What should I do when I get there?

There are several different things to do at SDCC. If you have the stamina, you can get most of it done. Most people will want to focus on a couple of different activities to get the most out of. Last year, there was an offsite gaming room for XBox and a separate one for PlayStation. If gaming is your thing, you may not even need to enter the convention to have a great time. There's an autograph area in the convention, and many booths on the exhibition floor bring in celebrities for signings. You could spend your whole trip standing in line and jumping through hoops to get all of the celebrity signatures. Keep in mind that the actual autograph area usually costs money and many of the booths are selling particular items for autograph. For example, last year Evangeline Lilly would only sign her new book. There are tons and tons of programs to sit through. These programs include interviews with celebrities, sneak peeks of upcoming movies or television shows, and sometimes free giveaways. You could easily spend the entire time sitting in different program rooms. Keep in mind that the biggest programs are in Hall H which has a separate line outside. The Hall H line will start forming at around 1 a.m. the night before a program... sometimes for a program that starts after noon on that day. Last year, Assassin's Creed had an obstacle course outside the convention and Samsung turned part of the Hard Rock Cafe into District 3 from The Hunger Games. I easily spent three hours in there and needless to say, my wife is tired of the Capitol theme song. Last year MTV hosted the first Fan Awards that included a concert by Linkin Park for free to Comic Con attendees. Geek & Sundry also has a site that is open to the public so that fans can get in regardless of their attendee status. With so much to do, be sure to sit down with your party beforehand and plan thoroughly because you won't be able to do everything and sacrifices will have to be made.

Parking in Downtown San Diego.

Parking downtown for the convention is not to be taken lightly. For those that are staying at the upscale hotels, there will be parking onsite at a premium. Make sure you set aside money for this additional fee that is not included in your hotel price. The price is usually $25 per day. For those staying at the campground, congratulations, your parking is free. Last year, Comic Con set up parking agreements with several lots in the area. These lots provided all day parking at different rates depending on how close to the convention center you were. There is parking under the convention center and this is the most ideal parking but it is a little bit more expensive than surrounding lots and is the first to sell out. Last year, I parked at the local mall. It was about two blocks from my hotel which was another block from the convention center. The major issue with these all day spots is that they do not allow you to leave and come back and you have to make sure your parking pass is visible or you'll be ticketed. Also, they offer a parking pass for Sunday. Don't buy it. I bought it last year only to find out that parking on Sundays is free.

Where should I stay?

Well if you live in the southern half of San Diego, you can drive down each day but it will cost you parking which will be discussed in the next post. If you're staying over in San Diego, you have a few choices. Every year, a set amount of rooms is put aside for the convention at each of the nearby hotels. The Comic Con website will announce that hotel rooms are available for purchase, and you will get a discount. These rooms can still be very expensive, however. Some other ideas include renting a beach house, staying at a hostel, or camping. One year, I went camping at the local KOA and took the trolley into the convention each day. Rates have been getting higher each year, and camping during SDCC can be just as expensive as a lower budget hotel but it is a fun alternative.

Making the Trip Out.

In preparation for the trip to SDCC, one has a choice when living outside of California or even in northern California. There is the trek by car, by train, or by plane. Most people outside the state will opt to take a plane into San Diego. Research has shown that flights into San Diego around the time that Comic Con is held should be booked 75 days in advance. The price won't be too much higher if you purchase your tickets before that but the price rises rapidly after the 75 day mark. Last year, I chose to drive into California from the east coast. It was a three day trip that included a rental. Hertz and many other car rental agencies will offer unlimited miles so be sure to take advantage of that deal for a trip like this. Trains tend to be just as much if not more than flying and they can take longer than driving. I've heard that the route is very beautiful, however, and some may take this trip in order to see the sites in America without the hassle of driving. With the installation of the lightrail in California, those in the north may find it easier to take the train down for the day.

And They're Gone...

Tickets for SDCC are such a hot commodity that they tend to sell out within an hour. Yesterday was no different. The only issue that arose was obtaining a registration code for logging into the ticket sales site. I believe this is the first year that a registration code was needed for logging into the sales site. The e-mail preparing us for the big sales day explicitly stated the need for this code but many people, myself included, found ourselves too busy with our day to day lives to read the e-mail in its entirety. What this meant on Saturday was that many people were attempting to log into their accounts at the same time and subsequently crashing the system that was not meant to handle that much traffic in a short time-frame. Frustration was high as people frantically signed in to wait for their random turn to purchase tickets. I can tell you that I for one did not get the chance to purchase tickets before being notified that the event sold out. Although near 140,000 people attend each year, there are always crushed dreams at the end of open registration.

Wait! How do I get tickets?!

San Diego Comic Con has limited entry. Although the convention center was recently remodeled to hold more people, it simply cannot hold the amount of people who want to go without breaking Fire Marshall code. Attendees who went to the previous years event are eligible to purchase tickets during pre-registration. Pre-registration for 2015 was in November of last year. Not everyone who attended last year can get tickets for this year. Open Registration is for the purchase of tickets by those who did not attend last year or by those who did attend last year but could not get tickets during pre-registration. OPEN REGISTRATION IS TOMORROW at 9 a.m. PST! This link will give you the details: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/2015/open-online-registration-0

When and where is SDCC?

San Diego Comic Con is hosted in downtown San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. The convention is always a half-week long event in the summer. The dates vary. This year, the convention officially starts on July 9 with preview night on July 8. The convention goes through Sunday so this year the last day will be July 12. Most people will stay the entire week and visit the local attractions before the event starts.