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[EAST] First time to PAX East? Read This!

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Posts

  • HuskyDorkHuskyDork Registered User regular
    pureval wrote: »
    If you are the type to collect posters purchase a poster tube and bring it with you. All of the cool posters I picked up the first year were ruined by the time I got to the car. Just make sure you have the tube with you when you leave anywhere.

    There are also poster tubes available for purchase at the FedEx Office on the second floor of the BCEC.

    LQckybu.png
  • adias.angeladias.angel Tech-Savvy Wife Kalamazoo, MIRegistered User regular
    pureval wrote: »
    If you are the type to collect posters purchase a poster tube and bring it with you. All of the cool posters I picked up the first year were ruined by the time I got to the car. Just make sure you have the tube with you when you leave anywhere.


    And if possible, attach a strap to it. Makes it so much easier for carrying around.

    Prime '12, '13, '14, '15, '19 .. East '12
  • ClixClix This guy I know Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    pureval wrote: »
    pureval wrote: »
    If you are the type to collect posters purchase a poster tube and bring it with you. All of the cool posters I picked up the first year were ruined by the time I got to the car. Just make sure you have the tube with you when you leave anywhere.
    I always feel a certain level of satisfaction when I score an awesome print or signed poster and know that about half of them aren't even going to survive the weekend. It just made mine that much more collectable and special because I had the foresight to bring a tube or immiediatly stash it in the car. But if you need a poster tube: http://www.amazon.com/Alvin-Ice-Tubes-25-blue/dp/B002H0MYEQ/ref=pd_sim_k_2 just select your favorite color.

  • Goose!Goose! That's me, honey Show me the way home, honeyRegistered User regular
    edited September 2012
    As ever, the slowly evolving map of the points of interest around the convention center can be found at this link: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201452744057021506271.000490764e35602fe6880&msa=0 I figure with the way the new iOS does maps there could be a fair few of you using the google maps web app, so that link might come especially in handy this year.

    If you'd like to add your own stuff, mention me in a reply here and gimme your e-mail address.

    When you mention me make sure to use quotes ("Goose!") otherwise you'll mention some other dude that ain't me.

    Goose! on
  • adias.angeladias.angel Tech-Savvy Wife Kalamazoo, MIRegistered User regular
    @Goose! I didn't see Salvatore's on there. We has some amazing pizza there our last day.

    Prime '12, '13, '14, '15, '19 .. East '12
  • zerzhulzerzhul Registered User, Moderator mod
    @Goose! I didn't see Salvatore's on there. We has some amazing pizza there our last day.

    STOP POSTING ABOUT SALVATORES! Now everyone will know! <3

  • arsonisfunarsonisfun Registered User regular
    zerzhul wrote: »
    There will likely be a food thread and maybe a bar thread once @arsonisfun gets off his lazy rump`

    I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED.

    Yea, I'll do that whole food and bar thing soon enough. It's not even 2013 yet! :)

    I am IRCs resident nerdbro and member of the PokeCrawl planning committee.

    Red B/Gold Professor

    [15:53] <+juju-work> ArsonIsFun is one of the best people I know.
  • cabsycabsy the fattest rainbow unicorn Registered User regular
    For food emergencies there is a 24 hour 7/11 on the other side of the Seaport! I know a lot of people were super worried they'd never find food but while it may not be the best if you really need a sandwich or a soda after the con closes it's right there.

    Also the best advice when it comes to sore feet is to elevate your feet as often as you can as it will reduce swelling and it'll make your feet hurt less. If you can I'd even suggest bringing a pillow or something dense so you can sleep with your feet slightly elevated. I know it sounds ridiculous but this helps so much.

  • SchmulkiSchmulki Registered User regular
    Just to mention, you probably don't want to rely on a GPS in Boston. There are a lot of spots where roads overlap each other and last time I went, we had a car full of 5 people, all with different gps-type devices (phones, actual GPS' etc.) all of which thought we were on different roads at the same time. The best bet is actually an old-fashioned map (or, a map pulled up on a phone or other device, of course) which you can then use to map things out yourself.

  • ChorazinChorazin Lancaster, PARegistered User regular
    Schmulki wrote: »
    Schmulki wrote: »
    Just to mention, you probably don't want to rely on a GPS in Boston. There are a lot of spots where roads overlap each other and last time I went, we had a car full of 5 people, all with different gps-type devices (phones, actual GPS' etc.) all of which thought we were on different roads at the same time. The best bet is actually an old-fashioned map (or, a map pulled up on a phone or other device, of course) which you can then use to map things out yourself.

    If you have an Android device, you can cache Google Maps to your device and access it at any time, regardless of data connectivity. http://www.guidingtech.com/11106/use-offline-google-maps-android/

    Twitter//@chorazin
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  • GhostDanGhostDan Registered User regular
    edited September 2012
    cabsy wrote: »
    cabsy wrote: »
    For food emergencies there is a 24 hour 7/11 on the other side of the Seaport! I know a lot of people were super worried they'd never find food but while it may not be the best if you really need a sandwich or a soda after the con closes it's right there.

    Yea I think one of the things people don't realize about Boston is that unlike a lot of major other cities (like a city to the south) Boston is a city that sleeps. The T shuts down early, restaurants close early, etc. That 7-11 (and other 24 hour convenience stores throughout the city) is a savior when you get out of that concert at 2am and need something to eat.
    Schmulki wrote: »
    Just to mention, you probably don't want to rely on a GPS in Boston. There are a lot of spots where roads overlap each other and last time I went, we had a car full of 5 people, all with different gps-type devices (phones, actual GPS' etc.) all of which thought we were on different roads at the same time. The best bet is actually an old-fashioned map (or, a map pulled up on a phone or other device, of course) which you can then use to map things out yourself.

    If you are at all direction challenged you may be even better off stopping outside the city and either taking the T or a park and ride in. Boston roads were designed for people on horse and buggy or sleighs. I grew up 10 minutes outside the city and I tried my best to stay away from driving in it. If you are busy looking at a map or looking down at a GPS you are probably going to miss that turn that came out of nowhere onto 93 or route 1.

    GhostDan on
  • gljvdgljvd Registered User regular
    GhostDan wrote: »

    Yea I think one of the things people don't realize about Boston is that unlike a lot of major other cities (like a city to the south) Boston is a city that sleeps. The T shuts down early, restaurants close early, etc. That 7-11 (and other 24 hour convenience stores throughout the city) is a savior when you get out of that concert at 2am and need something to eat.

    Its all BS , I lived in NYC , Singapore , Sydney , Rome and a few other places in the world and all the city's sleep. Yea you can get pizza or chinese food at 4 or 5 am in NYC but I can do that here in nowhereville NJ .

    So every city sleeps. You should allways be prepared and if worse comes to worse a domnio's will deliver pizza to your hotel (we did it last year ) and there are a few late night things around that are not bad

  • GhostDanGhostDan Registered User regular
    gljvd wrote: »
    Its all BS , I lived in NYC , Singapore , Sydney , Rome and a few other places in the world and all the city's sleep. Yea you can get pizza or chinese food at 4 or 5 am in NYC but I can do that here in nowhereville NJ .

    So every city sleeps. You should allways be prepared and if worse comes to worse a domnio's will deliver pizza to your hotel (we did it last year ) and there are a few late night things around that are not bad

    Maybe. Having just move to west nowheresville nj I am still enjoying the weekend trips into NYC, and haven't found it sleepy yet :)

  • gljvdgljvd Registered User regular
    GhostDan wrote: »
    GhostDan wrote: »
    gljvd wrote: »
    Its all BS , I lived in NYC , Singapore , Sydney , Rome and a few other places in the world and all the city's sleep. Yea you can get pizza or chinese food at 4 or 5 am in NYC but I can do that here in nowhereville NJ .

    So every city sleeps. You should allways be prepared and if worse comes to worse a domnio's will deliver pizza to your hotel (we did it last year ) and there are a few late night things around that are not bad

    Maybe. Having just move to west nowheresville nj I am still enjoying the weekend trips into NYC, and haven't found it sleepy yet :)

    Where in Jersey are you. I'm by the paramus area. Jersey is alive with places to go , it starts to die out at 2 am while NYC dies out at 3 am or so. Once the bars shut down thats it. After that in the city you end up in a dive pizza joint and then someone's apartment. In jersey you end up at a dinner and then someone's house.
    Trust me , besides the 3 years of traveling i've lived here the majority of my 31 years on this planet

  • sarysary 100% pure awesomesauce manchester, nhRegistered User regular
    oh. hey. relevance, i still has it. i think it's the pretty colors. score. that said...
    Frugus wrote: »
    I on the other hand am may sometimes revert to my trusty old bag of holding.

    if you're gonna bring a bag of holding, put a patch on it for identification. (pins are too easily lost in crowded places.) because you know who else has that bag? EVERYONE. even if you're not an idiot, the patch gives the idiot-who-goes-to-pick-up-your-bag-because-they-think-it's-their-own a bit of warning before they walk off.

    but seriously, backpack + one of these for your phone/contact cards/ds. best of both worlds, quick access to necessities AND a backpack.

    Twitter: @seryseraphical

    PAX East 2012 Omeganaut. Awesomest. Time. Ever.
  • spmahnspmahn Registered User regular
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    You will either quickly learn this, or you will find that three days have passed and you spent 90% of them sitting in line: the Exhibition Hall is cool, but don't get expect to see what you want to see.

    In 2011, the line for Star Wars: The Old Republic, had a wait for five hours. I went as fast as I could the second the Hall opened on Sunday morning without running (running is bad, do not run), and still had a 3-4 hour wait. In 2012, Borderlands 2 had a 4-6 hour wait. The bottom line is that the AAA titles that everyone wants to play result in huge, likely boring lines for maybe 15-60 minutes of game time. That's a goddamn waste of your time and money, so I would curb your enthusiasm for seeing whatever big ticket title is going to be appearing next March.

    The Hall is still great though: you can find a lot of upcoming indie titles that you probably wouldn't have otherwise noticed. And really: you are going to buy that multi-million dollar game from Big Publisher anyways, so why not stay on the lookout for awesome titles that don't have millions to get your attention? You also tend to get to talk directly with the devs, who are hungry artists eager to listen to your feedback. I cannot say how cool it is to spend a half hour or so shooting the breeze with something who making the game and very enthusiastic about their craft. You aren't generally going to get that with the big brand titles.

    There's also other neat stuff like board games and stuff. Just don't make the mistake of spending all your time at the Exhibition Hall. There is so much more to PAX than that.

    This is entirely quoted for truth from the OP. The lines in the exhibition hall last year were insane, long sprawling, never ending lines everywhere you look, and I'm not even talking about just for the AAA titles, I'm talking about even for the games that have been out for months already. Last year Borderlands 2 has a LINE FOR THE LINE which formed after the fire inspectors demanded the line be cut off once it started blocking access points, it was ludicrous. Waiting in these lines for games like Chainsaw Lollipop or Max Payne 3 which I found largely disappointing, is nuts and will cause you to miss a lot of other fun events and things to see, and that's what I regret most. The worst was waiting 2 hours for a VIDEO of Assassins Creed 3, not even playable, a VIDEO.

    I know a lot of people will point to the Card Games and Board Games and D&D type stuff, which isn't everyones cup of tea, and I get that, I don't care about any of that stuff either, but there's tons of panels, tournaments, even just people watching that you'll miss out on if you spend 6 hours waiting in a line to play a 10 minute demo for a free T-Shirt. I can honestly say I had the most fun last year in the console freeplay room (until the lines in there got out of hand too, which happens later in the day once the exhibition starts winding down).

    So anyways, my best advice is to pick one AAA game to play each day, and spend more time walking around, you'll be surprised how much stuff you'll miss if you don't bother to look for it.

  • tvethiopiatvethiopia Salem MARegistered User regular
    so much truth. i hate when i see people (not necessarily on the forums) saying things like "oh pax is lame, i spent 6 hours in a sweaty line to play X for 10 min and it wasn't even that great". if that's what you're spending your weekend doing, it's because that is how YOU'VE chosen to use your time. there is SO much more to do that is super fun and awesome! unless you're someone who thinks hours in line for a game demo is totally worth it (which is fine if that's you), getting chained to the expo hall is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.

    <3 Daintier. Smarter. Better dressed. <3
    7YIpfE5.png
  • VmKidVmKid Gone Bananas Shuggazoom CityRegistered User regular
    edited October 2012
    If you are staying at a hotel and don't plan to use your own car to get around, be sure to check the bus schedule against the event schedule, and plan accordingly. If you miss the last bus, you might need to take the T if it's still running (located on the other side of the bridge outside of the front of the BCEC), call a cab, or call a friend. I had a LOT of confusion during my first PAX back in 2011 since I didn't take buses into account. I even still have the card I used for the T in my wallet (even though I live in New York).

    Be sure to bring lots of cash for food and drink if you don't feel like trekking from the BCEC. EVERYTHING is expensive at the BCEC. It's a trade-off: convenience==more $$$, while small walk==less $$$.

    Also, be sure not to use Apple Maps to find your way around the convention center. Here's a hint: If you end up in the middle of Faneuil Hall while looking for the Freeplay area, you're in the wrong place.

    VmKid on
    KvTUvIQ.png
  • TriiipledotTriiipledot Registered User regular
    Does anyone know how the taxi situation is in Boston? How much are there rates? How late do they run? How late does the hotel shuttle usually run?

  • spmahnspmahn Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    VmKid wrote: »
    VmKid wrote: »
    If you are staying at a hotel and don't plan to use your own car to get around, be sure to check the bus schedule against the event schedule, and plan accordingly. If you miss the last bus, you might need to take the T if it's still running (located on the other side of the bridge outside of the front of the BCEC), call a cab, or call a friend. I had a LOT of confusion during my first PAX back in 2011 since I didn't take buses into account. I even still have the card I used for the T in my wallet (even though I live in New York).

    Be sure to bring lots of cash for food and drink if you don't feel like trekking from the BCEC. EVERYTHING is expensive at the BCEC. It's a trade-off: convenience==more $$$, while small walk==less $$$.

    Also, be sure not to use Apple Maps to find your way around the convention center. Here's a hint: If you end up in the middle of Faneuil Hall while looking for the Freeplay area, you're in the wrong place.

    This too. Last year my hotel was far enough away that it required a cab ride at the end of the night, since we weren't leaving the convention center until after 11PM and it was nowhere near the T, so that wasn't an option either. Most Hotels, even the ones further out, do provide shuttles to the convention centers in the morning, but you're pretty much on your own at night. Thankfully there's plenty of Cabs available outside the convention center.

    Last year I did drive my car and park it at the hotel, but I didn't drive it to the convention center, is there adequate parking there, or is it crappy and expensive.

    I also totally agree about the food. To be honest, last year the food options in the immediate area surrounding the convention center are limited to non-existant, and I wasn't familiar enough with the area to risk wandering more than a few blocks to find anything. Because the BCEC is a relatively new development, it's located in a sort of out of the way part of Boston that's not fully developed. To be honest, you're best off either A. Eating a big meal in the morning, and toughing it out until you leave at night or B. Just giving up and buying the overpriced food at the BCEC, which is what I did on the second day last year. The food wasn't bad, just extortionately expensive.
    Does anyone know how the taxi situation is in Boston? How much are there rates? How late do they run? How late does the hotel shuttle usually run?

    Cabs in Boston aren't like NYC where they are ubiquitous, but they also congregate where the business, and they know that the BCEC is the place to be when a convention is going on. They have staff outside the convention center until the late hours of the evening to assist with getting a Cab. My Hotel last year was about 10 miles away, but I don't remember paying more than $12 - $15 each way. As I said earlier, the Hotel shuttles are fine in the morning, but if you're going to stay for the evening concerts or panels or events, you're gonna be out of luck.

    spmahn on
  • TriiipledotTriiipledot Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    spmahn wrote: »
    VmKid wrote: »
    VmKid wrote: »
    If you are staying at a hotel and don't plan to use your own car to get around, be sure to check the bus schedule against the event schedule, and plan accordingly. If you miss the last bus, you might need to take the T if it's still running (located on the other side of the bridge outside of the front of the BCEC), call a cab, or call a friend. I had a LOT of confusion during my first PAX back in 2011 since I didn't take buses into account. I even still have the card I used for the T in my wallet (even though I live in New York).

    Be sure to bring lots of cash for food and drink if you don't feel like trekking from the BCEC. EVERYTHING is expensive at the BCEC. It's a trade-off: convenience==more $$$, while small walk==less $$$.

    Also, be sure not to use Apple Maps to find your way around the convention center. Here's a hint: If you end up in the middle of Faneuil Hall while looking for the Freeplay area, you're in the wrong place.

    This too. Last year my hotel was far enough away that it required a cab ride at the end of the night, since we weren't leaving the convention center until after 11PM and it was nowhere near the T, so that wasn't an option either. Most Hotels, even the ones further out, do provide shuttles to the convention centers in the morning, but you're pretty much on your own at night. Thankfully there's plenty of Cabs available outside the convention center.

    Last year I did drive my car and park it at the hotel, but I didn't drive it to the convention center, is there adequate parking there, or is it crappy and expensive.

    I also totally agree about the food. To be honest, last year the food options in the immediate area surrounding the convention center are limited to non-existant, and I wasn't familiar enough with the area to risk wandering more than a few blocks to find anything. Because the BCEC is a relatively new development, it's located in a sort of out of the way part of Boston that's not fully developed. To be honest, you're best off either A. Eating a big meal in the morning, and toughing it out until you leave at night or B. Just giving up and buying the overpriced food at the BCEC, which is what I did on the second day last year. The food wasn't bad, just extortionately expensive.
    Does anyone know how the taxi situation is in Boston? How much are there rates? How late do they run? How late does the hotel shuttle usually run?

    Cabs in Boston aren't like NYC where they are ubiquitous, but they also congregate where the business, and they know that the BCEC is the place to be when a convention is going on. They have staff outside the convention center until the late hours of the evening to assist with getting a Cab. My Hotel last year was about 10 miles away, but I don't remember paying more than $12 - $15 each way. As I said earlier, the Hotel shuttles are fine in the morning, but if you're going to stay for the evening concerts or panels or events, you're gonna be out of luck.

    Awesome, im in the exact same situation you were in (also from NYC) and appreciate the advise. Last year friends and I booked a hotel late and ended up pretty far, i had my car but we opted on taking the T Line instead which wasnt too bad until we decided to go bar hopping and had no way back to the hotel in a city we've never been to. My plan this year was too stay closer, drive my car and leave it parked at hotel...then i saw the $32/day parking fee at the hotel. My cousin just told me we could stay at one a bit further (37min walking vs 15-20min) but it would be $339 total instead of $600. We are debating what to do in terms of being able to take a shuttle there in the mornings but then trying to get a taxi back to the hotel late night wherever we end up. Im not sure how late taxis are out in Boston or if we'd be able to find one if we stray from the convention center area.

    Triiipledot on
  • TriiipledotTriiipledot Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    Uggg, double post sorry.

    Triiipledot on
  • VmKidVmKid Gone Bananas Shuggazoom CityRegistered User regular
    spmahn wrote: »
    (INSERT ABOVE SYNTAX-VIOLATING POST HERE)

    According to the site's FAQ, parking's $25 for Valet all day, Self-Park is $12 all day. This can be good or bad depending on what your other options are.

    KvTUvIQ.png
  • sarysary 100% pure awesomesauce manchester, nhRegistered User regular
    edited October 2012
    VmKid wrote: »
    According to the site's FAQ, parking's $25 for Valet all day, Self-Park is $12 all day. This can be good or bad depending on what your other options are.


    Their day is "While BCEC is open" not actually "All day", if my memory can be trusted. The real problem is where to leave your car overnight...

    Please ffs if I'm wrong, let me know - this is where I'm having (and last year had) trouble with my logistics. If anyone can point me to a decent option for parking (sub $80ish, let's say, for thurs morning-sunday eve, I *don't* need in/out) I'll give you an internets.

    sary on
    Twitter: @seryseraphical

    PAX East 2012 Omeganaut. Awesomest. Time. Ever.
  • Pure DinPure Din Boston-areaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2012
    sary wrote: »
    VmKid wrote: »
    According to the site's FAQ, parking's $25 for Valet all day, Self-Park is $12 all day. This can be good or bad depending on what your other options are.


    Their day is "While BCEC is open" not actually "All day", if my memory can be trusted. The real problem is where to leave your car overnight...

    Please ffs if I'm wrong, let me know - this is where I'm having (and last year had) trouble with my logistics. If anyone can point me to a decent option for parking (sub $80ish, let's say, for thurs morning-sunday eve, I *don't* need in/out) I'll give you an internets.

    If you aren't planning on using the car but just want to ditch it somewhere, the MBTA station at Alewife Station is $8 a day for up to a week. From there you can take the red line back towards the BCEC shouldn't take you more than an hour. Though if you show up in the late morning or early afternoon you might need to wait until the end of the workday to get a space.

    Pure Din on
  • laivindillaivindil Registered User regular
    Does anyone know how the taxi situation is in Boston? How much are there rates? How late do they run? How late does the hotel shuttle usually run?

    Taxi's run all night. Can't give you an accurate picture cause I hardly ever use them. But since it would likely be downtown locations you are going to, its not going to be bad at all. Hotel Shuttles will likely depend on hotel, and I'm sure they post the time on their website (may do special late nights for things like PAX).

    PAX East 2012 Attendee. Also going to East 13.
  • CabadrinCabadrin Boston, MARegistered User regular
    Does anyone know how the taxi situation is in Boston? How much are there rates? How late do they run? How late does the hotel shuttle usually run?

    I live in Boston (Dorchester actually) so while I take the T in the morning, I take a taxi back to my place at night. Rates will be $15-$25, depending on how far away you are. If it's just downtown, probably $10.

    e2TtnRd.png
  • GhostDanGhostDan Registered User regular
    gljvd wrote: »
    gljvd wrote: »
    GhostDan wrote: »
    GhostDan wrote: »
    gljvd wrote: »
    Its all BS , I lived in NYC , Singapore , Sydney , Rome and a few other places in the world and all the city's sleep. Yea you can get pizza or chinese food at 4 or 5 am in NYC but I can do that here in nowhereville NJ .

    So every city sleeps. You should allways be prepared and if worse comes to worse a domnio's will deliver pizza to your hotel (we did it last year ) and there are a few late night things around that are not bad

    Maybe. Having just move to west nowheresville nj I am still enjoying the weekend trips into NYC, and haven't found it sleepy yet :)

    Where in Jersey are you. I'm by the paramus area. Jersey is alive with places to go , it starts to die out at 2 am while NYC dies out at 3 am or so. Once the bars shut down thats it. After that in the city you end up in a dive pizza joint and then someone's apartment. In jersey you end up at a dinner and then someone's house.
    Trust me , besides the 3 years of traveling i've lived here the majority of my 31 years on this planet

    I'm in Morristown. There's definitely still a lot more stuff to do than when I was in NH, and the local diner is a great place but I could see that getting old. I've only been here a month or so so I'm still establishing my friend base.

  • treezatreeza Registered User regular
    Prime 2012 was my first PAX, and I found the Prime version of this thread to be very helpful. Just though I'd chime in as a recent first timer. ... take part in as many community events as you can, as those are probably going to be the things you remember most.

    2012 was my first PAX too, and I agree with @mikegonzalez - take part in community events! I only started reading the forums a few days before PAX East 2012, and realized how much of PAX I was missing. There are so many amazing events and meet-ups, and it was kind of heartbreaking that I had discovered them too late to participate in a bunch of them. This year I am getting involved early, and am hoping to take part in more fun awesomeness. Huzzah!! ^_^

  • FrugusFrugus Photographer MontrealRegistered User regular
    treeza wrote: »
    Prime 2012 was my first PAX, and I found the Prime version of this thread to be very helpful. Just though I'd chime in as a recent first timer. ... take part in as many community events as you can, as those are probably going to be the things you remember most.

    2012 was my first PAX too, and I agree with @mikegonzalez - take part in community events! I only started reading the forums a few days before PAX East 2012, and realized how much of PAX I was missing. There are so many amazing events and meet-ups, and it was kind of heartbreaking that I had discovered them too late to participate in a bunch of them. This year I am getting involved early, and am hoping to take part in more fun awesomeness. Huzzah!! ^_^

    I know the feeling. Actually that's kind of why I started that thread after the first PAX East in 2010. As far as I was concerned, there was so much information about PAX that it felt a bit overwhelming and I ended up "studying" the wrong stuff. None the less, it was still one of the better events I had the joy of experiencing in my life, and it would have been the same even if I had walked through the doors without ever hearing anything about it before.

    All this stuff we keep talking about... it's just icing on the cake. It's very difficult to fail at PAX, just keep a positive mindset and you will be in awe with everything everyone that surrounds you. Whatever happens, you will have fun, and you will keep learning new things about the event every year. All we are trying to do here is help you have even more fun.

    Frugus Eggbeater
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  • J-WuJ-Wu Registered User new member
    3: If you have a 3-day pass, do not be afraid to wait on extremely long lines for large games early in on the con(IE: Borderlands 2) if you want to get some of the swag they are handing out. The lines dont get any shorter as the con goes on for large booths and the only difference between going Friday and Saturday/Sunday is that there will be no more swag left to go around.

    This will be my first PAX, and I will be attending just Saturday. How much swag can I expect to receive/carry all day? I will be at the Westin so I assume it won't take too much time to make a trip to my room if I need to. I just wanted to see how others have dealt with their swag in the past.

  • TraitoriousTraitorious Registered User regular
    J-Wu wrote: »
    3: If you have a 3-day pass, do not be afraid to wait on extremely long lines for large games early in on the con(IE: Borderlands 2) if you want to get some of the swag they are handing out. The lines dont get any shorter as the con goes on for large booths and the only difference between going Friday and Saturday/Sunday is that there will be no more swag left to go around.

    This will be my first PAX, and I will be attending just Saturday. How much swag can I expect to receive/carry all day? I will be at the Westin so I assume it won't take too much time to make a trip to my room if I need to. I just wanted to see how others have dealt with their swag in the past.
    How much you can get depends on what each vendor is going to make you do to get it. The firesale doesn't happen until the latter half of Sunday normally, so you will have to go through all the hoops to get whatever you can on Saturday. I definitely endorse going back halfway through and dropping off any swag you get to lighten your load each day each you have a hotel close enough to the convention center.

  • Amoeba Amoeba Registered User regular
    This is my first time, coming all the way from Austin, TX. I've been different conventions and Boston before though, so at least I won't be too overwhelmed.

  • SchmulkiSchmulki Registered User regular
    A couple more thoughts:

    Bring a mostly empty bag with you, be it a backpack, a messenger bag, or something else that you can throw over your shoulder. The bag should contain the following:

    1) HEALTHY food that can stand up to being at room temp and bounced around throughout the day. See other threads, there will be plenty of cookies for free (but please donate!), but you'll want something to snack on that keeps up your energy. I recommend trail mix and/or granola. It is a great quick snack, naturally raises energy and saves money on buying snacks which are bad for you and won't actually give you energy.

    2) Things to do while on lines. Unless you chill in open-gaming or BYOC the whole time, you're going to be in some lines. There's not much you can do about that. So make friends! People are generally very nice and want things to do. Bring some simple (important: SIMPLE) games that are fun to play and you can easily teach others, which have a VERY small (as close to 0 as possible) footprint so you can play while standing/sitting there. Portable game devices work as well, as you'll probably find others on line looking to play multiplayer games like that, too.

    3) Drink(s). I recommend at least have 1 drink. I generally have 2. When you finish one, fill it up with water, and keep sipping on that here and there. You're going ot probably be drinking a lot of sugary, carbonated drinks (and in many cases, with caffeine) and sweet and/or sugary foods which dehydrate you. This way, you have some water on-hand.

    4) Most important of all: that's it. You want to leave a lot of open space. You're going to get a lot of swag. You might be a thing or 10. You want a place to put it all. Sure, you might get a bag while you're there, but it's probably going to be more uncomfortable and difficult to carry than what you'll have with you.

  • adias.angeladias.angel Tech-Savvy Wife Kalamazoo, MIRegistered User regular
    Schmulki wrote: »
    3) Drink(s). I recommend at least have 1 drink. I generally have 2. When you finish one, fill it up with water, and keep sipping on that here and there. You're going ot probably be drinking a lot of sugary, carbonated drinks (and in many cases, with caffeine) and sweet and/or sugary foods which dehydrate you. This way, you have some water on-hand.

    For sure make sure to drink enough. We carried one of the platypus water bottles with us that we filled at water fountains. It super light weight and folds up so it can be stored in a bag.

    Prime '12, '13, '14, '15, '19 .. East '12
  • Thunderous_TThunderous_T Minneapolis, MNRegistered User regular
    Hello all,

    I'm new to the forums and to PAX. 1) I wish I had joined the forums sooner, you all are awesome! 2) One of the things I'm most excited about is meeting people and playing games. I've seen a lot of advice for what to bring etc, but where do I find all these community events people keep talking about? Are the things planned in the forum forum newb friendly, or are they really more for people who have been here a lot?

    Prime 2017: Tickets soon please...
  • zerzhulzerzhul Registered User, Moderator mod
    Hello all,

    I'm new to the forums and to PAX. 1) I wish I had joined the forums sooner, you all are awesome! 2) One of the things I'm most excited about is meeting people and playing games. I've seen a lot of advice for what to bring etc, but where do I find all these community events people keep talking about? Are the things planned in the forum forum newb friendly, or are they really more for people who have been here a lot?

    They're all "everyone" friendly. The only issue is that some have limited space so they may have tickets (like the pre pax dinner for example). A lot of the "typical" events don't have threads up yet, but they will as we get closer to pax. Just keep your eyes open on the forums

  • Thunderous_TThunderous_T Minneapolis, MNRegistered User regular
    Awesome, thanks for the fast response. I've been trying to get to PAX since its inception, so I'm really excited to finally be doing it and would like to my best to make the most of it.

    Prime 2017: Tickets soon please...
  • zerzhulzerzhul Registered User, Moderator mod
    Coming to the forums and finding all the little side events is an awesome way to do that. My first PAX was before my involvement here, and it was a night and day difference between that and my first forum-enriched PAX.

  • Lo5erkidLo5erkid Registered User new member
    First off, I just want to say Hey, as this is my first post.

    Now, I am not 100% sure if this is going into the right part of the Forum - so I will destroy this thread if needs be (just point me in right direction) lol.

    - With that out the way, I was wondering if people had some tips for attending PAX East?

    I really want to get the most out of PAX, as I have been wanting to go since the very first expo.

    My main goals are to play as much games as possible, go to any/every talk/panel I can get into and enjoy all the amazing music.

    I heard that a lot of the schedule is released during the event via twitter/FB/forum and any form of feeds - any recommendations?

    As for ques, I was wondering if anyone had experience with using the medical pass? As a wheelchair user, I have applied for one for me +1, but in honest, have no Idea how to use it (i.e do I get to the event and que but don't have to follow the que and sit at the front? or do I arrive and just barge in - as I feel pretty bad doing that, especially if people have been queing for hours)

    I assume this pass works for talks, but what about stalls / concerts? (sorry i'm so newb)

    and lastly, is there many pre events? I'm traveling from UK and will be arriving roughly 5 days in advance (making a proper holiday out of it as I have not been to Boston before), and I really want to get in on any pre-events, especially if I can get some games in ( I play pretty much anything, from DnD to street fighter - I love all forms of games).

    Again, sorry if this has been posted in the wrong section,

    but thanks in advance for any advice given.

    Cheers
    Sam
    < Lo5erkid >

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