Dragoncon

Lots has been written about Dragoncon so I'll keep it fairly short and sweet. It is a large convention - around 40,000 people. I think only San Diego Comic Con is bigger. Dcon spans 5 host hotels where different tracks have dedicated rooms. It is an annual event and the base price is a little over $100 for all four days. Easily a 24 hour convention once you know enough people to attend the parties. There is no way to see everything you want to see because there are 400 guests alone.

I really liked the major name panels like True Blood and Eureka. The diversity of guests means that each day your favorite actor could be in a totally different environment. The rooms are huge and accomodate almost everyone. They clear the rooms between panels so unlike SDCC, if you really want to see a panel, you have an hour wait. I know I hung around the area where the line for a Eureka/Warehouse 13 crossover panel was going to begin about two hours ahead of time and ended up at almost the front of the line.

The walk of fame (where the celebs sit between panels and sell autographs) is wonderful. There are some long lines but there's also some really short ones. Occasionally, I would just go up and tell someone I loved their work. Some people really liked that. Some really wanted you to buy a damn autograph.

Photo ops were very scheduled and somewhat intimidating for me. I never did figure out exactly where to have them taken so I just didn't this time. The fans at this con are awesome. The costumes alone are worth going for! Plus, there is signicant waiting in line for every panel so lots of opportunities to get to know your neighbors.

It is a very hot and crowded convention. Atlanta over Labor Day is tolerable in AC but much harder when you have to go outside for some lines or want to try avoiding the crowd in the habitrails. (the main three hotels are connected by tubes/tunnels that look like hamster habitrails.) At the worst of times, you are pressed firmly against the person in front of you. At the best of the times, you can walk a normal pace but there are still people everywhere. When you get to a lobby - Hyatt, Hilton or Marriot - there's often wall to wall people. Excellent for watching and picture taking but not fun for anyone who has any kind of crowd phobia.

Elevators when you are in the host hotels are kind of tough too. I believe the Hyatt is the worst but the others are rough too. Lots of squeezing in and occasionally hotel staff will interupt to make sure its a bit more orderly.

Overall experience: B-. Love the fans. Love the costumes. Dislike the heat and being sweaty all the time. Great opportunity to see bigger named stars from shows like Eureka and Warehouse 13.