Surviving NY Comic Con

As a semi veteran of the NY Comic Con I wanted to share my survival tips for those who are going to the con for the first time or who are looking to do it on the cheap.

Prior to the con I highly suggest getting a backpack that has a chair that can fold out. You will be waiting outside and this will SAVE your legs/feet and allow you to do more throughout the day. Also pack food and bring a water bottle. Make sure you have snacks (trail mix and apples are a favorite of mine) and make sandwiches that you don't need to keep cool all day. PB&J all the way! I cannot stress how much this will save you on money and time. Water is around $4-$5 a dinky bottle. Forget that! Bring a refillable water bottle because by all the bathrooms there are water fountains. Now if that is what water costs you can imagine how much the food costs. A slice of pizza will make you cry unless you are being bank rolled by Bill Gates in which case buy a whole tray and share it with me. I also tend to pack more food than what I think I might need because I would rather go home with an extra sandwich than murder someone in a hangry moment.

Here I am as a very tired Hermione.

Now when you are choosing your foot wear choose CAREFULLY!!! I cannot stress this enough. Do not buy new shoes without stretching them out. This is not a drill, you will want to die. Now if you are cosplaying there is little that can be done based on what character you have chosen. I always go with someone I know has sensible foot wear because I see so many ladies with heels on who half way through the day their legs are shaking. That is just not the experience I want. Last year I was Kaylee from Firefly and this year I was Hermione from Harry Potter. If you are going to be wearing heels pop those bad boys in your bag until your about to hit the floor. You do not need to navigate NYC with them on as well. Do not worry about looking silly or weird wearing sneakers with your cosplay, you're dressed as Harley Quinn. Someone already thinks you're deranged. I would also suggest getting those shoe inserts and if you are going for multiple days perhaps do not cosplay everyday especially if this is your first con.

The day of con if you want to see any panels, get there no later than 630am. Now Sabrina, they don't even start letting people into the building until 8 or 9 am depending on the day and then the con doesn't actually open until 10am so why should I get there so damn early? Well my dears if you want to see a panel suck it up buttercup. Some of the panels are ticketed. You will not know which ones until you show up that day. You then have to sit in line for them and they do sell out. And those freebees you see people with? If you want those you had better hit the show room floor EARLY! You go to the right booths and you get free totes, backpacks, tshirts, pins, books, food, makeup ect. There is no reason that you should be walking out of this con without some free swag. You will also want to check the weather, bring a collapsible umbrella, gloves, hat and an appropriate jacket. That backpack with a built in seat also comes in handy if it rains. You can still sit down for those hours.
  For panels that are not ticketed, you will want to show up about an hour prior to it starting to get in line. I am not joking. If the person at the door offers to let you sit in on the panel that is going on, do that. You'll probably see a cool panel that you never would have and you either already have or will have access to gaining a better seat for your panel. If there is someone on the panel who isn't doing an autographing session, head up to the front once the panel is over, they are usually super awesome about talking with fans, signing autographs and taking pictures. This past con I met Captain Planet and Ed Asner that way. That was also free.




Always check the schedule the week of Con and figure out what panels you want to go to and see when you have open pockets of time to go to the show floor or artists alley or check out the cosplayers. There should never be a moment where you are bored. You will be tired to the point where when you sit down you start to fall asleep but never board. Planning is a very important aspect of con. Also understand that people are going to bump into you and you're going to bump into them. Spaces get packed throughout the day, specifically the show room. The floor is HUGE. It usually takes me two days to cover it all. And if you are a wrestling fan they usually have about 5 wrestlers scattered throughout the show room (although usually they're on the right side of the floor area away from the Block but not always).  You can get your picture taken and an autograph with them, for a price.  This year I met the King and saw Ric Flair, Hacksaw, Million Dollar Man, Mick Foley, Noelle Foley, Animal and Jimmy Hart. Mick Foley was there two years ago too but he is the only reoccurring one I have seen.

Overall, stay hydrated and be prepared to sit in some lines. It'll all be worth it though in the end, I promise. I would also recommend bringing a portable game system or a book for when you're sitting in said lines. I read three books this past Con alone. I hope this list helps and if you have any further questions please don't be afraid to ask in the comments!