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Any tips for my first PAX visit?
Mr. White XD
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Pretty self explanatory, I'm signing up right now, although I need to get some of my shit together to get a press pass
I would like to know
-Best hotel to stay at, for a poor ass college student
-Where does the PA community go to eat
-Are the bars really strict on checking ID's?
And pretty much anything you guys who previously attended would have liked to know before your trip
I'm turning down a trip to Europe for this, and I don't think I'll regret it
I would like to know
-Best hotel to stay at, for a poor ass college student
-Where does the PA community go to eat
-Are the bars really strict on checking ID's?
And pretty much anything you guys who previously attended would have liked to know before your trip
I'm turning down a trip to Europe for this, and I don't think I'll regret it
Mr. White XD on
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Doesn't matter that much if you split it a bunch of ways. As we get closer to the date, check the PAX forum for a room share thread.
Subway. A lot of subway.
Mostly.
Do they give the people that are over 21 a wristband to get drinks, and let anyone over 18 in?
Washington state law does not allow people under 21 in (most) bars period. It is bad times for us college students. (Although restaurants do allow those under 21 so lots of 'bars' are actually defined as restaurants.)
I am 19 and have never tried sneaking into bars (yay for freinds in frats) but I would think they are quite strict at most.
So yeah likely bars proper are no option. Maybe hotel parties after PAX though
-Best hotel to stay at, for a poor ass college student?
As far as hotels spliting it many ways seems like a great idea, I will likely either do that myself. I dont know particulars as to where but at previous PAXs hotels offered deals which is great, and those deals mean that a large number of PAXers are at the hotel, which makes it doublely fun. Nerf @ Double Tree and all that.
-Where does the PA community go to eat?
Whatever is nearby generally. In Bellevue DQ was the place but now that we are in Seattle at a new and urban locallity I am not sure how it all will work. I would say follow the people with badges when you are there and figure it out. Also you should note that a pre PAX dinner had been arranged for last PAX and the same may happen this year, so you may want to keep an eye on the PAX subforum.
Edit: 208 days!
btw, how early do you guys get there? I was thinking you get there a day before it starts to get situated, or am I wrong?
Last year myself and 40+ PAXers went to see Snakes on a Plane before hand.
Hell yes.
^^My feeling for the whole damn movie and experience.
Sorry, it was obligatory
I was seventeen the first time I went, I had a blast. The community at PAX doesn't judge people by their physical age, but by their mental age. At one point last year I was hanging out in a group with this like 12 year old kid who swore more than I did.
If you're on the west coast, consider the train trip. For me, it was over $50 cheaper and I'll get to spend a day making a group of friends before PAX even starts.
DQ was the place to be, but it closed near the old location (PAX will be at a new location this year)
Subway was also a place to be, but PAX-Goers ran them right out of bread on more than one occaision.
People share rooms, in the last hundred days or so you'll see room signup threads in the PAX subforum, where people have bought a room for the weekend and are looking to split it with people, sometimes more people than the hotel typically allows in one room.
The hotel(s) may or may not enforce room limits and so forth, because pretty much the entire hotel will be PAX-Goers.
There are various SuperTrips which start sometimes thousands of miles from Seattle and travel as a convoy. There may be one starting near you with which you can hitch a ride (for gas money) or possibly drive and save some cash by getting riders.
I've heard that transportation isn't really a problem once you're there, as they have shuttles running between the event and the hotels during all of the open hours, and most other facilities (grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants) have been within walking distance.
Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of eats to choose from downtown. There's a few lackluster teriyaki joints and the Westlack Center food court (which ranges from terrible to OK). Westlake is also where you'll find the closest Subway.
However, the Dragonfish cafe is a couple of blocks away, and they have an excellent happy-hour menu ($2.00 for a california roll, that sort of thing). It's not bad, either.
From the Convention Center, walk up the hill about ten blocks and you'll find the Honey Hole, which has some fuckawesome sammiches. With equally fuckeawesome potato salad.
Walk towards the water about six blocks and you'll be at the Pike Place Market, the oldest still-active public market in the country. There's a hog-dog stand there that sells all kinds of sausages with German names, a humbow place that is both delicious and cheap, and various other shops and stands (including the world's first Starbucks, if you guys are fans).
There used to be a fantastic gyro shop that was in the area, too, but the lessors of the building didn't want a restaurant there anymore. Asses.
Pagliacci Pizza is pretty much the standard for ordering pizza in town, voted "best of Seattle" for about 25 years in a row now. The closest eatery is a little far off, unfortunately (on Broadway, about 30 blocks from the Convention Center). But if you feel like calling one in at your hotel, it can't be beat, and a large will feed 5-6 people. http://www.pagliacci.com/
Braza is a neat little place across the street from the Cinerama, and they have a good happy-hour menu as well. It's about 10 blocks north from the Convention Center.
Across from the Cinerama on the other side is Top Pot doughnuts. Fuck Krispy Kreme--Top Pot is where it's at.
Also, on the subject of bars. Yeah, you are going to be carded. However, the restaurants all allow minors, of course, so you can at least eat there. And there are all-ages shows too, most of 'em are denoted as so in the paper.
Public transportation is excellent in Seattle, and there's no place you can't to via bus. Especially since everyone's downtown now, which is the major transit hub. If you're flying/supertripping it in and are worried out getting around, don't sweat it.
Also, someone speculated in another thread that Seattle has all kinds of wacky laws regarding booze, so I'll clear that up. Alcohol of any kind isn't allowed for sale between 2AM and 10AM (or 6AM, can't remember... not that bars are open that early anyway). That means last call is 1:45ish, and grocery/convenience stores stop sales then. One can buy beer and wine in any grocery store, but liquor is only sold through state-run liquor stores, which are scattered around the city. They've open various hours: some close early, some stay open, and a few are open on Sunday. Here's the list. The one at 6th and Lenora is going to be the closest, followed by the one at 2nd and Seneca, and the Broadway store.
For all if your events-and-goings-on info, you can pick up a copy of the Stranger, which you'll find at many coffee shops and street corners. It's usually in a bright-blue newsbin. They're free, and they have all kinds of show listings, both all-ages and 21+, plus movie times, food reccommendations, and plenty of liberal newsrants.
The issue is it tends to close early, way before most days PAX will.
Yeah, but they open before PAX does, usually.