Do anniversaries count? My hubs and my 15th Anniversary is March 15th. How are we celebrating? A weekend getaway to PAX East, of course!
Last year was my first PAX and I have been aching to return ever since. I hadn't believed those who said it was 'home' ... and then I walked through the doors Saturday morning.
Definitely going to try and make the trek to the East. Being from Seattle, and being 18 yrs. old, I'm pretty sure my friends won't be willing to tag along due to costs. I went to PAX 2010 w/ a friend, and it did heighten the experience, but I wasn't able to really do the stuff I wanted to do. I think going to PAX East alone will be a good experience.
I went to PAX 2010 w/ a friend, and it did heighten the experience, but I wasn't able to really do the stuff I wanted to do. I think going to PAX East alone will be a good experience.
Yeah I had the same issue. I went to East 2010 with 5 friends and felt like I got robbed out of my experience a bit. I had planned on going to Prime solo but had to replace my truck. Definitely doing East 2011 solo.
I went to PAX 2010 w/ a friend, and it did heighten the experience, but I wasn't able to really do the stuff I wanted to do. I think going to PAX East alone will be a good experience.
Yeah I had the same issue. I went to East 2010 with 5 friends and felt like I got robbed out of my experience a bit. I had planned on going to Prime solo but had to replace my truck. Definitely doing East 2011 solo.
Yeah, going with PAX virgins makes them wanna be close to eachother at all times, thus suffocating you of your time to take in the awesomeness. But going with 1 other experienced person with completely different schedules and things they wanted to do: means maximum capacity for AWESOME!
Yeah I went solo this time myself and got to do everything I wanted short of schedule permitting it.
I had friends around and roomies that I would see randomly throughout the time and hung out with some nights but we never were clingers.
If you do come with pax virgin tell them to talk to other people and that you're breaking off for the day.
PAX East 2010 was my first and I stuck close to both of my friends who were also PAX virgins. Didn't diversify much or make friends with other, not sure how much I missed out on.
I reserved a room at the Renaissance back in July when I saw the PAX East dates. They had the best prices and being in short walking distance is a plus with my cane. I'm really hoping the travel desk has good rates for the center's hotel because no walk to my hotel would be even better.
I remember the 0.0 blocks to event location the Sheraton gave off for the Hynes Convention Center... and how it always shocked you whenever you moved about the carpeted hallways; it was quite fun actually, we'd make a game out of it, whoever got shocked less won. So we're constantly touching the door frames, handles, and other metal things to ground ourselves. Let's see what BCEC hotels got (can I has less than or equal to $165 and not $300?).
I'm rather tempted by PAX East. PAX Prime was great, and while the people I went with think if we're going to travel that far (from the UK) we might as well go to Prime... East is 3 hours less jetlag, £100 less plane fares, and HALF the travel time (due to the magic of schedules). I do want to see what the hotel setup is like, though. The Homewood Suites in Seattle were awesome, and I'm reluctant to pay what looks like the same or more, for less...
Don't be too discouraged if the convention center hotels are too pricey. There are plenty of options in Boston and the surrounding area and much more parking by the BCEC than there was at last year's venue.
If you're going to spread your search out away from the convention center itself I'd recommend keeping a subway map handy because often in Boston physical proximity isn't as important as 'public transit distance'.
I just saw a virtual tour of the BCEC, and all I can say is DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. I didn't realize it was THAT big. (#thatswhatshesaid) As for the convention hotels, I say wait for them to open up the PAX Travel Desk for us. It's probably going to be the best bet for cheaper hotels. The only other suggestion I'd give you for that is to find someone to split costs with now.
juju[E] Line Entertainment!Brookline, MARegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
Silver Line is a bus, not a train. I personally hate it (I live off the Red Line and I prefer to avoid it when traveling to-from the airport). It's slow and stops way too much, especially since no one at the airport knows how to pay the fare efficiently and when it converts from electric/diesel it can take upwards of 3-4 minutes. I take the Blue Line shuttle, which is quicker, but could be confusing if you're not from the area. It involves more transfers but will cut off 15-20 minutes off your travel time, at least.
Yes, they run in both directions. Depending on where you are staying though, local buses can be more convenient to get you where you wanna go. Also, a 7-day pass is $15 but comes out on a ticket (not those plastic cards they mailed with the last PAX badge although those cards can hold 7-days in special circumstances) so unlimited travel on Red/Silver/other lines + buses.
juju on
PAX East '10-16 Pokecrawl || Team Green's Awesome PokeProf! PAX Prime '10-'13 Triwizard Drinking Tournament || Hufflepuff Head of House! Twitter: @jujukoo
[E]
there is a hotel that Im looking at near the redline ashmont station.
From the way the terminal maps look, I could go from ashmont to south station, then switch to the silver line for 2 or so stops to the world trade station, and hop off a couple blocks from bcec.
on my way back, I'd just take the silverline the opposite way back to south station, unless the buses just go one way... then it'd be tricky... maybe just take a cab or something since it'd be like 12am when I'd go back to the hotel...
edit** hmm... in hindsight... it's a mile walk from the hotel to ashmont. no big deal in the morning, but aint no way am I walking a mile in the concrete jungle at 12am. I'll take the taxi. Im assuming 5miles is about 20-30bucks with tip?
Thanks to all the locals posting information about the area. I'm copying it all to reference later when planning starts and I'm sure its going to make things quite a bit easier
I'll be going with some friends but will definitely be trying to experience more outside of the con, explore the city some.
I would caution against staying in the Ashmont area. It's not the safest place in the city. So if you're thinking of moving out along the red line I'd suggest the Braintree or Alewife directions.
The trains stop running at... 11:30ish? (it's easy enough to look up online, I'm just lazy) Also, cabs can be pretty pricey. It's worth thinking about when to save a few bucks you're tacking an extra $40/day on in cab rides.
realisticradical on
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juju[E] Line Entertainment!Brookline, MARegistered Userregular
there is a hotel that Im looking at near the redline ashmont station.
From the way the terminal maps look, I could go from ashmont to south station, then switch to the silver line for 2 or so stops to the world trade station, and hop off a couple blocks from bcec.
on my way back, I'd just take the silverline the opposite way back to south station, unless the buses just go one way... then it'd be tricky... maybe just take a cab or something since it'd be like 12am when I'd go back to the hotel...
It does run the opposite way. Also if the weather is nice it's a VERY easy walk from South Station.
edit** hmm... in hindsight... it's a mile walk from the hotel to ashmont. no big deal in the morning, but aint no way am I walking a mile in the concrete jungle at 12am. I'll take the taxi. Im assuming 5miles is about 20-30bucks with tip?
thanks for your help so far!
Famous last words. That is NOT a nice area to walk through. Ashmont itself is okay but the space between it is literally the ghetto and relatively unsafe.
If you can find a hotel near JFK/UMass that would be close for distance in terms of cabbing and a few have shuttles to the Red Line too. If you don't mind ponying up the money for a cab to get to Ashmont and it's a good deal then go right on ahead. It's the space in between I'm concerned about.
juju on
PAX East '10-16 Pokecrawl || Team Green's Awesome PokeProf! PAX Prime '10-'13 Triwizard Drinking Tournament || Hufflepuff Head of House! Twitter: @jujukoo
[E]
i swear neither one of us has gone 3 days without saying something about how we can't wait for paxeast next year.
it looks like we'll be booking at the Renaissance, its significantly cheaper than the Westin and a very short walk. [of course we'll be keeping an eye on the Travel Desk when that opens up]
looks like this year we might fly in that Wednesday and peruse Boston before the pre-pax events start up.
We both fell in love with the city and were kind of sad we didn't have time to explore like we wanted to last year. [although we did find an AWESOME sushi bar a short walk from the Hynes]
have to say i'm EXTREMELY excited, and am constantly checking, and rechecking, hotels and flights to make sure i'm keeping up with the best deals.
Not to mention costume planning. I'm probably going to join Team Blue again this year in the PubCrawl, so i need to figure out a different pokemon to go as.
well, since ashmont is a jungle between moinessy ave and ashmont station,
what does the Revere area look like? specifically about a mile around the Revere Station on the Blue Line?
The aerial map on mapquest looks like residential/light commercial.
The area directly around Wonderland station:
The beach is on one side. What's left of the now shuttered Wonderland racing track is on the other side. There's a shopping plaza left of the Wonderland side of the station (short walk but you have get past a rotary and cross the street, and if you haven't heard of a rotary, there's a reason we call them suicide circles here in MA). The shopping plaza has a Stop & Shop, Dots, Hair Cuttery, Post Office, a Staples, and a 99 restaurant.
The beach side has the beach up a slight hill, with residential and some food spots to the left and right along the beach.
Lots of paved road in the area. The hotel closest to the train station is a walk (take you a good 10 or 15 minutes if you're fast, and remember, it's going to be cold) and I would not call that particular area too friendly to walk around in at night (the beach side you might be able to get away with (state police barracks is there) but the other side is a big parking lot and a lot of nothing.
There is a shuttle that runs from the hotel to the airport, but I do not know the details on the shuttle service. The hotel bar is called Margarita's.
There are many bus lines running in and out of Revere. They can take you from Wonderland to Maverick station and also to Wonderland station, but it would be faster to take the subway to those stops.
Beachmont station is just north of Wonderland. It's the closest to the beach, but there's an MGH clinic attached to it. As you move further north there's more homes and small businesses, parks, etc.
Elsewhere in Revere: The other major hotel I know of in Revere is on Rte. 60 in the Northgate Plaza. It's a 4 Seasons if I remember correctly. There's a Bisuteki in there as well, with an Uno's next door. There are multiple food options on both sides of the stretch of road that Northgate covers, but if you cross the street, remember that it's a major highway and it's not designed for pedestrian crossing (only 2 spots on the road where a person could cross with a guarantee stoppage of traffic).
yea, I think the Revere area will suffice. since I plan on driving to MA, I *might* be able to park near one of the subway terminals in the area if I really needed to.
I guess the big question on everyone's mind is:
Which buroughs, or areas would be considered safe enough to walk around at midnight-200a?
By yourself?
With two?
A group?
I just booked with the Marriott Renaissance Waterfront for $108 a night. I just had to book at the Hotels website and submit a claim for a lower rate at gtahotels.com ($144 per Night.) They give an extra 25% off the lower rate when you submit a claim. [144-(144*.25)]=108 8-)
Something that I thought of that would be a key thing to consider: if we want to stay for the concerts, but the buses to our hotels stop at midnight, what can we do? There doesn't seem to be a lot of hotels near BCEC.
There aren't. I do know that many shuttles do make stops at the BCEC and the Westin. I do not know who sets that up, though (is it the convention or do the individual hotels, and even some restaurants, do it on their own).
It does end around midnight, though. Remember, Boston isn't a 24 hour city. The financial district shuts down at 7pm. The livelier parts of town close at 2am. The T stops between midnight and 1am (depending on which stop you're at. Although I would suggest, if you're using the T, to be on it by 11:30 just to be on the safe side).
This is something you'd have to plan for.
Reading this thread, I thought I would share this deal I got for a room at the Westin attached to the convention center... $90/night on lastminutetravel.com.
It's a "blind booking" site, so they don't tell you the name of the hotel until after you book, but if you search for the Boston area, and limit the hotels to Quincy/Financial/Waterfront, it's the 4 star hotel described as
"The guest's satisfaction from the hotel is ensured through high-quality service, superb dining options, and providing its guests with every comfort needed for an enjoyable stay more info" listed at $90/night.
After ~ $15/night taxes, a 3-night stay (Thursday - Sunday) was $314
The only downside is there is a $25 fee if you cancel, so I hope the 3/11 date is firm! Also, I don't think they will guarantee double beds.
Now, I guess I need to just keep watching the "registration" page to buy a badge, and figure out how I plan to actually travel to Boston...
Okay, apologies if I sound like a paranoid freak, but just as An FYI to others considering trying to get the same deal, a quick Google of "lastminutetravel.com" brings up a ton of scam complaints.
Okay, apologies if I sound like a paranoid freak, but just as An FYI to others considering trying to get the same deal, a quick Google of "lastminutetravel.com" brings up a ton of scam complaints.
Again, just an FYI
As always, it's best to do the research and make your own decision... and this is the first time I'm trying them as well... so I can't personally vouch for them.
Upon further research, I do see a lot of reports from people who seem to have had problems, but I've also spoken to others who've used them without ever having a problem. (which is why I looked there).
Anyway... I have no connection to them, just wanted to share what seems like a good deal.
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Nice St. Patty's day, mines the 18th lol
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Last year was my first PAX and I have been aching to return ever since. I hadn't believed those who said it was 'home' ... and then I walked through the doors Saturday morning.
PAX East Pics: 2010-2015 & Vids: 2012-2015
Yeah I had the same issue. I went to East 2010 with 5 friends and felt like I got robbed out of my experience a bit. I had planned on going to Prime solo but had to replace my truck. Definitely doing East 2011 solo.
Yeah, going with PAX virgins makes them wanna be close to eachother at all times, thus suffocating you of your time to take in the awesomeness. But going with 1 other experienced person with completely different schedules and things they wanted to do: means maximum capacity for AWESOME!
I had friends around and roomies that I would see randomly throughout the time and hung out with some nights but we never were clingers.
If you do come with pax virgin tell them to talk to other people and that you're breaking off for the day.
PAX East Pics: 2010-2015 & Vids: 2012-2015
tangent+1
If you're going to spread your search out away from the convention center itself I'd recommend keeping a subway map handy because often in Boston physical proximity isn't as important as 'public transit distance'.
do the subway red and silver lines have trains running in both directions?
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Yes, they run in both directions. Depending on where you are staying though, local buses can be more convenient to get you where you wanna go. Also, a 7-day pass is $15 but comes out on a ticket (not those plastic cards they mailed with the last PAX badge although those cards can hold 7-days in special circumstances) so unlimited travel on Red/Silver/other lines + buses.
PAX Prime '10-'13 Triwizard Drinking Tournament || Hufflepuff Head of House!
Twitter: @jujukoo
[E]
From the way the terminal maps look, I could go from ashmont to south station, then switch to the silver line for 2 or so stops to the world trade station, and hop off a couple blocks from bcec.
on my way back, I'd just take the silverline the opposite way back to south station, unless the buses just go one way... then it'd be tricky... maybe just take a cab or something since it'd be like 12am when I'd go back to the hotel...
edit** hmm... in hindsight... it's a mile walk from the hotel to ashmont. no big deal in the morning, but aint no way am I walking a mile in the concrete jungle at 12am. I'll take the taxi. Im assuming 5miles is about 20-30bucks with tip?
thanks for your help so far!
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
I'll be going with some friends but will definitely be trying to experience more outside of the con, explore the city some.
The trains stop running at... 11:30ish? (it's easy enough to look up online, I'm just lazy) Also, cabs can be pretty pricey. It's worth thinking about when to save a few bucks you're tacking an extra $40/day on in cab rides.
It does run the opposite way. Also if the weather is nice it's a VERY easy walk from South Station.
Famous last words. That is NOT a nice area to walk through. Ashmont itself is okay but the space between it is literally the ghetto and relatively unsafe.
If you can find a hotel near JFK/UMass that would be close for distance in terms of cabbing and a few have shuttles to the Red Line too. If you don't mind ponying up the money for a cab to get to Ashmont and it's a good deal then go right on ahead. It's the space in between I'm concerned about.
PAX Prime '10-'13 Triwizard Drinking Tournament || Hufflepuff Head of House!
Twitter: @jujukoo
[E]
i swear neither one of us has gone 3 days without saying something about how we can't wait for paxeast next year.
it looks like we'll be booking at the Renaissance, its significantly cheaper than the Westin and a very short walk. [of course we'll be keeping an eye on the Travel Desk when that opens up]
looks like this year we might fly in that Wednesday and peruse Boston before the pre-pax events start up.
We both fell in love with the city and were kind of sad we didn't have time to explore like we wanted to last year. [although we did find an AWESOME sushi bar a short walk from the Hynes]
have to say i'm EXTREMELY excited, and am constantly checking, and rechecking, hotels and flights to make sure i'm keeping up with the best deals.
Not to mention costume planning. I'm probably going to join Team Blue again this year in the PubCrawl, so i need to figure out a different pokemon to go as.
[oh. and i promise i won't make everyone cry this year.
**
PAX EAST 2012: HOTEL [X] FLIGHT [] PASSES [X] TIME OFF []
what does the Revere area look like? specifically about a mile around the Revere Station on the Blue Line?
The aerial map on mapquest looks like residential/light commercial.
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
The beach is on one side. What's left of the now shuttered Wonderland racing track is on the other side. There's a shopping plaza left of the Wonderland side of the station (short walk but you have get past a rotary and cross the street, and if you haven't heard of a rotary, there's a reason we call them suicide circles here in MA). The shopping plaza has a Stop & Shop, Dots, Hair Cuttery, Post Office, a Staples, and a 99 restaurant.
The beach side has the beach up a slight hill, with residential and some food spots to the left and right along the beach.
Lots of paved road in the area. The hotel closest to the train station is a walk (take you a good 10 or 15 minutes if you're fast, and remember, it's going to be cold) and I would not call that particular area too friendly to walk around in at night (the beach side you might be able to get away with (state police barracks is there) but the other side is a big parking lot and a lot of nothing.
There is a shuttle that runs from the hotel to the airport, but I do not know the details on the shuttle service. The hotel bar is called Margarita's.
There are many bus lines running in and out of Revere. They can take you from Wonderland to Maverick station and also to Wonderland station, but it would be faster to take the subway to those stops.
Beachmont station is just north of Wonderland. It's the closest to the beach, but there's an MGH clinic attached to it. As you move further north there's more homes and small businesses, parks, etc.
Elsewhere in Revere: The other major hotel I know of in Revere is on Rte. 60 in the Northgate Plaza. It's a 4 Seasons if I remember correctly. There's a Bisuteki in there as well, with an Uno's next door. There are multiple food options on both sides of the stretch of road that Northgate covers, but if you cross the street, remember that it's a major highway and it's not designed for pedestrian crossing (only 2 spots on the road where a person could cross with a guarantee stoppage of traffic).
Yahoo group GCIACST
yea, I think the Revere area will suffice. since I plan on driving to MA, I *might* be able to park near one of the subway terminals in the area if I really needed to.
I guess the big question on everyone's mind is:
Which buroughs, or areas would be considered safe enough to walk around at midnight-200a?
By yourself?
With two?
A group?
Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
Yahoo group GCIACST
What's the best way to find out the moment this happens? Spamming F5 on http://www.paxsite.com/paxeast/hotels.php ?
Or you can watch the site and/or PAX twitter. I'm guessing it would be soon-ish.
It does end around midnight, though. Remember, Boston isn't a 24 hour city. The financial district shuts down at 7pm. The livelier parts of town close at 2am. The T stops between midnight and 1am (depending on which stop you're at. Although I would suggest, if you're using the T, to be on it by 11:30 just to be on the safe side).
This is something you'd have to plan for.
Yahoo group GCIACST
Reading this thread, I thought I would share this deal I got for a room at the Westin attached to the convention center... $90/night on lastminutetravel.com.
It's a "blind booking" site, so they don't tell you the name of the hotel until after you book, but if you search for the Boston area, and limit the hotels to Quincy/Financial/Waterfront, it's the 4 star hotel described as
"The guest's satisfaction from the hotel is ensured through high-quality service, superb dining options, and providing its guests with every comfort needed for an enjoyable stay more info" listed at $90/night.
After ~ $15/night taxes, a 3-night stay (Thursday - Sunday) was $314
The only downside is there is a $25 fee if you cancel, so I hope the 3/11 date is firm! Also, I don't think they will guarantee double beds.
Now, I guess I need to just keep watching the "registration" page to buy a badge, and figure out how I plan to actually travel to Boston...
It's been confirmed.
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=16571663&postcount=3
And the countdown on www.paxsite.com counts down to 3/11.
Nice.
Again, just an FYI
As always, it's best to do the research and make your own decision... and this is the first time I'm trying them as well... so I can't personally vouch for them.
Upon further research, I do see a lot of reports from people who seem to have had problems, but I've also spoken to others who've used them without ever having a problem. (which is why I looked there).
Anyway... I have no connection to them, just wanted to share what seems like a good deal.