San Diego Comic Con 2016

Last week we travelled to San Diego, California to experience the ever growing Comic Con Convention. This was also the first time that I've ever been to the city of San Diego. While others were trying desperately to get Comic Con passes we were lucky enough to get 4 day passes with the preview night. We missed preview night on Wednesday but started Comic Con on Thursday. This was also the day after the Southwest incident which was our airline. We only saw a delay thankfully and didn't get cancelled like thousands of others around the country.

So what happened as soon as we got to San Diego? We hit the ground running! We got into downtown San Diego where the Comic Con is held a the convention center. The Comic Con displays were everywhere. As a first timer I was overwhelmed with all of the signs and the crowds. I didn't think that it was going to be everywhere you looked but it was! It really takes over the city. Once you get inside the convention center there is literally hundreds of vendors. People come from all around the world to show you've what they've got.

You can find everything you ever thought might exist in the Comic industry. They have comics, Funko pops, t-shirts, toys, graphic novels, posters, buttons, key chains you name it, they've got it! They also have tons of amazing artifacts everywhere on display from movies, and television shows.

 

Then there's the celebrities. They have tons of celebrities from movies and television on site talking about their latest projects. This year we saw the Game of Thrones cast, the cast of the new Power Rangers movie and some of the cast of Silicon Valley.

We had a really fun time experiencing it for the first time. I would definitely say it was an adventure. People dress in their favorite character costumes, you see people freaking out over seeing celebrities and you see people spending money on toys that you wouldn't even imagine. It was some of the best people watching I've ever done in my life! It was pretty cool to get tons of freebies though and see the cast of Game of Thrones. We were invited to the Diamond Retailer luncheon and got to see some new things that haven't even hit the market yet.

Tips for first timers

1. Do not park downtown. You will pay anywhere from $25-50.00 to park downtown near the convention center. Instead park at a Trolley station and spend $7.00 on a roundtrip.
2. Get there early. Lots of exclusive items and bracelets for signings are given away early. Be there and be in line.
3. Wear comfortable shoes. You will literally be standing/walking around all day long. You may think that you can wear those flip flops or sandals but remember people are everywhere and will step on your feet. Closed toed shoes are the best way to go.
4. Bring your own water and snacks. The food there is like stadium food. It's off brand fast food and not cheap. They don't search your bags and their ok with you bringing in water and food.
5. Panels. This is where you can see your favorite actor/writer/cast talk about their current or upcoming project. Those lines form really early as well and if it's in exhibit hall H then it's outside. So get out there, get under the tent and don't leave your place in line.
6. Save MONEY. You will see lots of things you will want to buy. So prepare your money accordingly. Don't blow all of your money the first day but if you see something that is exclusive or a limited edition don't wait till the last day to buy it... more than likely it won't be there because someone else has bought it.
7. Stay outside of downtown. Hotels can run 400-800 a night because of Comic Con. Stay 20-40 minutes outside of town and save a bundle. You can park at a trolley stop and ride in. We did! It only took us 10 minutes on the trolley to ride in each day.