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Passes
- Register now. Comic-Con calls it a "membership" or "registration;" it's easier to just say "passes." Whatever you want to call 'em, buy 'em now, because they will sell-out, and they do not sell them at the door.
- Plan when to go. The 4-day passes are already completely sold-out, so if you haven't bought your tickets yet, you'll need to buy individual passes for the day(s) you want to visit on. Each pass is only good on the specified day. The geeky-geeks are almost certain to hit the Con hard on Wednesday night (preview), then Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (Often they're so worn-out they never make it to the Con on Sunday!) As far as day passes go, Saturday usually sells-out first.
- What about this Wednesday night preview? You can only get into the preview if you're already registered for a 4-day pass, or if you do a volunteer shift. (Or if you're a mucky-muck, or an industry professional.)
- Volunteer. If you're feeling poor, consider volunteering for a three-hour shift; you'll get free admission on the day you work (plus admission to the preview.) I've actually decided to do this myself.
- Check-out Comic-Con's official hotel list. It includes hotel names, prices, distance, parking fees, and whether or not they're served by Comic-Con's free shuttle. You can find the list here.
- Be ready to settle. You want a good hotel, in a good location, for a good price, right? Well, the odds are stacked against you this time, and you'll probably need to make some compromises. (Hotel prices are jacked-up for Comic-Con weekend.)
- Book your room now. If you wait until the last minute, you'll be kicking yourself. Right now you can probably find decent rooms, in decent locations, for about $139+ per night. As the Con gets closer, the prices may go up; and if you wait too long, finding a room could be difficult.
- Try bidding, perhaps. If you're adventurous, use Hotwire or Priceline's Name-Your-Own-Price. You may save a few bucks, but you won't know the name and exact location of the hotel until after you've pre-paid. (The other catch: because it's such a busy weekend, you may not save as much as you normally would.)
- Shop around. You may be surprised to find that websites have varying prices, sometimes even for the same hotel and room.
- Be aware of quirks. It's a busy weekend, and a few hotels have special restrictions on check-in and length-of-stay.
- Ask about parking fees. If you'll have a car, ask whether your hotel charges for parking. Many of them do.
- Know your neighborhoods. Here are some areas that you might be considering:
- Downtown and/or the Gaslamp Quarter - If you can afford it, this is definitely the most convenient place to stay for Comic-Con. Fun nightlife, and the area is quite walkable.
- Old Town - Easy access to the trolley. Fun, walkable neighborhood, if a bit touristy. Still it's a great spot to stay in, so I recommend it.
- Mission Valley and Hotel Circle - This is where you'll probably find some (relatively) decent prices and name-brand hotels. A handful of them are located near trolley stops; otherwise you should plan on having a rental car (or friend or taxi, etc.) This is a very retail-oriented area. (Two malls, lots of chain restaurants, etc.) Most of it is not very walkable. Examples of somewhat-affordable hotels that are in good locations: Doubletree Hazard Center, Courtyard by Marriott, Town & Country and The Handlery.
- Hillcrest and North Park - These are San Diego's "gayborhoods," and a lot of us locals live here. While it's a convenient and fun area to stay in, there really aren't many hotels here (and definitely no name-brand hotels.) If you're dead-set on staying in the gayborhood, I might suggest the Park Manor Hotel (an older hotel, gay-owned) or the Sommerset Suites. They aren't particularly super nice, but they are clean and they are very conveniently located. The gayborhoods are very walkable, with fun nightlife, and easy access to buses that go downtown. (Rooms at these two hotels start at about $200+ per night for Comic-Con weekend.)
- Coronado - It's a real nice area but it can be quite expensive. If you're lucky enough to be staying near the San Diego Bay Water Taxi, you're golden; you can take it to the Con each day. Otherwise you'll probably need a car.
- Point Loma, Mission Bay, Sea World, beach areas - You might find some good hotels near the water. You'll most likely need a rental car.
- Anything beyond - If the hotel has an address that doesn't actually say "San Diego, CA" on it, you will need a car. (To save a few bucks for parking, consider driving to a Trolley station and riding the Trolley to the Con.)
Getting here
- Get a lift from the airport. You're probably flying into San Diego International Airport, also known as Lindbergh Field (its abbreviation is "SAN.") The airport is located very close to Downtown San Diego. If you just need a lift to your hotel, maybe ask a friend to pick you up. Or take a taxi; you can expect to pay about $10-$15 to get from the airport to downtown, or to other areas like Mission Valley and Hotel Circle. Taxis will cost more If you're going any farther than that. If you need to save some cash, consider cheaper options like the Cloud 9 Shuttle.
- Take the train. If you're coming from Southern California, take Amtrak! It stops right downtown.
- Know where you're going. Comic-Con is held at the San Diego Convention Center, located at 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101.
- Decide whether you need a car. If you're staying downtown, I strongly suggest not renting a car (unless you plan on taking trips away from the Con.) If you're not staying downtown, this question will just depend on how close you are to a transit route (or whether you have local friends, or whether you just want to use cabs to get around.)
- Plan for parking fees. If you're going to have a car, be ready to pay $15 to $25 per day for parking near the Convention Center. You may have similar parking fees at your hotel, too. This is especially true if you're staying in Hotel Circle, Mission Valley, Old Town, Downtown/Gaslamp, and some other neighborhoods. Be sure to find-out first!
- Be ready for traffic. During peak times, downtown will be -packed with cars and buses. The only way to really avoid auto traffic is to take the trolley.
- Use the free shuttle. If you're lucky enough to be staying at a hotel on a free shuttle route, by all means, use it!
- Use the trolley. Quite simply, the San Diego Trolley system rocks. It's cheap, clean and it travels directly to the Convention Center; you're practically dropped-off right at the doorstep. There's even a special event trolley schedule just for Comic-Con. The catch is, you need to stay at a hotel near a trolley stop, and that's not always easy to finagle. If you want to try, I might suggest staying in Old Town if possible.
- Use the bus. Lots of public bus routes travel downtown. You can get an all-day transit pass for $5, which includes unlimited rides on area buses and trolleys. (Just be sure to have a nice crisp $5 bill ready when you board for the first time each day.) Do yourself a favor: skip the lame-ass MTS website and just use Google Maps to look-up transit times. San Diego's bus and trolley schedules are fully integrated with Google Maps; you can even access them on the iPhone! Just be sure to arrive at the bus stop early... our buses are sometimes known to arrive 7 or 8 minutes early (or 20 minutes late...)
- Ride with the locals. If you know a 619'er who's going, consider tagging-along with 'em. For the last two years, we've taken the bus to the Con, and it's worked-out well.
(Locals or Comic-Con "veterans," feel free to correct me or add your own tips!)
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