The warm weather this year was awesome, so I'm a little sad that it will be super New England cold again...
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Moe FwackyRight Here, Right NowDrives a BuickModeratormod
Expect snow next year.
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pilferkMaster of UnlockingCTRegistered Userregular
The taxi drivers will be very happy. It was sorta nice to be able to walk everywhere (even late) because the weather was so nice. That's almost certainly not going to happen in early March...
Definitely worried about companies' and general gaming presence with South being so close, and GDC conflicting on Friday. The best example I can think of is Giant Bomb--I could see the team being split in half between the two venues, with Patrick most notably likely to be at GDC rather than PAX. Yes, he could fly in for Saturday's panel, but it'd be a very tight fit.
A lot of companies may choose between East vs. South for a booth setup, if they don't have the resources for both. I'd actually expect South to get hit harder, since East is more established with attendance numbers and such.
I always expect snow up to late April and make sure to carry all my winter gear with me in the car just to be safe.
This being said, past PAX Easts that were held in early March did not see much snow. I remember there was a very light snow fall in 2013 and you could see patches of snow here and there, but I still fared well without boots, just having a good winter coat, hat and scarf was nice. One thing I do remember well, because all my pictures of past events say so, is that it was cold, and not having a real coat and scarf would have been a major mistake.
I just really hope they work out a better deal for the nearby hotels. The Seaport was right around $200/night this year, and I'm sorry, that's just too much money on top of travel, tickets, and overpriced Boston food.
I just really hope they work out a better deal for the nearby hotels. The Seaport was right around $200/night this year, and I'm sorry, that's just too much money on top of travel, tickets, and overpriced Boston food.
That discount is actually quite nice. If I check right now for a room this Friday for two adults, the cheapest I can get is around 380$
True, the hotels in this area don't come cheap, but the deals that you get through onPeak are really not too shabby. You can get much cheaper lodgings but you would have to sacrifice being close to the event, or you could share a room with friends.
I'm going to guess that this has been well covered here.
I paid full rate for Seaport from Thursday to Saturday night it was $309 a night, and $229 for Sunday night. That was fair for the accommodations given proximity to the venue. If you paid the OnPeak rate then you did even better, kudos.
aBByNormaL on
PAX East 2016 .... gots my Passes [x] Hotel [x] Flights [x] Packed [..] .... ok we're all good !!!!!
Well, it feels like a store who marks up their wares 75% and then has a 25% off sale. Almost $400 a night is an absolutely insane price for a mid-range hotel. A 3-night weekend stay at those rates are probably hovering around, if not several hundred dollars more than many of us pay for rent for a month.
Comparing to sane prices, $200/night is a bit bonkers, on top of seemingly everything getting pricier each year (food, drink, travel, pax tickets themselves).
Well, it feels like a store who marks up their wares 75% and then has a 25% off sale. Almost $400 a night is an absolutely insane price for a mid-range hotel. A 3-night weekend stay at those rates are probably hovering around, if not several hundred dollars more than many of us pay for rent for a month.
Welcome to Boston. You don't want to know how much it costs to rent in the city, if you're using that for comparison purposes.
The alternative is staying further away for less money. It's no secret that there's a hotel room shortage in Boston for hosting large events at the level of PAX East (and the marathon, which resulted in just about every hotel being sold out months ago). It's all about supply and demand. Hopefully this will be lessened with the new hotels being built in the area.
Well, it feels like a store who marks up their wares 75% and then has a 25% off sale. Almost $400 a night is an absolutely insane price for a mid-range hotel. A 3-night weekend stay at those rates are probably hovering around, if not several hundred dollars more than many of us pay for rent for a month.
Comparing to sane prices, $200/night is a bit bonkers, on top of seemingly everything getting pricier each year (food, drink, travel, pax tickets themselves).
I understand the shock, but you're going to have to accept that your "a bit bonkers" is just your own lack of knowledge about costs in places other than where you live and regularly travel. Costs vary wildly across the nation, and there are tons of cities in which $200/night for a hotel right next to a convention is an awesome deal. If it's more than you're willing to pay, you have other options, but it's not at all out of bounds or even odd or high at all.
Being booked years in advance probably limits the ability for PAX East to move around after the announcement of PAX South. I would imagine that the PA crew would prefer to move it to April, to allow more breathing room after the inaugural event in San Antonio.
osts vary wildly across the nation, and there are tons of cities in which $200/night for a hotel right next to a convention is an awesome deal. If it's more than you're willing to pay, you have other options, but it's not at all out of bounds or even odd or high at all.
Even within Boston, it's a fantastic deal: I paid substantially more to be a 20 minute shuttle ride away this year, after missing out on the Westin (by a ton, I wasn't even close to getting a room there).
@zerzhul yea haha, I can cancel up to 12 hrs prior to check in but the real trick if dates change is to be able to rebook. Being from NY, early march can be COLD, chances are inside will be HOT with all the bodies.
Suggest a convertible jacket which can become a vest. I hate checking a coat as I have it loaded with necessities (I am addicted to SEV jackets).
During the colder paxes past, I just went with a light hoodie. Enough to break the wind during the short periods of being outdoors, but not so heavy as to not be able to easily stuff in a backpack for the day.
Oh well. I probably won't be able to make it either Friday or Sunday next year, then. My school has a 5 day ski trip that leaves on Sunday and gets back on Friday. It's usually in the first couple weeks of March.
I understand the shock, but you're going to have to accept that your "a bit bonkers" is just your own lack of knowledge about costs in places other than where you live and regularly travel. Costs vary wildly across the nation, and there are tons of cities in which $200/night for a hotel right next to a convention is an awesome deal. If it's more than you're willing to pay, you have other options, but it's not at all out of bounds or even odd or high at all.
Thanks for being incredibly rude and condescending!
I'll just say, no, that's not the case at all, I travel plenty. When prices of anything goes up over 20% in a year (and the "regular price" goes up over 505 in a year), yes, that's completely ridiculous.
Ok, well I'm sorry if I came across that way. I still don't know where you get that $200/night for a hotel in that sort of situation is crazy. I've stayed in hotels next to convention centers for business conventions in Orlando, Boston, San Jose, Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, and Baltimore. That's how much they cost at convention rates. It may be more than you are willing to pay, and you are definitely allowed your prerogative to pay a price you want, but people pay that cost as a very normal thing.
The BCEC is booked solid for years at this point, so whatever their site lists for PAX for 2015 and years beyond isn't going to change much. A buddy of mine actually got a rate of $140 a night near the convention center for PAX South in January, which is a far cry from the standard rates up here (the Seaport's standard is $290 at the moment). To be fair, the costs of nearly everything up here in Boston completely dwarf San Antonio, so it'll probably be strange to see lower prices all over the place. Plus there's the sun in January, which will be quite nice to see.
honestly 200.00 for a hotel in boston during a convention is very resonable. Just to give people a idea of hotel prices I am going to a concert at the pats staduim in august to stay at the hotel in the same plaza for that concert just for 1 night is 700.00 yes that is correct i said 700.00 to complain about 200.00 a night is crazy lol. Needless to say i am not staying at that hotel. I prob will not be going to pax this coming year though have another thing on the bucket list that i plan to do and only will be able to do one of the 2. I will be back for pax 2016 for sure though.
That's alright, zerzhul. The shock comes from the large jump in prices from literally last year. Hotels, food, ticket prices.....literally EVERYTHING went up in price, which ended up almost doubling the final cost of the weekend for us from a year ago.
I didn't notice food prices changing at all. Nor hotel prices, versus the same hotels year over year. Especially not by any significant amount. Doubling would suggest that the Seaport was $100/night last year and is now $200/night, which is just not true. Now, if you chose to eat at different places that just happened to be more expensive, or chose to stay at a hotel that just happened to be more expensive... well that's not prices significantly increasing, that's you picking different choices. I would never argue that Boston is a cheap city, but I don't think things changed as drastically as you're saying, for comparing apples to apples.
I didn't notice food prices changing at all. Nor hotel prices, versus the same hotels year over year. Especially not by any significant amount. Doubling would suggest that the Seaport was $100/night last year and is now $200/night, which is just not true. Now, if you chose to eat at different places that just happened to be more expensive, or chose to stay at a hotel that just happened to be more expensive... well that's not prices significantly increasing, that's you picking different choices. I would never argue that Boston is a cheap city, but I don't think things changed as drastically as you're saying, for comparing apples to apples.
I could be crazy (and I didn't actually eat there this year), but I glanced at the menus at the food court and it seemed a tiny bit lower than 2012 (when I ate there extensively).
To me, Boston is very reasonably priced for eating in a major city: there are a lot of affordable options in the burger/sandwich/diner variety especially.
Yes! It could still snow because this is New England and all, but I'm loving this date. It will probably be at the end of school vacation week for many high schools here in Massachusetts too, since a lot of schools usually set it up so that Patriots Day is the first day of that vacation. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a younger crowd that year.
Yes! It could still snow because this is New England and all, but I'm loving this date. It will probably be at the end of school vacation week for many high schools here in Massachusetts too, since a lot of schools usually set it up so that Patriots Day is the first day of that vacation. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a younger crowd that year.
If I had known how close the PAX East weekend was to the Boston Marathon this year, I would have booked a few extra days of vacation and attended in person (as a spectator, not a runner). Hopefully in 2016...!
that's a great date for weather chances. of course, when i went to college in massacusetts i remember snow my freshman year during finals week, so anything goes.
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TopherRocksRockstar Beard GrowerKent, OH or Long Island, NYRegistered Userregular
It snowed last year at east briefly so anything can happen. /shrug Kinda used to it from living on Long Island already. Cops were looking at me funny last year walking around in shorts and a t-shirt while it was flurrying.
ClixThis guy I knowSeattle, WARegistered Userregular
If we're lucky flurries will be the least of our problems. Having the convention so early in the year doesn't even get us out of the possibility of having a nor'easter. Goddamn, I hate the winters here.
wish I could commit so far out ... decisions like this are a pull the trigger kind of thing for me. (but my wife gave me approval to go if I want, so yay).
aBByNormaL on
PAX East 2016 .... gots my Passes [x] Hotel [x] Flights [x] Packed [..] .... ok we're all good !!!!!
I think my ass is heading to South next year, Boston is too expensive and too crowded. Even though I am driving distance to Boston, with flight and hotel alone to San Antonio I am already likely to save about 800.
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A lot of companies may choose between East vs. South for a booth setup, if they don't have the resources for both. I'd actually expect South to get hit harder, since East is more established with attendance numbers and such.
This being said, past PAX Easts that were held in early March did not see much snow. I remember there was a very light snow fall in 2013 and you could see patches of snow here and there, but I still fared well without boots, just having a good winter coat, hat and scarf was nice. One thing I do remember well, because all my pictures of past events say so, is that it was cold, and not having a real coat and scarf would have been a major mistake.
That discount is actually quite nice. If I check right now for a room this Friday for two adults, the cheapest I can get is around 380$
True, the hotels in this area don't come cheap, but the deals that you get through onPeak are really not too shabby. You can get much cheaper lodgings but you would have to sacrifice being close to the event, or you could share a room with friends.
I'm going to guess that this has been well covered here.
Comparing to sane prices, $200/night is a bit bonkers, on top of seemingly everything getting pricier each year (food, drink, travel, pax tickets themselves).
Welcome to Boston. You don't want to know how much it costs to rent in the city, if you're using that for comparison purposes.
The alternative is staying further away for less money. It's no secret that there's a hotel room shortage in Boston for hosting large events at the level of PAX East (and the marathon, which resulted in just about every hotel being sold out months ago). It's all about supply and demand. Hopefully this will be lessened with the new hotels being built in the area.
Even within Boston, it's a fantastic deal: I paid substantially more to be a 20 minute shuttle ride away this year, after missing out on the Westin (by a ton, I wasn't even close to getting a room there).
Suggest a convertible jacket which can become a vest. I hate checking a coat as I have it loaded with necessities (I am addicted to SEV jackets).
Thanks for being incredibly rude and condescending!
I'll just say, no, that's not the case at all, I travel plenty. When prices of anything goes up over 20% in a year (and the "regular price" goes up over 505 in a year), yes, that's completely ridiculous.
I could be crazy (and I didn't actually eat there this year), but I glanced at the menus at the food court and it seemed a tiny bit lower than 2012 (when I ate there extensively).
To me, Boston is very reasonably priced for eating in a major city: there are a lot of affordable options in the burger/sandwich/diner variety especially.
April 22-24th 2016 :P
If I had known how close the PAX East weekend was to the Boston Marathon this year, I would have booked a few extra days of vacation and attended in person (as a spectator, not a runner). Hopefully in 2016...!
https://allmylinks.com/topherxbeads
Oh that's gonna make for a VERY long week for me...I would've loved a longer break between PAX and Marathon this year but damn..
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