newcomer, new costume, solo guest

[robinhoods]

Hello Everyone,

This will be only the 2nd time I've gone to a Convention.

My sister studies @ UC Davis, so I will be staying with her during memorial weekend.

Does anyone have advice on getting to and from the Convention with your own car?

Also, I will be going alone so if anyone has a friendly group that would welcome me, it would be greatly appreciated!!

I'm not trying to wait in any potential line(s) alone  :-X

I will also be cosplaying (hopefully) as Tetsu from Ace No Diamond.

If you got an AND group...holla at me

(feel free to email me)

[thepharaohinleather]

Hi there! I saw you responded on my post about the info for the cosplay gatherings and responded to you there, but just in case you didn't see it, I'll repost my reply here!

I do hope you have a wonderful first fanime~ If you are coming by car to the convention, be sure to bring some cash if you can for parking. Downtown San Jose has very high parking rates, and you can't really escape that. There's lots of parking but keep in mind some 30,000+ people attend fanime now, so that's a lot of cars even if not everyone is driving. I recommend the convention center parking structure, which charges $1 per 20 min with a maximum of $20 per day, or the South Hall parking lot (which fills up quickly) which has a maximum of $7 during the day, $5 at night. Other options include valets at the hotels but those are often full. There is another parking structure across the street from the fairmont (it's in the same location as the restaurant Scott's Seafood if you need directions) which charges generally the same amount. A few self-run parking lots are scattered around the convention center, but often charge $5 an hour. When in doubt, just circle around a bit! You'll have to walk a bit regardless of where you park, so don't get discouraged if you have to park a little bit away. Here's a link to a handy page about parking in downtown San Jose with some maps and pricing http://www.sanjose.org/maps-more/parking/

Make sure you bring a water bottle too! There are water fountains in the main concourse but what if you get thirsty and you're not near one? Plus buying water bottles at con will empty your wallet faster than the dealer's hall will. It's a lot more walking than you think, so stay hydrated! They sell food in the main concourse too but again it's very expensive. If you can bring a snack, definitely bring it!

There's a lot to see and do at this con, I really hope you have fun! If you didn't know, there is a Masquerade on Saturday evening, which is where people do live skits and there is also a cosplay contest. On Sunday, there is a ball which requires formal attire so if you would like to go, make sure to bring something that follows the guidelines posted here! http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,20483.0.html (I'm sure you've been looking around the forums, but just in case you didn't see it~) Many people recommend going to the opening ceremonies as well, which happen around 12 or 2pm Friday (in my seven years of going to fanime I haven't attended but almost everyone that has gone recommends it). There's a rave, gaming hall with tournaments, manga lounge, and lots more! Hopefully they put the maps up on the website soon so you can check out where everything is.

The main concourse of the convention center has lots of tables and chairs for you to sit at if you get tired, but no one will judge if you just lean up against a wall too. Trust me, cons are so exhausting, especially if you're cosplaying! This year, there are some big changes happening, like the safety initiative which will require you to show your badge before getting to the second floor where dealer's hall, artist alley, the gaming hall etc is. So you won't have to show your badge at each of those locations anymore, so it can be tucked away in your cosplay or clothes if you don't want it showing. This should make lines much shorter for all such places, but we'll have to see if it actually works. I'll be going back to the general area on Thursday so maybe I'll sneak a peek inside the convention center to try and see what they're up to as far as blocking off places.

Last year, inside the Dealer's Hall, they had a lovely takoyaki stand that was very popular, and hopefully they will bring that back this year. Fanime has had difficulty the past few years with making cheap food available (besides pocky) but they seem to be slowly getting the hang of it. Check that out if you have time and seem interested!

Make sure you wear comfortable shoes also, even in cosplay. The con is HUGE, at least in my opinion. Last year, they took up two of the main exhibition rooms for the dealer's hall alone, and the number of artists in the artist alley seems to grow every year. There's so much to look at and you'll be mingling with lots of other people and trying to get in and out and to see everything. If you can, dress lightly. It'll most likely be hot outside and warm inside with 30,000 bodies milling around.

Sorry I rambled so much! I just want you to have a great con experience so I thought I would give you some info/adivce from what I've experienced in the past seven years at this con. Just enjoy yourself mainly~ Check the forums even once the con starts too! They often update things as they change. There's also an info desk on the main concourse next to stage zero if you want to go talk to someone in person about a question or problem you might have.

Oh! If you're bringing a prop, make sure to get it peace bonded before walking around with it just so rovers don't call you out on it. If you don't know what that means, they will put a brightly colored zip tie around some part of your prop so that rovers (staff) know your weapon/prop cleared the requirements. The location for peace bonding changes constantly, so check the forums and official website about that location. It should also be on the maps once they make those available for our desperate eyes. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or make a post on the forums! Lots of nice people here to help you out~ :3

[stilzkin]

Hey there, i'm an european and since few years back i'm going to american ( and japanese) conventions my first con expierence was Anime Expo and i was also solo, even though i have a pretty outgoing personality i realy feel that your among friends at a con and since you cosplay i'm pretty sure people will talk to you / ask for pictures and ofcourse i'm pretty sure any cosplay gatherings will accept you :) so no worries and just enjoy your time at fanime

[cidcrow]

Pharaoh in Leather, thanks for all that rambling--your info is SUPER helpful! I'm another first-timer to Fanime and am swarming with questions. Your post helped get a good bearing on some of them. :D