First Con + Questions?

[latiosruby]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

[nightmareman00]

Well I've done ab before with out a hotel room ready it is do able to drive or take the train but it's also very tiring as well
So I say a room is a good idea gives you a base of operations so to speak and fyi trying to use your car as a means to stay for sleep not the best of places lol

[bulletdancer]

I've done conventions both with hotel nearby, hotel further away requiring public transport, and staying at the end of public transport lines with a 20 minute drive beyond that. There's not a huge difference between the first two, as you can always get a taxi. But if you're parking at the end of a line, I found that I was hyper aware of when I needed to leave the convention to get to the train, and this meant that I missed some stuff which happened in the evening that I would have loved to see.

Further if you're cosplaying, unless you know you can wear it all day, you probably want to have a hotel room closeby

The nice thing about the close by hotel room is like you said, potentially meeting new people, if they're the types to chat. Additionally, as also said, having a close by base of operations to store snacks, and be able to take breathers away from the convention, and lastly it's really nice to just have the flexibility of I'll just stick around until I get tired and want to go sleep, which you can't really do if you're driving or walking a good distance etc.

At this point, I personally will almost always try to find a hotel room within walking distance so that I don't have to worry about anything (plus some cosplays I've made are not comfortable to wear for an entire day so I need to change in/out), but I think both are totally viable options, and I think you'll find AB to be a great time regardless of your choice.

Also, it's not too early, especially if you're thinking about finding a hotel room nearby, things can fill up faster than anyone anticipates.

Hope this helps

[Elli21486]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

A gamer huh? Well, there is the Game Room that you may enjoy...

Anyway, on means of transportation, I prefer taking public transportation since it is easily accessible for me. It is also helpful that all I have is a backpack when I go (I don't cosplay) and my last bus is 3am (2am for train). All in all, you choose what is best for you. If you are planning on cosplaying or buying a lot of merch, then a hotel or driving in may be best for you. If you are like me where you can easily get around and you don't buy a lot, then public transportation will do.

[nightmareman00]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

A gamer huh? Well, there is the Game Room that you may enjoy...

Anyway, on means of transportation, I prefer taking public transportation since it is easily accessible for me. It is also helpful that all I have is a backpack when I go (I don't cosplay) and my last bus is 3am (2am for train). All in all, you choose what is best for you. If you are planning on cosplaying or buying a lot of merch, then a hotel or driving in may be best for you. If you are like me where you can easily get around and you don't buy a lot, then public transportation will do.

Huh I thought the trains stopped running at midnight?

[nenie]

Alewife is a little far isn't it? I agree it is doable, but being onsite is really convenient.

[Elli21486]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

A gamer huh? Well, there is the Game Room that you may enjoy...

Anyway, on means of transportation, I prefer taking public transportation since it is easily accessible for me. It is also helpful that all I have is a backpack when I go (I don't cosplay) and my last bus is 3am (2am for train). All in all, you choose what is best for you. If you are planning on cosplaying or buying a lot of merch, then a hotel or driving in may be best for you. If you are like me where you can easily get around and you don't buy a lot, then public transportation will do.

Huh I thought the trains stopped running at midnight?

The MBTA started their Late Night Service pilot program on March 28, 2014. This essentially stated that all subway lines will run until about 2:30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses were also there to wait for the last trains, which sometimes ended up being at 3:30am. Then on June 27, 2015, they extended the program but cut the hours and several busses from the program. Now, all subways will leave downtown stations (Government Center, State, Park, and Downtown Crossing) around 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses are still in use and they will wait for the last subway, which can go up to 3am.

This was briefly discussed here but could have easily been overlooked.

The future of the program though is unknown as it has been considered for ending the program in general or privatizing it to a company. Time will tell.

[nightmareman00]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

A gamer huh? Well, there is the Game Room that you may enjoy...

Anyway, on means of transportation, I prefer taking public transportation since it is easily accessible for me. It is also helpful that all I have is a backpack when I go (I don't cosplay) and my last bus is 3am (2am for train). All in all, you choose what is best for you. If you are planning on cosplaying or buying a lot of merch, then a hotel or driving in may be best for you. If you are like me where you can easily get around and you don't buy a lot, then public transportation will do.

Huh I thought the trains stopped running at midnight?

The MBTA started their Late Night Service pilot program on March 28, 2014. This essentially stated that all subway lines will run until about 2:30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses were also there to wait for the last trains, which sometimes ended up being at 3:30am. Then on June 27, 2015, they extended the program but cut the hours and several busses from the program. Now, all subways will leave downtown stations (Government Center, State, Park, and Downtown Crossing) around 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses are still in use and they will wait for the last subway, which can go up to 3am.

This was briefly discussed here but could have easily been overlooked.

The future of the program though is unknown as it has been considered for ending the program in general or privatizing it to a company. Time will tell.

Huh guess I need to ride the T more often bin awhile Since I've bin in park station

[Deku-Kun]

First of all it's never to "early" to ask.
Time will fly by so quick from now until the day of the con. So it's a good thing you're asking now.

Based on personal experience. I would say try to find a place to stay that's close to the con. Or connected to the con like the Marriott or Sheraton. (<-- too overpriced). If this is your first time I'd say stay close to take advantage of the whole experience in general from dusk til dawn!

At the end of the day you decide though and don't hesitate to ask in general. May your experience be delightful and hopefully we run into each other. It's a small world at AB haha.

[Ithrowpeople]

If you have the cash to spare, then get a room. My first year was last year and having to get up extra early and gathering friends and such was a pain every day. -_- I'm trying to get a room but my friends are a pain to try and coordinate with.

[Elli21486]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

A gamer huh? Well, there is the Game Room that you may enjoy...

Anyway, on means of transportation, I prefer taking public transportation since it is easily accessible for me. It is also helpful that all I have is a backpack when I go (I don't cosplay) and my last bus is 3am (2am for train). All in all, you choose what is best for you. If you are planning on cosplaying or buying a lot of merch, then a hotel or driving in may be best for you. If you are like me where you can easily get around and you don't buy a lot, then public transportation will do.

Huh I thought the trains stopped running at midnight?

The MBTA started their Late Night Service pilot program on March 28, 2014. This essentially stated that all subway lines will run until about 2:30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses were also there to wait for the last trains, which sometimes ended up being at 3:30am. Then on June 27, 2015, they extended the program but cut the hours and several busses from the program. Now, all subways will leave downtown stations (Government Center, State, Park, and Downtown Crossing) around 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses are still in use and they will wait for the last subway, which can go up to 3am.

This was briefly discussed here but could have easily been overlooked.

The future of the program though is unknown as it has been considered for ending the program in general or privatizing it to a company. Time will tell.

Huh guess I need to ride the T more often bin awhile Since I've bin in park station

Well, I have some bad news now. The MBTA Board has decided to end the Late Night Service on March 18, 2016.

[nightmareman00]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

A gamer huh? Well, there is the Game Room that you may enjoy...

Anyway, on means of transportation, I prefer taking public transportation since it is easily accessible for me. It is also helpful that all I have is a backpack when I go (I don't cosplay) and my last bus is 3am (2am for train). All in all, you choose what is best for you. If you are planning on cosplaying or buying a lot of merch, then a hotel or driving in may be best for you. If you are like me where you can easily get around and you don't buy a lot, then public transportation will do.

Huh I thought the trains stopped running at midnight?

The MBTA started their Late Night Service pilot program on March 28, 2014. This essentially stated that all subway lines will run until about 2:30am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses were also there to wait for the last trains, which sometimes ended up being at 3:30am. Then on June 27, 2015, they extended the program but cut the hours and several busses from the program. Now, all subways will leave downtown stations (Government Center, State, Park, and Downtown Crossing) around 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Key busses are still in use and they will wait for the last subway, which can go up to 3am.

This was briefly discussed here but could have easily been overlooked.

The future of the program though is unknown as it has been considered for ending the program in general or privatizing it to a company. Time will tell.

Huh guess I need to ride the T more often bin awhile Since I've bin in park station

Well, I have some bad news now. The MBTA Board has decided to end the Late Night Service on March 18, 2016.

Well that's not good

[foreverfinn]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

I don't know how close that is to the convention, but if it's far away definitely get a hotel room. Driving up the day of is no fun if the car ride is crazy long. If money is an issue, driving is probably cheaper, but you lose a lot of the perks of a hotel room. A hotel room is really nice, since you can go back and forth to get stuff. Forgetting things and carrying things becomes much less of a problem. Also, driving home after the con at night when you're exhausted is rough. Hotel rooms avoid that issue. In terms of cosplay, it's really nice to be able to get extra stuff in your room, and again, if you forget something or don't want to carry or wear something, you can put it away, get whatever you need and have a nice place to change. I'd say weigh the pros and cons and then decide.

[Anna-neko]

dunno if you're still looking for answers... but here's my 2cents anyway

if you are all by yourself a hotel room is kinda costly.. do the commute thing instead. Park at Alewife, take train in, go home each night (I've done this exact routine, always amazed just how many cosplayers are there on train at midnight headin home)

Also, you mention this being your first convention ... and they do get a bit overwhelming, after a crowded day of fandom, your own cozy bed & shower are kind of a godsent, not gonna lie
Make new friends at con and you can share the hotel room next year

[Xias]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

I don't know how close that is to the convention, but if it's far away definitely get a hotel room. Driving up the day of is no fun if the car ride is crazy long. If money is an issue, driving is probably cheaper, but you lose a lot of the perks of a hotel room. A hotel room is really nice, since you can go back and forth to get stuff. Forgetting things and carrying things becomes much less of a problem. Also, driving home after the con at night when you're exhausted is rough. Hotel rooms avoid that issue. In terms of cosplay, it's really nice to be able to get extra stuff in your room, and again, if you forget something or don't want to carry or wear something, you can put it away, get whatever you need and have a nice place to change. I'd say weigh the pros and cons and then decide.

I bolded this cause it's by far the best part of staying on site, at least to me; you can just always go back and forth to your hotel room, which is really convenient and something you'll miss a lot if you commute. I've done both as well and I really hate not being able to just go to my hotel room whenever I want for whatever reason- even if it's just to chill for a half hour away from the crowds. It's a godsend sometimes. So that's what I recommend too, if you can afford it!

[foreverfinn]

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.

I don't know how close that is to the convention, but if it's far away definitely get a hotel room. Driving up the day of is no fun if the car ride is crazy long. If money is an issue, driving is probably cheaper, but you lose a lot of the perks of a hotel room. A hotel room is really nice, since you can go back and forth to get stuff. Forgetting things and carrying things becomes much less of a problem. Also, driving home after the con at night when you're exhausted is rough. Hotel rooms avoid that issue. In terms of cosplay, it's really nice to be able to get extra stuff in your room, and again, if you forget something or don't want to carry or wear something, you can put it away, get whatever you need and have a nice place to change. I'd say weigh the pros and cons and then decide.

I bolded this cause it's by far the best part of staying on site, at least to me; you can just always go back and forth to your hotel room, which is really convenient and something you'll miss a lot if you commute. I've done both as well and I really hate not being able to just go to my hotel room whenever I want for whatever reason- even if it's just to chill for a half hour away from the crowds. It's a godsend sometimes. So that's what I recommend too, if you can afford it!

Yeah... If you can afford it and live more than an hour away, definitely get a hotel room to be honest. As nice as it is to be able to get ready in your own house, commuting and not having a place to go back to whenever really sucks. Of course if you live less than 15 minutes from the con or something a hotel room is excessive, but I'd recommend it in most other cases. The only downside to a hotel is money.

[QQ]

I think it depends on how late you plan on staying every night. If you stay past the last train, then the benefits of having a room add up because Uber/taxi can be expensive. If you plan on cosplaying a lot, then having a hotel room to change and do make-up is very convenient. So if you get a good room rate, I'd definitely get a room.

So you're from Ottawa Ontario?

Yo, I'm new to the area and I'm on an internship so I really don't have too long to do all the cool things in the area -
but I'm super lucky to be here during AB!! (21/f)
I actually have never gone to a convention before except for a tiny game market in Ottawa once.

I'm a gamer and I don't know anyone... (but i am really, really, REALLY hype to stomp AB arrows! Seriously the charts are famous)

I live around Alewife, so is it a better idea to grab a hotel room or just go home every night?
I think it could be fun to room with people and get to know people, but idk.

I guess I'm looking for advice and reassurance? Sorry it's kinda early.