hotels to each other is really helpful. The main four form kind of a backwards L shape, with the Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton in a straight line, with just one street between each (and "hamster tubes" over those streets), and then the Sheraton is a right turn from the Hilton and a couple of blocks over. This year there's also the Westin, which is a few blocks over from the Hyatt. But watch videos online and look at the maps, and it'll help a lot.
Beyond that, just don't try to plan too much. No matter how hard you try, you *will* miss out on something at DragonCon, simply because there's so much cool stuff going on literally 24 hours a day. So pick a couple of things you really want to make it to, and things you could go to if you find yourself with free time, but otherwise just go with the flow, people watch, take an afternoon nap (the better to stay up for the late night parties!), that sort of thing. It can be overwhelming, but on the bright side you'll never be bored. ;)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-08-26 09:46 pm (UTC)Even just knowing the relationship of the hotels to each other is really helpful. The main four form kind of a backwards L shape, with the Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton in a straight line, with just one street between each (and "hamster tubes" over those streets), and then the Sheraton is a right turn from the Hilton and a couple of blocks over. This year there's also the Westin, which is a few blocks over from the Hyatt. But watch videos online and look at the maps, and it'll help a lot.
Beyond that, just don't try to plan too much. No matter how hard you try, you *will* miss out on something at DragonCon, simply because there's so much cool stuff going on literally 24 hours a day. So pick a couple of things you really want to make it to, and things you could go to if you find yourself with free time, but otherwise just go with the flow, people watch, take an afternoon nap (the better to stay up for the late night parties!), that sort of thing. It can be overwhelming, but on the bright side you'll never be bored. ;)