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PAX East 2016 Information, FAQ, and Q&A Thread (Ask Questions Here!)

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    schussschuss Registered User regular
    okayrene wrote: »
    Any good eatery recommendations for the area near the convention center or Hilton Boston Back Bay?

    Hilton Back Bay is right next to a LOT of awesome places. In one direction you have sweet cheeks, eastern standard and the rest of the Fens, in the other, Salty Pig, Bukowskis and the South End. You could eat at a different place for every meal and not run out of good spots.

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    InfiniteNuLLInfiniteNuLL Registered User regular
    edited February 2016
    tofulynn wrote: »
    I will be staying at the Embassy Suites Boston at Logan Airport Hotel. Is it a decent hotel even though it might be far away from the convention? Does it have free wif-fi? If anyone else is staying at this hotel, how do you plan on going back and forth between convention and hotel? What is the cheapest form of transportation? Uber, Lyft, shuttle?

    A group of 5 us will be staying there this year, there were 8 of us in 2 rooms last year. We missed the morning shuttle on Friday to the convention last year so we ended up taking the hotel shuttle to the air port (free) and taking the bus from there, which drops you off pretty much across the street. However, try to avoid that on Friday due to traffic. We were on the bus for quite some time.

    Rooms are decent sized, there's a pool and the hot tub is so nice to soak the feet in after walking around all day. A friend used his uber acount while we were there so I have no idea how much it really costs. There is wifi available, which is largely free as long as you don't try to suck their bandwidth with anything. Oh, and breakfast is included and it's buffet style with a LOT of food. Not just continental crap with just muffins. There was some chef there that made personal omlettes.

    InfiniteNuLL on
    FF14 - Failia Zebonaiza, Behemoth Server, FC: 404 Guild Not Found
    PAX East Attendee - 2015, 2016
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    SolanalesSolanales CMYKMatter Registered User regular
    tofulynn wrote: »
    I will be staying at the Embassy Suites Boston at Logan Airport Hotel. Is it a decent hotel even though it might be far away from the convention? Does it have free wif-fi? If anyone else is staying at this hotel, how do you plan on going back and forth between convention and hotel? What is the cheapest form of transportation? Uber, Lyft, shuttle?

    A group of 5 us will be staying there this year, there were 8 of us in 2 rooms last year. We missed the morning shuttle on Friday to the convention last year so we ended up taking the hotel shuttle to the air port (free) and taking the bus from there, which drops you off pretty much across the street. However, try to avoid that on Friday due to traffic. We were on the bus for quite some time.

    Rooms are decent sized, there's a pool and the hot tub is so nice to soak the feet in after walking around all day. A friend used his uber acount while we were there so I have no idea how much it really costs. There is wifi available, which is largely free as long as you don't try to suck their bandwidth with anything. Oh, and breakfast is included and it's buffet style with a LOT of food. Not just continental crap with just muffins. There was some chef there that made personal omlettes.

    From the airport to our hotel closer to the convention center was about 20 dollars with 3 people riding. It would be more for an "XL" to fit more than three people, but your biggest concern will be traffic. Getting close to the CC on those mornings in any sort of motorized vehicle is something special.


    P0P7S6y.png
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    okayreneokayrene Registered User regular
    Thanks guys!

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    klzklz Registered User regular
    Near the Renaissance and not to far from the Seaport is Legal Seafood's Test Kitchen that gets a good crowd, though my crew has always opted for No Name Seafood that happens to be near the Whiskey Priest and Seaport. We have gone there for dinner on Thursdays. Also tried Yankee Seafood which wasn't bad, but No Name has a more inviting sit down eating area.

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    rpgamer246rpgamer246 Registered User regular
    edited February 2016
    Karoneth wrote: »
    Oh wow! I take Garden State Parkway to it's end at the NY Throughway. As I leave in the AM, avoid the Turnpike and GW Bridge at rush hour! Take the Throughway east to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Then look for Huchinson Parkway exit on the right. It's a twisty hilly road but much less traffic than 95. It's 305 miles and 4 hours, 49 minutes from Lacey Twp in Ocean County NJ. Here's my Google Map to the Element! Stay on 15 almost until it ends then you go on 91, 84, and 90.

    If you are coming from south of Lacey Twp, exit 74, just take the Parkway up there and follow directions from there. This map will work for anyone coming from South or Central NJ.

    https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39.8662789,-74.2179898/41.0747825,-73.9199962/401+D+St,+Boston,+MA+02210/@40.2262782,-74.7274365,8.51z/data=!4m10!4m9!1m0!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e37a868a8a9c17:0x7c6873c6fca8a7d5!2m2!1d-71.045135!2d42.343023!3e0

    Dude thanks for this, I'm north of you from Perth amboy in middlesex county NJ, I took 95 last year and it was terrible, not making that same mistake again! And I'm staying at the aloft right next to the element so this is literally perfect!

    rpgamer246 on
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    KaronethKaroneth Elder Scrolling Online Co-Host Lakehurst, NJRegistered User regular
    Awesome! Yes, avoid Interstate 95 completely! Many GPS, or even Google Maps will take you that way. I manually redirect it to use this route. It's a pleasant drive if you don't mind hills, mountains, and a tunnel.

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    millerm277millerm277 Registered User regular
    Karoneth wrote: »
    Oh wow! I take Garden State Parkway to it's end at the NY Throughway. As I leave in the AM, avoid the Turnpike and GW Bridge at rush hour! Take the Throughway east to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Then look for Huchinson Parkway exit on the right. It's a twisty hilly road but much less traffic than 95. It's 305 miles and 4 hours, 49 minutes from Lacey Twp in Ocean County NJ. Here's my Google Map to the Element! Stay on 15 almost until it ends then you go on 91, 84, and 90.

    If you are coming from south of Lacey Twp, exit 74, just take the Parkway up there and follow directions from there. This map will work for anyone coming from South or Central NJ.

    https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39.8662789,-74.2179898/41.0747825,-73.9199962/401+D+St,+Boston,+MA+02210/@40.2262782,-74.7274365,8.51z/data=!4m10!4m9!1m0!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e37a868a8a9c17:0x7c6873c6fca8a7d5!2m2!1d-71.045135!2d42.343023!3e0

    One caveat is to check Waze/traffic before taking it. The Hutchinson/Merritt are *usually* better than 95. But if there's an accident or disabled car, you're basically doomed because most of the road is narrow lanes with no shoulder.

    If there is an accident/issue, I'd generally recommend 684->84 over 95.

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    whypick1whypick1 PAX [E] Info Booth Manager ~2' from an LCDRegistered User regular
    An FYI for those who have asked, Enforcer applications are now up:

    Is it PAX <insert nearest future PAX here> yet?
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    Canderson1989Canderson1989 Registered User regular
    ^Thank you so much. I've applied just now and I'm really hoping that she'll accept me. It'll be my first year Enforcing and the very first convention I help contribute towards providing a great show for fans. Absolutely can not wait. Haha!

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    GhostDanGhostDan Registered User regular
    millerm277 wrote: »
    Karoneth wrote: »
    Oh wow! I take Garden State Parkway to it's end at the NY Throughway. As I leave in the AM, avoid the Turnpike and GW Bridge at rush hour! Take the Throughway east to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Then look for Huchinson Parkway exit on the right. It's a twisty hilly road but much less traffic than 95. It's 305 miles and 4 hours, 49 minutes from Lacey Twp in Ocean County NJ. Here's my Google Map to the Element! Stay on 15 almost until it ends then you go on 91, 84, and 90.

    If you are coming from south of Lacey Twp, exit 74, just take the Parkway up there and follow directions from there. This map will work for anyone coming from South or Central NJ.

    https://www.google.com/maps/dir/39.8662789,-74.2179898/41.0747825,-73.9199962/401+D+St,+Boston,+MA+02210/@40.2262782,-74.7274365,8.51z/data=!4m10!4m9!1m0!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x89e37a868a8a9c17:0x7c6873c6fca8a7d5!2m2!1d-71.045135!2d42.343023!3e0

    One caveat is to check Waze/traffic before taking it. The Hutchinson/Merritt are *usually* better than 95. But if there's an accident or disabled car, you're basically doomed because most of the road is narrow lanes with no shoulder.

    If there is an accident/issue, I'd generally recommend 684->84 over 95.

    Just one other note, if your car/truck/whatever has commercial plates you are not allowed on most of the parkways in NY and CT.

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    VGguy49VGguy49 Registered User regular
    If I have a question that isn't about PAX specifically but more the surrounding city, should I post it here or make a separate thread?

    Wishes he could change his username
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    KaronethKaroneth Elder Scrolling Online Co-Host Lakehurst, NJRegistered User regular
    Surrounding area such as hotels, transport, food, activities etc should be valid topics, we've been discussing some of that already, ask away I'd say!

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    zerzhulzerzhul Registered User, Moderator mod
    If you want to delve deeper on some of those topics, they can probably keep a thread of their own alive, but just one-offs should stick to here so we don't have loads and loads of single question thread clutter.

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    minikttyminiktty New YorkRegistered User new member
    Can anyone recommend hotels on the T line? I don't know the area that well. Thanks Kindly!

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    schussschuss Registered User regular
    Any Back Bay or Airport hotel will likely work. Further out you would need to look at the T map.

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    GhostDanGhostDan Registered User regular
    miniktty wrote: »
    Can anyone recommend hotels on the T line? I don't know the area that well. Thanks Kindly!

    Yea. The T is actually the name for the entire subway system in Boston that covers Boston proper and some of the bordering cities (revere, braintree, etc). Your best option is to use google maps and see where the closest stop is to the hotel you are at. Most won't be far.

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    VGguy49VGguy49 Registered User regular
    Does anyone know of any good retro gaming stores in Boston? Wasnt sure if this was really worth a new thread so I am posing it here

    Wishes he could change his username
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    StockBreakStockBreak Registered User regular
    I just received this email:
    Greetings!

    We see you’ve registered for PAX East 2016 AND you ticked the little box that said you were interested in participating in the Omegathon! We're in the middle of choosing our OMEGANAUTS for the show, but I suppose there's a chance you might be scratching your head not knowing what an OMEGANAUT is.

    The OMEGATHON is our show-long, multi-genre gaming competition, where we have 32 randomly selected attendees battle it out across multiple rounds for the grand prize of a trip to any other PAX in the world!

    So if you’re down for the challenge, sign up here for the random drawing!

    But I haven't registered for Pax East 2016. The last Pax I registered for and attended was East 2014. I assume this email was sent by accident to the wrong list. Just wanted to make you all aware of it.

    Apologies if the problem has already been posted and addressed (I didn't see anything skimming the front page of this forum)

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    whypick1whypick1 PAX [E] Info Booth Manager ~2' from an LCDRegistered User regular
    Is it PAX <insert nearest future PAX here> yet?
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    MarioManiacMarioManiac Registered User regular
    VGguy49 wrote: »
    Does anyone know of any good retro gaming stores in Boston? Wasnt sure if this was really worth a new thread so I am posing it here

    Yes there is a place called Sudden Impact in Winthrop that has alot of classic stuff. They even had a booth at the expo too! http://suddenimpact.comcastbiz.net/6212.html

    "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 mph, you're gonna see some serious shit!"
    signature_zpsh4qstnbp.png
    https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/MarioManiac
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    aBByNormaLaBByNormaL Registered User regular
    Looks great but their site says 10 minutes from downtown. Seems a hell of a lot more involved than 10 minutes given change to bus from Blueline when I scoped it out on a map. Have you made the trip from downtown before. Is it as simple as they make it out.

    PAX East 2016 .... gots my Passes [x] Hotel [x] Flights [x] Packed [..] .... ok we're all good !!!!!
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    MrBroadstoneMrBroadstone Registered User regular
    edited February 2016
    The bus from the blue line to Winthrop appears to have a 45 min cycle on the weekend. You could be standing at the blue line stop up to 45 min just to catch that bus.

    Oh and that store is going to be a vendor at PAX East 2016, so just go to their booth.

    MrBroadstone on
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    MarioManiacMarioManiac Registered User regular
    GhostDan wrote: »
    miniktty wrote: »
    Can anyone recommend hotels on the T line? I don't know the area that well. Thanks Kindly!

    Yea. The T is actually the name for the entire subway system in Boston that covers Boston proper and some of the bordering cities (revere, braintree, etc). Your best option is to use google maps and see where the closest stop is to the hotel you are at. Most won't be far.

    There is a Motel 6 about a block away from the Braintree Red Line stop. Braintree is the southern terminus of the Red Line on the Braintree branch.

    "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 mph, you're gonna see some serious shit!"
    signature_zpsh4qstnbp.png
    https://www.pinnypals.com/pals/MarioManiac
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    CtrlAltDftCtrlAltDft Luis Registered User regular
    Has anyone seen vendors with 3DS accessories in the past? I'm buying a New 3DS and was hoping to pick up some charms, faceplates, or stickers at PAX.

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    pelicanflippelicanflip Registered User regular
    CtrlAltDft wrote: »
    Has anyone seen vendors with 3DS accessories in the past? I'm buying a New 3DS and was hoping to pick up some charms, faceplates, or stickers at PAX.

    There's always been at least a couple vendors who specialize in selling 3DS accessories, including Japanese imports.

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    tipsy_tommotipsy_tommo Registered User regular
    I'm attending a show at the Wilbur Theatre on Friday night. I'm not from the area and this will be my first time there. Can anyone that's attended the show there tell me what it's like? I'm mainly looking for info on what kind of area the theatre is in (safety level), drink prices, and how much room I'll have in my seat. I'm in Section B (my seat is a chair at one of the tables on the main floor)

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    moggdmoggd Registered User regular
    Does anyone know what kind of food options are near the Seaport Hotel and the convention center itself?

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    ClannMorganClannMorgan Registered User regular
    edited February 2016
    There are a lot of restaurants like Legals Test Kitchen, Mortons Steakhouse, City Bar - inside the Westin, Salvatore's...just to name a few.

    ClannMorgan on
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    sniper_kingsniper_king Registered User regular
    edited February 2016
    Is the pokecrawl not a thing anymore? I was just curious

    zerzhul on
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    KaronethKaroneth Elder Scrolling Online Co-Host Lakehurst, NJRegistered User regular
    Don't forget Whiskey Priest!

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    GhostDanGhostDan Registered User regular
    I'm attending a show at the Wilbur Theatre on Friday night. I'm not from the area and this will be my first time there. Can anyone that's attended the show there tell me what it's like? I'm mainly looking for info on what kind of area the theatre is in (safety level), drink prices, and how much room I'll have in my seat. I'm in Section B (my seat is a chair at one of the tables on the main floor)

    Not sure what show you are referring to, but I've been at Wilbur theater a number of times. The street it's on (Tremont) is pretty safe. The Floating Hospital is right behind it, along with other theaters on the same street. If you wander far from there you get into china town and other areas of the city that could be less safe late at night (although Boston overall is pretty safe).

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    moggdmoggd Registered User regular
    Thanks. I've got another question about the PC free play room. Is there usually a line to use the PCs and does it fill up often? I really want to do some PC gaming but I don't want to pay to have my computer shipped for BYOC if I don't need to.

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    whypick1whypick1 PAX [E] Info Booth Manager ~2' from an LCDRegistered User regular
    From last year's stats, the average wait time was ~10 minutes.

    Is it PAX <insert nearest future PAX here> yet?
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    jdixon1972jdixon1972 Registered User regular
    Yeh, I did it several times last year and the wait times were never bad. As a matter of fact, the whole process ran really smoothly.

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    CtrlAltDftCtrlAltDft Luis Registered User regular
    moggd wrote: »
    Thanks. I've got another question about the PC free play room. Is there usually a line to use the PCs and does it fill up often? I really want to do some PC gaming but I don't want to pay to have my computer shipped for BYOC if I don't need to.

    In the past there has been an hour limit per session in PC free play so if you play a MOBA, CSGO, or something else that is time-intensive and you have others relying on you, PC free play may not be the best.

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    schussschuss Registered User regular
    GhostDan wrote: »
    I'm attending a show at the Wilbur Theatre on Friday night. I'm not from the area and this will be my first time there. Can anyone that's attended the show there tell me what it's like? I'm mainly looking for info on what kind of area the theatre is in (safety level), drink prices, and how much room I'll have in my seat. I'm in Section B (my seat is a chair at one of the tables on the main floor)

    Not sure what show you are referring to, but I've been at Wilbur theater a number of times. The street it's on (Tremont) is pretty safe. The Floating Hospital is right behind it, along with other theaters on the same street. If you wander far from there you get into china town and other areas of the city that could be less safe late at night (although Boston overall is pretty safe).

    Boston, by and large, is a very safe place as cities go. Especially if you're going to a show and will be moving about when others are in terms of the show getting out. As mentioned, if you start going deep into certain parts of China Town it can get a little sketchy, but it's nothing like other cities where there's places you just don't go.

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    zerzhulzerzhul Registered User, Moderator mod
    Is the pokecrawl not a thing anymore? I was just curious
    it probably is still a thing

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    HazelHalfBloodHazelHalfBlood Unapologetic Dungeons and Dragons Enthusiast New HampshireRegistered User regular
    moggd wrote: »
    Does anyone know what kind of food options are near the Seaport Hotel and the convention center itself?

    At the Seaport there is a bar and a restaurant. Both are good but pricey. Across the street there is a Dunkin and a 7/11 which is lovely to have for late night snacking needs. Around the convention center there are some food trucks (although I have never visited them I've heard they are really good) and normally a hot pocket van. If you don't want to leave the convention there is convention food but be warned! It can get expensive! If you have to eat in the convention center go to the cafeteria. You can get a full meal for an ok price.

    Remember to hydrate throughout the day too!!

    PAX Unplugged 2018 .... We Have Our...Passes [X] Hotel [X] Bus [..] Packed [..]

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    Proud Cookie Brigade Supporter
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    deestardeestar [E]nforcer PAXEast Vermont Registered User regular
    BCEC also runs a lunch trolley that runs I believe between 10 and 2 out of the East (?) entrance- they go out every hour on the hour to places like the No Name Restaurant, Legal Seafood, Pearls, and PF Changs along with a ton of other restaurants and best of all you get a bit of the Boston Trolley Tour and its free.

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