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

Crippl3

Have they called Omeganauts yet? Or does that happen closer to the event?

zerzhul

Crippl3 wrote: »

Have they called Omeganauts yet? Or does that happen closer to the event?

Not yet! keep an eye on the various pax twitters and Robert Khoo's twitter for when this happens.

nolins12

Hey there, three friends and I are looking for somewhere to stay during our time at PAX this year. We are all college students so we don't have a ton of money to blow on a hotel, in previous years we had stayed with relatives but this time we will be 21 so we want to take advantage of all the after-parties and what not. I was wondering how reasonable it would be to try to get a hotel somewhere outside of Boston that maybe would be cheaper, but with easy access to the T so we could be out late but still get home without driving. I used to live in southern Mass when i was younger but I am not all that familiar with the geography of Boston associated with the T.

Is this a solid plan? If so does anyone have recommendations of some farther out hotels with easy T access?

Thanks a ton!

sfford2008

nolins12 wrote: »

Hey there, three friends and I are looking for somewhere to stay during our time at PAX this year. We are all college students so we don't have a ton of money to blow on a hotel, in previous years we had stayed with relatives but this time we will be 21 so we want to take advantage of all the after-parties and what not. I was wondering how reasonable it would be to try to get a hotel somewhere outside of Boston that maybe would be cheaper, but with easy access to the T so we could be out late but still get home without driving. I used to live in southern Mass when i was younger but I am not all that familiar with the geography of Boston associated with the T.

Is this a solid plan? If so does anyone have recommendations of some farther out hotels with easy T access?

Thanks a ton!

You could even try staying in the Hostels that are in boston. That way you don't need to trek outside the city. You can get a bed for like $50 a night. Obviously it is hostel living and not a hotel room, but if you are looking for cheap place to stay that is definitely an option. Plus the T closing early may not make your life easier in terms of "saving money".

http://www.hostels.com/boston/usa

If there is 4 of you it still may be worth it just to grab a hotel in Boston. I know it sounds like a lot of money, but you can get a room for 4 and each throw in like $200 a piece, and probablly have a better experience than trying to rush to get to the T.

monkosh

T does not run all night. Last trip out is around 2 AM so plan accordingly.

If looking to save a few dollars, start by make a post on PA's room share and on reddit.

I would look at the hostels near downtown boston if you can swing it but your numbers may not work. http://www.hostels.com/boston/usa

Embassy Suites Boston at Logan Airport through OnPeak would be 190 a night and is roughly 30 min to the con and 20 minutes to downtown boston. Boston Park Plaza Hotel would be 218 a night and be right in down town.

Also priceline and hotwire have some deals. Keep an eye on both them. I got the revere last year for 106 a night.
On hotwire there is a Cambridge hotel for $125 a night that i believe to be Best Western and about 45 min to downtown and the con center by the T.

schuss

nolins12 wrote: »

Hey there, three friends and I are looking for somewhere to stay during our time at PAX this year. We are all college students so we don't have a ton of money to blow on a hotel, in previous years we had stayed with relatives but this time we will be 21 so we want to take advantage of all the after-parties and what not. I was wondering how reasonable it would be to try to get a hotel somewhere outside of Boston that maybe would be cheaper, but with easy access to the T so we could be out late but still get home without driving. I used to live in southern Mass when i was younger but I am not all that familiar with the geography of Boston associated with the T.

Is this a solid plan? If so does anyone have recommendations of some farther out hotels with easy T access?

Thanks a ton!

What colleges? If you're in any clubs/activities, see if there's some students in Boston who do something similar that will let you couch surf for beer. Boston has 150k+ college students.

VGguy49

Any estimated date as for when badges ship?

Karoneth

Usually no sooner than 2-3 weeks before PAX.

Kirby4Life

Sorry if this has been asked before but is there a Thursday pickup for badges like in PAX AUS??

aBByNormaL

Kirby4Life wrote: »

Sorry if this has been asked before but is there a Thursday pickup for badges like in PAX AUS??

My recollection of 2014 is that there was a Thursday pickup ... I did will call that year and can recall being at the BCEC the day before.

okayrene

Is there a way to be notified the moment Pokecrawl tickets go on sale?

whypick1

Kirby4Life wrote: »

Sorry if this has been asked before but is there a Thursday pickup for badges like in PAX AUS??

Yes we will have Thursday Will Call, probably ~noon to 6PM.

okayrene wrote: »

Is there a way to be notified the moment Pokecrawl tickets go on sale?

Follow the Pokecrawl thread.

okayrene

whypick1 wrote: »

Follow the Pokecrawl thread.

It looks closed.

whypick1

That's last year's thread. This year's hasn't come up yet.

okayrene

whypick1 wrote: »

That's last year's thread. This year's hasn't come up yet.

Right, and I'm assuming they go on sale at the same time this year's thread goes up?

zerzhul

No. Usually the thread will be posted and will tell you when tickets will go on sale.

3ricG

Historically, my friends and I have taken the train from Philly to Boston, and back. This year, we're thinking about renting a ~12 seat van (there's 12 of us) and driving up/back. Has anyone done a trip like this? We think it could be fun, and relatively cheap, since gas prices are pretty low right now (train tickets are about $140 round trip, per person; this could potentially be <$100 per person). I just want to know if anyone has done this, was it worth it, or are we getting ourselves into something terrible :biggrin:

Karoneth

Not sure what the rental price will be, you'll have to consider the miles, that will be the big hurdle. BUT at $1,680 of train tickets, let's say gas is $150 for your trip, $30? for tolls, that leaves $1,500 for the rental. So I think it's a win! Could save your group a lot of money.
As for time, it's probably 6.5 hours or less of a trip, and maybe only two tanks up and two back or less. When I go in my car I fillup only one when I get to Boston, I come from central NJ and the ride is not bad at all. Recommend you take the Tappan Zee bridge and take Rt 15, and avoid Rt 95. If you want more info on the route I drive let me know.

aBByNormaL

Other things to consider with a vehicle, larger vehicles like that burn more gas and are less efficient than a car so I think the $150 gas estimate is too conservative though not sure what distance is there and back. Each fill up will be about 60-75 at a best guess. Vans have larger gas tanks similar to pickups. Another factor will be parking which if I recall other discussions is not cheap depending on where you go.

Karoneth

I did the trip (similar distance) on $50 in gas last year so I was going on that, tripling it despite lower gas prices, so $150 may cover it. You are right on parking though, I would assume $35 per night or so for that, but again assuming the rental is under $1000 then they are saving almost $500 by taking the van whereupon that pays for a lot of parking.
I took the train for 2014 and while it was convenient, it took a long time to get there and back (8 hour trip each way) whereas driving was under 6 hours, and we paid even more than $140 per person I think, maybe $150 round trip (we took the Acela Express one way but still overall trip was like 8 hours as had a transfer).

aBByNormaL

I defer to you good sir ....

Karoneth

Gas is cheap now in NJ, possibly moreso than in many parts. They could also consider airlines, but that could be over $100 per person as well. I'm just partial to driving after two trips to Boston taking the train and one taking the car. Road trips can be fun if you have others with you. Solo, not as much. If you actually live in the city where the Amtrak station is, that may tilt the train in your favor. For instance, NYC to Boston can be as quick as 3.5 hours on their fastest trains. For me to go into NYC by train though is 2.5 more hours. If you are located in Philly 3ricG, the train might be faster than driving, but will still be more costly.

3ricG

That's why we are considering it for this year With gas under $2/gallon, and the overall savings, it seems like it will be way cheaper lol. I'll have to look into the rental info a bit more, but what route do you take, Karoneth? We're actually coming from South Jersey, so we'd probably end up following a similar, if not the same route you normally take. Definitely want to avoid any major traffic hurdles that we wouldn't expect, having never driven past NYC haha!

Karoneth

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

3ricG

Awesome, thanks! We'll probably be leaving ~3am/4am to try and beat traffic. Since I'm in the Western part of South Jersey, I'll probably hop on 295/NJ Turnpike until I cross the Garden State Parkway. This seems like a pretty easy route too, thanks for the Google maps link!

Karoneth

Your plan sounds great, glad I could help.

BigDumbHippy

3ricG wrote: »

That's why we are considering it for this year With gas under $2/gallon, and the overall savings, it seems like it will be way cheaper lol. I'll have to look into the rental info a bit more, but what route do you take, Karoneth? We're actually coming from South Jersey, so we'd probably end up following a similar, if not the same route you normally take. Definitely want to avoid any major traffic hurdles that we wouldn't expect, having never driven past NYC haha!

look into flying. I've flown in from philly a few times and payed 60 bucks each way. while you're not saving much you get there in about an hour.

stardust462

3ricG wrote: »

Historically, my friends and I have taken the train from Philly to Boston, and back. This year, we're thinking about renting a ~12 seat van (there's 12 of us) and driving up/back. Has anyone done a trip like this? We think it could be fun, and relatively cheap, since gas prices are pretty low right now (train tickets are about $140 round trip, per person; this could potentially be <$100 per person). I just want to know if anyone has done this, was it worth it, or are we getting ourselves into something terrible :biggrin:

I think with 12 of you and current gas prices it makes a lot of sense. Parking is expensive though - where are you staying? There might be a cheaper option in the area that locals can suggest.

tofulynn

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?

MrBroadstone

Cheapest transportation from there is actually to go back to terminal and take MBTA bus SL-1 and get off at World Trade Center Station. That's free on mass transit, but the opposite direction does cost money.

Karoneth

Those Silver Line buses run very regularly as well. Schedule here: http://www.mbta.com/
They are electric buses, and if that isn't odd enough, for part of their run they run underground like a subway, but one on tires in a tunnel.

Tip: When you arrive at the WTC station, go all the way to the top of the station to exit. That will put you on the bridge going right to the convention center. Also, 7-day CharliePasses are $19 for unlimited rides on the T system if you expect to do a lot of riding on it.

LesStewart

First off, I don't know how to forum so please be patient with me:

- When did PAX East tickets go on sale? Just curious to know how to follow this better in the future. I was lucky in 2013 with PAX East because I was still in university and needed an escape; so I was able to follow Penny Arcade to a now unrealistic extent.

- I only got to PAX Prime because of Club PA via never miss an email syndrome. So how would you guys recommend that I try and get tickets in the future? Is there an email list for Club PA or interested individuals to give them a heads-up for ticket sales? I've been a member since it started with some gaps random gaps. Always re-up because Penny Arcade means enough to me when I get the time.

- Lord know I would stay up all night to get them, but I can't dedicate the time to following Twitter compulsively for months on end. That being said, if there is an approximate date when they are generally announced as going on sale, I'll do my best to keep up during that time.

Thanks for your time and patience if you chose to read this post. PAX means a lot to me personally and has marked some of the most positive moments in my life over the last couple of years. I don't want to miss out on another PAX if I can afford it, so any tips are greatly appreciated.

PurpleBek

On a smart phone, you can set up mobile notifications for twitter accounts when they post something. That's the only reason I got tickets this year.

Kilonum

You can also set up twitter to send you text message notifications for certain accounts.

LesStewart

PurpleBek wrote: »

On a smart phone, you can set up mobile notifications for twitter accounts when they post something. That's the only reason I got tickets this year.

Thanks for letting me know. I had all of my notifications for Twitter disabled and didn't have everything linked to my current number. That will help for a number of things; thanks for the awesome advice.

aBByNormaL

In terms of when tickets go on sale ... generally I think it has been early November though there is no hard and fast rule I know that I start stalking the forums end of October early November and like others I follow Pax on Twitter and rkhoo (with notifications on).

Karoneth

LesStewart wrote: »

Thanks for letting me know. I had all of my notifications for Twitter disabled and didn't have everything linked to my current number. That will help for a number of things; thanks for the awesome advice.

Don't despair if you need a pass for 2016, you may locate somebody selling one online, although not in these forums here and you have to be careful it is not a scam.

For PAX East 2017, you'll want to have alerts turned on for the @Official_PAX and @rkhoo accounts. Usually one of those two gets the passes on sale notifications out first. But you probably want to wait until at least the middle of September to do that. Passes for PAX East will go on sale typically mid September through mid December. Also keep an eye on these forums and the official PAX site. A final tip is passes usually go on sale on the hour, between 10 AM and 5 PM ET on a weekday during those months. I hope all of this helps you score a set of passes for next year!

okayrene

Any good eatery recommendations for the area near the convention center or Hilton Boston Back Bay?

Karoneth

Giving up all my PAX East secrets today it seems. LOL. Favorite place for lunch for me near the BCEC is Whiskey Priest, just NW of the Seaport Hotel. I can't compare it to the other Irish pub in the area, MJ O'Connor's, as they always have such a long line I've never actually eaten there. But food and drink at Whiskey Priest is great. Best breakfast in the area is the Seaport Hotel's breakfast buffet, but it's pricey at $20. And for dinner, typically once per PAX on Sunday night we eat at a fancier, high priced place to have a really awesome meal with our friends and celebrate the fun we had a PAX. For that, near the BCEC there is a Morton's Steakhouse just east of the Seaport Hotel, but again, its quite costly. For cheaper fare, east of the BCEC is a Jimmy Johns we are trying out this year, and near Whiskey Priest is a 7-11 and Dunkin Donuts, both serving quick hot sandwiches.

Kilonum

Too many to list as far as the Hilton, Back Bay is where all of the restaurants are clustered.