Comic-Con 2009

I was trying to figure out how many years we've been going to Comic-Con. A quick scan through my photos, and i can at least trace back to 2003. I can only remember missing one year, and that was to make it to a friend's wedding - but i'm pretty sure we've made it back to San Diego for the other years...








We smartened up a little this year. Here are a few our proud improvements:

1. Parking
The biggest improvement we made was parking.
I actually read the Parking information on the website and learned that you could basically find parking anywhere near a shuttle stop and take it into the Convention Center. And since we always go on a Saturday, we could park at the County Administration Building near the Harbor for free and walk a short block to the shuttle stop in front of Holiday Inn. That's a good 20 bucks a day we could save! And it was so much better than trying to leave a crowded parking lot near the convention center. You get a nice 15 minute A/C bus ride to rest your toes as you wait for your stop.








2. Less Junk
We also cut down on the junk. Are you REALLY going to do anything with that Free Transformer Cartoon Mini Poster? Are you REALLY going to use that keychain of the lastest Bandai character? We had to kindly walk away from the tempting Freebies we knew we'd never use... Believe me, it takes years of practice to not get tempted. We did however snag inflatable swords for some Dragon slaying EA video game... ok, and also some Batman and Catwoman masks. But these are things we could easily give away to coworkers and friends.








3. Drinks and Munchies
Snacks and Drinks were also quite handy to have on hand. I just grabbed a few water bottles, fruit snack packs, caramel nut quaker bars, and simple peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for each of us. It wasn't meant to be a meal, but these snacks saved us from splurging on 3 dollar sodas or 5 dollar pretzels. (I'm guessing on the prices, since we didn't even feel tempted to look at the food stands) Then for our real meals, we were energized enough to venture off 'campus' to eat something appetizing and inexpensive.


Leonard Nimoy, Tyrese Gibson, Lou Ferrigno






4. Preggo Camping Stool
Yes, and since this year I knew I had an extra challenge - the 7 month old water bowling ball i must carry everywhere - I had to prepare for extreme exhaustion. I've had good days and bad days prior to this weekend, so I just hoped that my legs could handle the 50 aisle Exhibit Hall hike. This would include the dodging and fancy footwork to maneuver through herds of sword-wielding, cape flapping, tail wagging costumes I might have to encounter. So we brought a 2 lb foldable camping stool that fits in a backpack. Whenever we needed to take a break, I had a fast seat that i could plop anywhere and immediately take a breather. Sitting on the ground is just not good or easy for my pleasant condition. This stool was awesome, and I probably should bring that thing around with me everywhere i go in general.









Unlike other Con goers, we decided not to wait in any lines, so we did miss out on all those preview sessions and fancy giant bags for Mythbusters and Fringe - but we just enjoy walking through the Exhibit halls and buying silly things we think are neat and unavailable anywhere else. I usually scan for the cutest cartoony characters - and hope their t-shirts aren't overly expensive. Herman will find usually find cool artwork or DVDs to help with his work. And you can always count on fun pics that are free for the taking. This year, instead of a t-shirt for myself, I got a onesie for someone else... :)