The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
West Coast Train Trip: 4th Annual! - T-Shirts have arrived!
TimeCruiserMike
Past Organizer of the West Coast Train TripSan Fernando ValleyRegistered User regular
Past Organizer of the West Coast Train TripSan Fernando ValleyRegistered User regular
The 4th annual
West Coast Train Trip Follow us on twitter @PAXTrain
T-Shirts have arrived!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2m-ImPMoNs
What it is
Why the train?
How to get on the PAXTrain
Some Informational links on the status of the train
Stuff You Need
PAXtrain Gear
The PAXTrain Staff
The Rules
Booze
The Hot Spots - I'm Going off the Rails on this Crazy PAXTrain
Events
Be sure to come up to me on the train and ask for a Forum Badge.
Feel free to PM me if I left anything out or need to make any changes.
West Coast Train Trip Follow us on twitter @PAXTrain
T-Shirts have arrived!
T-Shirts have arrived!
Another reminder, I am accepting advance payment via paypal at weenog42@yahoo.com. Help reduce the amount of change I have to carry around!
S-XL, $8
XXL $9
XXXL $10
Ladies Sizes (Ladies cut T)
S-XL $11
XXL $12
I will still accept cash on the train, but if you pay in advance you won't have to worry about bringing cash (and I won't have to worry as much about making change).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2m-ImPMoNs
What it is
The Successor to the West Coast Super Trip (the nerdy caravan that started it all) The West Coast Train Trip, or "PAXTrain" for short, is a coordinated effort for PAX-goers to ride the same train at the same time going up the western coast of the United States - both as an alternative to driving or flying, and to enjoy an intimate "mini-convention".
Why the train?
Well, aside from that little mishap on the WCST in 06 when one car crashed into a pole and another had its engine seize up? Ask anyone who's flown, driven and taken the train up - the train was the best experience. We don't care if you're new - this ain't no private party, and all people going to PAX are welcome. We didn't even know anyone else in 2007 and have become fast friends. We invite you to join us!
How to get on the PAXTrain
We are riding Train #14 - Coast Starlight departing September 1st, 2010. from California. If you are in Chico, CA or north, get on the same train, but on September 2nd, 2010. We're going back on Train #11 - Coast Starlight departing September 6th. Every from Eugene and all points north be sure you select the Coast Starlight and not the Cascades when buying your tickets.
PDF of the train schedule
The following is a courtesy list of standard coach prices for a round trip, but they won’t stay like that. You should buy now because the prices go up as we near our departure date. Last year I saw round trip tickets from LA to Seattle go for $277.
PDF of the train schedule
The following is a courtesy list of standard coach prices for a round trip, but they won’t stay like that. You should buy now because the prices go up as we near our departure date. Last year I saw round trip tickets from LA to Seattle go for $277.
DEPARTS SEPT 1st
Once you've secured a seat/sleeper on the train please fill out this form so that we can add you to the roster. (Courtesy of Tek)
- Los Angeles, CA (LAX) - $256 Departs 10:15am, Returns 9:00 PM
- Van Nuys, CA (VNC) - $256 Departs 10:47am, Returns 8:05pm
- Simi Valley, CA (SIM) - $256 Departs 11:23 am, Returns 7:38pm No ticket office (has a credit card kiosk), No checked baggage
- Oxnard, CA (OXN) - $256 Departs 11:55am, Returns 7:08pm
- Santa Barbara, CA (SBA) - $256 Departs 12:48pm, Returns 6:17pm
- San Luis Obispo, CA (SLO) - $252 Departs 3:43pm, Returns 3:20pm
- Paso Robles, CA (PRB) - $252 Departs 4:45pm, Returns 1:38pm No ticket office, No checked baggage
- Salinas, CA (SNS) - $252 Departs 6:36pm, Returns 11:48am
- San Jose, CA (SJC) - $248 Departs 8:39pm, Returns 9:55am
- Oakland - Jack London Square, CA (OKJ) - $240 Departs 9:47pm, Returns 8:35am
- Emeryville, CA (EMY) - $240 Departs 10:12pm, Returns 8:10am
- Martinez, CA (MTZ) - $232 Departs 10:54pm, Returns 7:34am
- Davis, CA (DAV) - $222 Departs 11:33pm, Returns 6:50am
- Sacramento, CA (SAC) - $218 Departs 11:59pm, Returns 6:35am
- Chico, CA (CIC) - $192 Departs 1:55am, Returns 3:50am No ticket office, No checked baggage
- Redding, CA (RDD) - $180 Departs 3:14am, Returns 2:21am No ticket office, No checked baggage
- Dunsmuir, CA (DUN) - $164 Departs 5:04am, Returns 12:35am No ticket office, No checked baggage
- Klamath Falls, OR (KFS) - $140 Departs 8:25am, Returns 10:00pm
- Chemult, OR (CMO) - $124 Departs 9:40am, Returns 8:05pm No ticket office, No checked baggage
- Eugene, OR (EUG) - $125 Departs 12:44pm, Returns 5:10pm
- Albany, OR (ALY) - $113 Departs 1:30pm, Returns 4:10pm
- Salem, OR (SLM) - $100 Departs 2:03pm, Returns 3:37pm
- Portland, OR (PDX) - $77 Departs 4:20pm, Returns 1:50pm
- Vancouver, WA (VAN) - $74 Departs 4:36pm, Returns 1:08pm
- Kelso, WA (KEL) - $64 Departs 5:14pm, Returns 12:29pm No ticket office (has a credit card kiosk), No checked baggage
- Centralia, WA (CTL) - $51 Departs 5:57pm, Returns 11:45am No checked baggage for trip up, you can check bags for return trip.
- Lacey - Olympia, WA (OLW) - $38 Departs 6:22pm, Returns 11:21am No ticket office (has a credit card kiosk), No checked baggage
- Tacoma, WA (TAC) - $32 Departs 7:11pm, Returns 10:31am
Some Informational links on the status of the train
Stuff You Need
You'll need to be prepared to survive on PAXTrain. Following is a list of stuff you probably should bring if you want to have a livable experience on the rails.
We also recommend the following items:
- You are allowed to carry on two bags, and check three (if you board at a station that allows checked baggage). We suggest checking a suitcase for your PAX supplies and packing a separate carryon bag / backpack. This pack should contain personal effects and clothing, as well as everything else you think you'll need on the train.
- Earplugs and an eye mask. It is considered PAXTrain courtesy to be quiet in all coach areas, where people may be sleeping - but still, be prepared. If you're upstairs people will be walking through at all hours.
- A toothbrush and toothpaste, mouthwash, a comb, and if you need them, shaving razors and cream. No showers are provided for coach passengers, so if you're on the train for two days bring wipes or a sponge or something to wash the stank off in the bathroom sink the second day. Ignoring basic hygene highlights a disregard for your fellow gamers, who are great people who don't need to know what you smell like after two days without cleaning yourself in a cramped environment.
- Snacks. There is a snack cart and a dining car, but it's not cheap. You can save some money if you bring some food and water with you.
- Your meds. Nobody needs to see you off them.
We also recommend the following items:
- A power strip. We plan on bringing power squids and some power strips, but there are never enough outlets.
- A handheld system - a Nintendo DS is the preferred item for wireless gaming. A PSP is welcome but has more of a personal role rather than multiplaying with the cool kids.
- A book for pleasure reading. We advise everyone to take a break from train festivities to "regroup", and read a book or listen to music.
- Headphones, preferably a pair of ear buds rather than studio headphones, but to each his own.
- Cash. Dining with fellow PAXtrain goers is a good way to relax and get to know some people. Expect about one breakfast (from the snack cart), two lunches and two dinners with each trip (either from the snack cart or the dining car), each meal running about 10 dollars. The food in the private dining car isn't bad. Apart from that, bring spare cash for snacks or bring your own in your travel backpack.
PAXtrain Gear
People's willingness to bring their expensive toys to share is part of what makes PAXtrain such an awesome experience. Please understand that if you are joining up any later than San Jose, it may not be "worth it" for the train trip. We need supplies on the front as early as possible. If you are not sure what to bring here are some things we need.
This is all the essentials - if you want to burden yourself with bringing more, that's fine, but it's also window dressing. If you're thinking about bringing more shit and saying "I'll hook it up in my hotel later after PAX closes", you're so wrong - you should either be sleeping or heading to a bar or party, not going back to the hotel to play some video games. You just did that all day.
- Power strips and extension cords. Power management becomes a problem on the train. If you can, grab something from home before you go, or go buy a cheapie power strip for 15-20 bucks. This seems small and unimportant, but it's the foundation of all of our operations!
- 2 15 Amp Twist-lock Adapters (1 for arcade, one for obs car) There are some outlets on the train that are very different and would be more convenient for us to use if we had the proper adapters. (Not every train has these outlets)
- Card games. Bring your Magic deck, your Fluxx deck, your Curses deck, your WoWTCG deck, your Pokemon deck, or shit, even a Sailor Moon TCG deck, I don't care. Bring it. If you have a silly game that's easy to learn, bring it. “We didn't Play test This” was a big train hit in the past.
- Fans. We are going to need at least two. An electric fan can reduce the temperature of a room by up to 10 degrees; the arcade cars will need them.
- Television sets (optional). Small, lightweight affairs. Don't bring anything you can't afford to replace if it breaks, but don't bring some ancient monolith because you were planning on giving it to Goodwill anyways. If you're BYOC and have a big monitor that can double as a TV, we'd appreciate you offering it's use for the good of the Party. The arcade car has a (small) television if we need it. Extra TVs and monitors are optional, not a necessity.
- Consoles, mainly two Wiis and two XBoxes. Seeing as we have a limited number of available screens, having a million consoles seem redundant, and let's face facts - people are going to be getting the most into Smash Bros. Brawl and Rock Band.
- You win 10,000 internets if you bring snacks to share with everyone during the trip. Whatever it is, we don't care, as long as it isn't hilariously messy or unsafe. Please do not bring home-cooked goods - we have no way of knowing what's in your killer brownies, duuuuuude. (Cookie Brigade excluded of course. People selling cookies for charity are surely trustworthy)
- Tape! We like to try and keep our power cables away from where other passengers can trip on them; which tends to mean taping them to the ceiling.
This is all the essentials - if you want to burden yourself with bringing more, that's fine, but it's also window dressing. If you're thinking about bringing more shit and saying "I'll hook it up in my hotel later after PAX closes", you're so wrong - you should either be sleeping or heading to a bar or party, not going back to the hotel to play some video games. You just did that all day.
The PAXTrain Staff
I know that a small percentage of people have issue with an organized "PAXTrain Staff." There was some drama in 2008. "You are on a power trip and need to settle down." Please understand that to keep good relations with Amtrak and not have a bunch of people booted off the train in the middle of buttfuck nowhere we present the Amtrak Staff with a Face (or faces) who represents us a group. This helps keep the staff more at ease and provides everyone on both sides with a go to guy(or go to people) with whom they can speak if there is a problem. If any of the PAXTrain staff seems at any time to be rude or power tripping, please know that it is because we don't like being yelled at by Amtrak Staff, and yes Amtrak staff has on occasion asked PAXTrain staff to quell some problems that have come up. (Noise, crowding the isle, hogging the obs. deck, etc.)
The Rules
We have some rules on PAXTrain. They're simple. Don't sweat it. But if you break them we will be miffed and we'll find appropriate punishment for you. These rules mainly apply in Headquarters (the Arcade car or obs deck) as that's where most of the magic happens.
We've never had any real problems, but vigilance and diligence will be what keeps it that way. These rules are also loose guidelines more than anything, so don't flaunt them or play the legalist. If you play the rules lawyer, we'll treat you like a rules lawyer. Anyone in gross violation of the rules or common decency won't be welcome at group festivities - you're now persona non grata and everyone hates your guts, and you're banned from PAXTrain events.
Again, we've never actually had to do that! Everyone's been cool and has watched each other's back, kept everyone else in check and been real champions, doing their duty to assist their fellow gamers when they are falling out of line. We work better as a loosely organized motley band than as a full regiment. We've done terrific! Just keep diligent - we have a legacy to consider, and we want to keep good relations with Amtrak.
- Don't be a dick.
- Just don't. Play nice, children. And if you don't like someone, don't start shit stirring and backtalk.
- Don't be an asshole to the Amtrak staff.
- Train staffers are generally pretty cool and will let us do what we want with little explanation. Be nice to them, and if they tell you to do something, do it.
- Don't be a loud prick.
- Other people may be sleeping in other cars. Or whatever. We usually sack the arcade car and half of the observation car as our Headquarters and keep it there - that muffles the sound pretty well, it’s been tested, even when shouting. Still, noise discipline. Be quiet in the coach areas and sleeper cars, be polite in the dining cars and don't try to overrun the observation deck during the day if other people are using it.
- Don't be a freak to kids.
- When kids are around, mind your tongue. Pretend Mommy's right behind you. Don't give anyone a reason to complain about PAXTrain.
- Don't get too hammered
We've never had any real problems, but vigilance and diligence will be what keeps it that way. These rules are also loose guidelines more than anything, so don't flaunt them or play the legalist. If you play the rules lawyer, we'll treat you like a rules lawyer. Anyone in gross violation of the rules or common decency won't be welcome at group festivities - you're now persona non grata and everyone hates your guts, and you're banned from PAXTrain events.
Again, we've never actually had to do that! Everyone's been cool and has watched each other's back, kept everyone else in check and been real champions, doing their duty to assist their fellow gamers when they are falling out of line. We work better as a loosely organized motley band than as a full regiment. We've done terrific! Just keep diligent - we have a legacy to consider, and we want to keep good relations with Amtrak.
Booze
Amtrak has a policy against outside alcohol on the train. They probably just want to sell more of the overpriced stuff in the snack bar. We won't tell you what to bring or not bring, but know that the risks / consequences of bringing alcohol are your own, as we aren't condoning private stashes. Openly drinking your own stuff in public areas is discouraged. If you choose to do so please do it discretely. If keeping it out of sight is a problem for you I would suggest that you check out these links
These sites offer a variety of inconspicuous covers for your beer cans
http://thebeermall.com/beercancovers.html
http://www.ezcom.com/hideabeer.htm
or if you would rather make a cover your self
http://www.instructables.com/id/Sneaky-Drink-a-Beer-Anywhere/
or . . . you could bring the brand of beer they sell on the train.
As for the other variety of beverage(aka hard stuff), just premix your drink of choice into a inconspicuous container before you board and you're set. We’re still not condoning it though. Think of it as teaching 6th graders about condoms. You don’t want them to need them, but if they’re going to do it, at least they know how to protect themselves.
These sites offer a variety of inconspicuous covers for your beer cans
http://thebeermall.com/beercancovers.html
http://www.ezcom.com/hideabeer.htm
or if you would rather make a cover your self
http://www.instructables.com/id/Sneaky-Drink-a-Beer-Anywhere/
or . . . you could bring the brand of beer they sell on the train.
As for the other variety of beverage(aka hard stuff), just premix your drink of choice into a inconspicuous container before you board and you're set. We’re still not condoning it though. Think of it as teaching 6th graders about condoms. You don’t want them to need them, but if they’re going to do it, at least they know how to protect themselves.
The PAXTrain "staff" will be assessing the situation and reacting appropriately. We got some rookie drinkers on PAXTrain '07 (the only year Amtrak allowed outside booze). If you're new to drinking, we have some info for you right here to help you get in the swing of things - most vets already have some sort of system on how they handle the booze. Here are the four levels of inebriation as we will ID them:
Also remember:
- Not Drunk - You've had one, maybe two. You're not feeling it. Drink a little more, if you want, or not. Maybe you're just not a beer (or liquor) guy. You don't need to be drunk to enjoy PAXTrain. Most people weren't drunk at all last year. It's overblown how drunk we were. (Or I am cleaning our images up and rewriting history.)
- Buzzed - You've had a few and you're feeling pretty good. Bit of a headrush. Congrats - you're buzzed! Now slow down and enjoy it. Drink a bit after an hour to keep the buzz going. Don't feel like you need to drink a lot to look like a big man.
- Drunk - Congrats, you're drunk. Now sit your ass down. Being drunk is not a good thing. Lay off the booze and get some chips. A pro alcoholic can "maintain", cutting through his drunkenness and working with his lack of motor skills to help him calm down and get it out. Be careful - we'll try to help keep you quiet and unseen, but if the train guys spot you drunk, they can call the cops at the next stop and have you hauled off to the drunk tank. That means no Paxy Pax for you.
- Wasted - What the fuck is wrong with you? If you're clearly wasted we're throwing you out of PAXTrain events and the word will spread you're persona non grata. Go to the bathroom quietly and puke before the train personnel eject you from the train - and into the arms of the police, who will arrest you for being drunk in public.
Also remember:
- "You just want to be with that ugly bitch WHO ISN'T PRETTIER THAN ME!!!" (New Years party reference, this chick was a horrible drunk) If you've battled with depression before, you might wind up being an overemotional drunk. So unless you're certain you can maintain, if you feel weird about it then don't get drunk so you don't embarrass yourself.
- Don't feel pressured to drink more to seem hardcore. A pro alcoholic will tell you that a low alcohol tolerance is actually very good thing, and look back to the time when a few beers would buzz them as their salad days.
- Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before beer? You're in the clear. Be sure that you remember this rhyme, or else you'll wind up doing time - puking up your guts all over the stall, in the bathroom straight down the hall.
- Since we won't have a PAXtrain alcohol stash we can't exactly cut you off. Just remember if you're out of hand you'll be asked to go somewhere else until you can maintain.
The Hot Spots - I'm Going off the Rails on this Crazy PAXTrain
The majority of all PAXTrain activities happen in two locations: The coach car with the arcade room (which will likely be the home of Rock Band), and the Obseravtion Deck (which will be designated as the Obs Deck or simply as Obs). These areas are beehives of activity and the "home" of most of our console systems. We'll have to play it by ear, balancing the use of the arcade cars and observation car between PAX goers and the rest of the passengers can take a little doing sometimes.
- The Arcade Car(s): These are private rooms, allowing us to speak freely with no cause for the concerns of other passengers and are fairly soundproof, allowing us to get a little loud (not too loud). Here you can find our primary console setups. It is on the first story of a coach car, with no other passengers to heed, and has a luggage rack for storing our critical gear, a water dispenser for more drinkable cold water, and doors to exit in case of a smoke break. When the door opens to the arcade car, get quiet for a second until it closes; otherwise, speak away. Amtrak closes the arcade cars at 11pm.
- The Obs Deck: Obs is a public area for all passengers. It was the only suitable area for us to use as the main areas of our activities on PAXtrain ‘08 and ‘09. We have to be conscious of the other passengers during the day, but we pretty much have it to ourselves at night. Obs has a large, spacious observation deck on the top floor with a number of private tables, benches and seats to view the countryside, use a laptop, play cards or do whatever, but due to the furniture it is not a good place to hold a mass congregation unless everyone sits down. The first floor of the obs deck has a commissary for buying snacks, drinks, booze and small meals. The prices are a little high, but not complete robbery - still, it's advisable to bring your own foodstuffs. Also on the first floor are more tables and furniture and more observation areas, we try to leave this area open as we pretty much take up all the tables upstairs. Wireless connections (assuming we have the equipment we need) will be set up and administrated from a table on the upper floor, you can take advantage of it from the whole obs car. At night, we appropriate obs for PAX-y uses, but it is still a public area, so don't be a total boor or drunkard. This is when we typically chill and watch movies.
- The Dining Car: The onboard restaurant of the train is pretty good. Or, at least it has been. Be sure to bring cash as the magic plastic cards seem to confound the servers here.
Events
We will be having the following events on PAXTrain:
D&D : TBA: Some one generally runs one or more games. If you'd like to be that someone post in the thread with all neccesary details
Tournaments: TBD. At the very least there will be Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Rock Band 2 going on.
Meals: Amtrak takes Lunch and Dinner reservations before meals happen. Find some people and make a reservation for four. It's a great way to commiserate with people in a more relaxed environment than the public areas.
Movie Night: CURRENT FILM LIST: TBD. Do you have something you want to watch at night in the observation car? Bring it with you and / or let us know. Last year Dr. Horrible was the big hit of movie night.
Mystery Gift: I have a set of patched Pokemon Distribution roms on a flash card which I'll be using periodically to send out Nintendo Special Event Pokemon and Items. So be sure to bring your DS Pokemon Games.
Train Twister: This was arguably a success last year. How do we feel about it making a return?
Tournaments: TBD. At the very least there will be Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Rock Band 2 going on.
Meals: Amtrak takes Lunch and Dinner reservations before meals happen. Find some people and make a reservation for four. It's a great way to commiserate with people in a more relaxed environment than the public areas.
Movie Night: CURRENT FILM LIST: TBD. Do you have something you want to watch at night in the observation car? Bring it with you and / or let us know. Last year Dr. Horrible was the big hit of movie night.
Mystery Gift: I have a set of patched Pokemon Distribution roms on a flash card which I'll be using periodically to send out Nintendo Special Event Pokemon and Items. So be sure to bring your DS Pokemon Games.
Train Twister: This was arguably a success last year. How do we feel about it making a return?
Be sure to come up to me on the train and ask for a Forum Badge.
Feel free to PM me if I left anything out or need to make any changes.
{Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
TimeCruiserMike on
0
This discussion has been closed.
Posts
Love the music on the video btw. Kind of fitting for the train trip, where were going, we dont need roads.
Hey Satan!
Post
Amazon
Steam
Organizer of the Post-PAX Party. You should come!
Satellite Theater for life!
Hey Satan!
Post
Amazon
Steam
Getting on at LA Union, see you all there!
Spiffy shirts were spiffy.
Split the difference: train up, fly back. Taking the train up gives you a head start on gaming and meeting people- plus sharing the excitement of impending PAX with everyone. The trip back is fun too, but everyone's much more tired and laid back. Personally, I tend to sleep a lot more on the way south.
TCM: I know zilch about desktop design and whatnot, so I am the most unlikely of candidates for making T-shirts. But if you need anything organizational, give me a ping, because that I can do.
easier roster to use..
http://bit.ly/PAXTrain2010Roster
edit: it's been fix'd
double edit: How do people feel about Train Twister making a comeback this year?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_dgQ3xHXbI
Also! Bring your DS Pokemon games. I'll be doing mystery gift events periodically.
{Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
Passes: ☑ ▬ Hotel: ☑ ▬ Flight: [color=red]☑[/color]
This year we're probably going to be bringing a buddy of ours too, if he gets a job in time to cover his share of the hotel room.
well, having never actually gotten a sleeper (can never afford one) i can't vouch for them being worth it. though i have heard some good things from people who have. as for upgrading your coach ticket to a sleeper i'm pretty sure all it takes is a phone call. If i remember correctly i think some one even did after he got on the train, but don't hold me to that.
{Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
I'd love to do the CCST, I just need to get a group of people together that are willing to go with me. Thanks for the quick response.
Hi. I take the sleepers every year because I'm old and crotchety and don't do well without a decent night's sleep.
I know you can upgrade your tickets on the train depending on whether they have sleepers left. Keep in mind that Amtrak is not the most customer oriented and technologically advanced organization- every time I've had to change something with a room it's taken ages on the phone. Also, sleepers are what really change in price as they sell more of them. Another thing to keep in mind is that the train isn't a cruise ship- the two kinds of sleepers are both tiny. The roomette is basically an updated version of those curtained off bunks that you see in the old movies. They've enclosed two of them with a sliding door so during the day, you've got two chairs facing each other and a bit of room on the hallway side. At night, the bunks take up the whole space. The rooms have a bit more room and a little RV style bathroom with shower, but not a lot. Here's a picture of some of us on PAXtrain last year trying to play Dominion in one.
Both roomettes and rooms include meals. The Amtrak people come through the sleepers first to make reservations, so if you don't have four in your party, make it for four anyway and go find friends up front.
I've rambled on too much, so if you have any other questions, just PM me.
Technically you can upgrade, but I Didn't have any luck when I tried.
Im a graphic artist and have local connections that produce custom shirts. If this is something enough people want I can figure out the numbers and see what kind of deal I can get for us. I will also be taking the train. cant wait!
PAX Prime 2011 Challange Coin Thread -- Order your 2011 PAX Prime Challange Coin!
I play games the entire train ride, then get to Seattle and do the Tri-Wizard Drinking Tournament, then sleep before PAX the next day.
Organizer of the Post-PAX Party. You should come!
Satellite Theater for life!
i'm also attempting to find my long lost vhs-c tapes from 06. i made the mistake of letting a friend borrow them as soon as i got back from Seattle instead of capturing the video right away like i wanted to cuz he wanted to see the all the footage from my trip right away and when i finally got them back i just never got around to doing anything with them and now they're lost among my many boxes of crap.
additionally if there is any one who would like to share their thoughts on the train trip or the super trip feel free to send me a video, or an audio file (find a file host and pm me the link or mail me a disk or something) or if your local to the LA area arrange to meet so i can film you.
any video or photos you may have of past trips would also be welcome.
{Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
Also, already bought my PAX tickets and will buy train tickets this week after I get paid.
Also also, totally rocking the pokeymans this time.
Also also also, I HOPE WE GET GUS AGAIN CAUSE HE'S AWESOME!
{Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
I was thinking I might fly into Seattle instead on the 1st then take the train up to Seattle. It seems like so much fun, and it would be around the same price, a few dollars cheaper even! I would buy a return flight from Seattle back to New York. Then I would still need the 3 night Hotel room.
Do you think it is worth it to spend an extra day partying on the train meeting new people?
Note: I'm 18 (19 in december) and going alone. Will I feel left out on the train or will there be other people my age?
On the way up, definitely worth the trouble.
That being said, if you're splitting a hotel with 3 other people it will only run you around $40 a night for one of the nice PAX hotels. It shouldn't be anywhere near $500.
Organizer of the Post-PAX Party. You should come!
Satellite Theater for life!
I'm going alone, and I dont know how I feel about sharing a room with strangers.
Seriously. I've met some of my best friends on the train. PAX people are the best people. Forcing myself onto a moving metal tube with 100 other people who very frequently share my likes/dislikes/hobbies/sense of humor was the best thing I ever did.
It's almost unfair to call other PAXers strangers, because you already have so much in common by virtue of the fact that you're all going to PAX.
Organizer of the Post-PAX Party. You should come!
Satellite Theater for life!
No, no, I am fine with the train, just a bit unsure about sharing Hotel rooms is what im saying.
{Fondly remembers the PAXTrain}
Any requests as to colors or design elements this year?
As for the method of fabrication, I have a vendetta against Plastisol, which is that thick rubbery stuff that a lot of printers use. It is usually the cheapest option, but it makes the shirt uncomfortable and cracks after some wear. Without any specific numbers the question is, would you wear your PaxTrain shirt throughout the year if it were more comfortable/trendy but also a little pricier?
[EDIT] I didn't see that Slipstream had already offered t-shirt designs. If you guys want to either collaborate or have a no-holds-barred showdown, far be it from me to get in the way. I just know that Amanda made the shirts last year on pretty short notice, and I know she's been chomping at the bit to cook up something kickass ever since.