I'm going to NY Comic-Con and I don't know what to expect. Advice?

Cafe Society
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So earlier tonight the girly surprised me with Comic-Con tickets. It sounds really neat, but I’ve never been to a convention like this before, and I’m a little spacey on the details of how they operate. I know there will be booths and panels, but I’m not sure of the intricacies of how they function. The website http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/ clarifies a few things, like the policy on cameras (you can bring them) or nunchaku (you can’t bring them), but I was wondering about a few other things.

Can I bring my own food and drink?

The website says wheeled luggage is not allowed, so presumably a backpack would be allowed?

Could I say, bring my Dr. Horrible DVD in hopes of getting Felicia Day to sign it? I don’t want to bring a backpack full of merchandise I want signed only to be told I can’t bring it in.

We’ve got one day passes. Can I leave the con then reenter?

Not a con question but a NYC one, are the protesters still blocking traffic or the bridges into the city? We’re staying with a friend and taking the train to the con, but I still have to drive to get into the city itself, and I’d like to avoid such delays (can’t people be politically conscious when I don’t have places to be?).

I’d appreciate any general advice or suggestions people want to throw at me. I am aware that it will be insanely crowded, and that there will most likely be long lines for everything.

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Disclaimer: The below is based on my sole experience at Phoenix Comicon. It may or may not apply to NYCC.

You can bring a backpack. The wheeled restriction is because space will be at a severe premium.

Seriously. It’s going to be packed. Jammed. Crowded as hell. Phoenix Comicon was bad enough, and it’s relatively small compared to the San Diego and New York cons.

You’re welcome to bring in anything you like that’s not on their restricted item list (which consists of wheeled bags and weapons, mainly). Security isn’t necessarily going to be watching for theft, that’ll be up to the individual vendors. Your own food and drink shouldn’t be a problem, and I expect that the food court employees and their customers will be grateful for one less person in line.

You should be able to leave and re-enter, though it’s possible this specific location will have different rules. At Phoenix Comicon, the pass was really only checked when I entered the exhibition hall where the vendors and guests were; the conference rooms were pretty much open to all. Either way, a day pass should be good for the day, not just one entry.

Recommend that you do as much as you can in one trip, though; if you leave, you’ll have to requeue at the entrance, and I very much doubt the line will ever become short. It’s very likely that after you go through it once, then stand in various lines inside, you just won’t want to return if you leave.

General tips: Pack water, a camera, anything you want signed, but try to leave space if you plan on buying stuff. Swag takes up an awful lot of space real fast. You’ll probably want to eat before you go or else bring snacks because it will take an eternity to get food from the food court.

If you want to see panels, plan out which ones you’d like to see and get an understanding of the schedule and where they’ll be. It doesn’t look like you’ll have to sign up ahead of time, but you will want to be sure you have time for the stuff you want to see.

Celebrities will probably have schedules available telling you when they’ll be at their booths for signing, photo ops, and the like. Find out ASAP and make a note to be in line for that. The popular guests (and Miss Day is pretty popular) will have a lot of people waiting for them, and if you get in line too late you may find that she’ll disappear for a panel or something just before you can get to the booth.

Basically, the biggest thing to expect is that there will be people. A lot of people. A whole friggin’ ton of people. So many people. Your activities are going to be primarily based around navigating the sea of people to get to where you want to go.

If you have the patience for that, of course, it can definitely be a lot of fun. The cosplayers alone are worth going to see (they’re why you want your camera, not the professional guests).

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No, not at all. I really wouldn’t worry about it, unless you plan to drive into lower Manhattan, which I would never advise doing, even on a day without an ongoing protest. Manhattan isn’t really set up for cars. You’de be better off parking in New Jersey and taking the PATH in to the city.

4

Say “Hi” to my daughter while you are there. :wink:

Backpacks may be OK, but different places in NYC can be very touchy about bags. It’s a pain in the ass when going places, and I’m a native.

It’s easy to avoid the protesters, unless the people you are staying with live in Battery Park City. Despite the constant news, it really isn’t that many people.

It will be crowded. Far too crowded for my tastes. That (and over the top fans) are the reason I don’t go, though I am/was a comic book nerd.

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Bring a bar of soap. When the crowd gets too close, take it out and threaten to use it. They will scatter and give you room to pass.

Bring the DVDs. Felicia is real good about signing things. Tell her hi from me, and that if she mentions said greeting on her twitter feed, I’ll donate $100 to her favorite cause.

Enjoy yourself. The second you enter you will be the handsomest, skinniest person in the room, guaranteed.

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Seeing as my husband will also be there, I cannot agree. :slight_smile:

I’ll be doing other stuff while he’s there - for my husband this is work as he’s in the biz, so he’ll be busy with other things. Since I’m only a casual fan it’s just too chaotic for me - I’ve been to SDCC and NYCC and unless there’s some person there I’m dying to see I’m not up for dealing with it.

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You can expect to see a lot of geeks.

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I bet their moms all drove them there too.

9

In NYC? They rode the subway like good nerds.

I’ve been going to the San Diego Comic-Con for a decade. I know whereof I speak. :smiley:

10

Don’t miss the Attack The Block panel. I don’t know if there are any screenings besides the one at MOMA tomorrow night, but if so, don’t miss it!

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Thanks for such a detailed response, I appreciate it. I wouldn’t mind Miss Day’s autograph, but the real plan, of course, is that Jewel Staite, my girlfriend, and I are going to fly away together in a spaceship and live happily ever after.

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How did you know I’m so rakishly handsome? You been spying on me :dubious:?

The problem with parting a crowd of nerds is that sooner or later one them is going to get in your way with a stick yelling, “You shall not pass!”

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Furthermore, the Javits Center is nowhere near lower Manhattan–it’s on the extreme west, from, say, 11th and 34th to maybe 40th, I think. If you were going to drive in, the Lincoln Tunnel would spit you out quite nearby. No clue what parking is like, though, and even less what it’ll be like during the con.

I’m looking forward to maybe seeing the cosplayers when I walk to the Hudson River for my daily run. :slight_smile:

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(Caveat - I have never been to any comicon although a lot of my friends go).

Wil Wheaton posted on Google+ that he doesn’t shake hands at cons anymore because inevitably he gets sick. He said that some people got froggy about it at the last con, even after he explained his reasoning. So, don’t do that :slight_smile: I don’t know if a lot of presenters or performers are following his example, but it’s something to think about because you are going to be packed into a building with more people than you expect (what other people said about the crowds are true).

That would be my recommendation, actually, and not just because I saw Contagion recently - wash your hands a lot, take sanitizer.

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That explains why he seemed kind of reserved when I got my picture taken with him. Most of the other celebs were happy to shake hands and throw arms around folks, but Wil just stood there with his hands tucked away.

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Wheaton should do as Greg Hawkes of The Cars does - Namaste. No idea if it is reflecting a particular religious belief, or if it is just a cover for the desire to avoid flesh to flesh contact, but it worked when I met him at a party before a Todd Rundgren concert he was playing. All the fans respected his choice of greeting and most returned it. And it appeared to be considered a lot more friendly than keeping your hands in your pockets.

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I plan to bring hand sanitizer. I was only really worried about the protesters holding up traffic on a bridge. I’m staying in a different borough and taking the train to Penn Station, so I won’t have to worry about parking at the Con. Or protesters apparently.

I’ve heard that panels are difficult to get into, that people wait for hours just for one panel. I’m wondering if it’s worth going to any panels at all, since I’ve only got one day. Is every booth likely to be mobbed with a huge line? I wouldn’t mind learning about something new, or some sort of independent production. I’m sort of new to comics/graphic novels, I liked Y the Last Man, Fables, and some of Alan Moore’s stuff. Am I going to get the stink eye much from purists for being an amateur?