I read that not enough "regular" people were writing about this year's NYCC. I'm gonna dash off some thoughts, because I don't work for a news outlet
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Oh, also, the 7 train is being extended to 11th ave (you could see the construction across the street :) )-- it's the 10th ave stop that's in limbo.
Sorry, I'm not really trying to be devil's advocate-- just pointing out a few things. Everything you say about NYCC is spot-on (particularly the bathrooms), and make it hard to enjoy the con at times. I love NYCC and I think at its best, it can be pretty amazing (getting to meet all these people, etc), but the Javits is just such a dump. It's remarkably smooth for what it is, but I sincerely hope it can deal with its growing pains fast and work on the organizational issues. Hopefully the renovations help as well. :\
No no, I appreciate it!! I'm glad to be proven wrong on so many counts. The city deserves these renovations; I can't imagine how many other shows happen at the Javits that wouldn't benefit from easy accessibility--not to mention the businesses and residents in the area. I hope the west-west side will gentrify as a result.
Just wanted to toss in my two cents and say I completely agree.
I think I've been to somewhere between 15-20 convention centers over the course of doing shows for the past few years, and the Javits is hands down the WORST. New York's a big hub for industry ... it's a shame the convention center is so poor.
I think the only thing I can add that you didn't mention was the organization in the lobby right outside the show. By organization I mean literally none - it was just a press of bodies trying to squeeze through the tiny gap in the cordon. Bananas!
This was the first year they folded NYAF into NYCC (I think), and I think it was experiencing growing pains for sure. Hopefully they can sort some of that stuff out next year!
I agree that the lobby chaos was potentially a bigger problem than the con floor itself. So many people going in different directions and having no idea if they are going the right way or not. And in the middle of it all people stopping to take pictures!
it was the first time and I think it suffered more than it benefited to be honest. The actual 'anime/manga' presence at NYCC/NYAF was considerably smaller. Two of the big names--Viz and Tokyo Pop--didn't hold panels (and if they had booths they weren't anywhere I could find them) and the others had the misfortune of being placed by larger booths--such as UbiSoft or SquareEnix--who had major demos for most of the weekend, attracting large video game crowds and making it impossible for the people who wanted to get to the anime booths to get there easily.
the lobby pissed me off. There was no one to know which way to go. Why they had one of the pre-reg lines cut across the already got a badge/press badge/professional badge lines is beyond me.
I've yet to make a NYCC (even though I was in NYC this past weekend!), but I was at the Javits Center last November for the NYC Marathon and I was seriously underwhelmed with it and its location during that trip. And I was only there for about two hours. It's a shame (and a little bizarre) there isn't better infrastructure inside and around. It seems like such a no-brainer.
I've never been to this con simply because I've been to the Javits before and it seems like an awful place for such a big con being in the middle of nowhere, etc.
I've never been to San Diego either, how do you think they stack up to each other? Exhaustion and location wise? I will probably have to go to one or the other next year.
I like San Diego a lot. But that might be because I'm on vacation there, staying in a hotel with a pool and eating at restaurants for every meal. Here, I have to clean my house, open up the bed for guests (which I don't mind at all, but it's one more thing to take care of), and travel to and from Queens every morning and evening.
San Diego has been around a lot longer, and most of their organization issues and crowd control have been sorted out. It still feels like madness, and I am prone to panic attacks while I'm there...but I can walk out the doors, onto the patio that has a view of the harbor, and chill out for awhile. Or take a little walk and go to a decent restaurant a block or two away and sit down and eat a meal. The little things, you know? :)
I had a great experience this last weekend, but looking at my NYCC write up, I'm realizing I spent 90 percent of the time talking about NYC instead of the con. I mentioned you and dave too:
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Sorry, I'm not really trying to be devil's advocate-- just pointing out a few things. Everything you say about NYCC is spot-on (particularly the bathrooms), and make it hard to enjoy the con at times. I love NYCC and I think at its best, it can be pretty amazing (getting to meet all these people, etc), but the Javits is just such a dump. It's remarkably smooth for what it is, but I sincerely hope it can deal with its growing pains fast and work on the organizational issues. Hopefully the renovations help as well. :\
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I think I've been to somewhere between 15-20 convention centers over the course of doing shows for the past few years, and the Javits is hands down the WORST. New York's a big hub for industry ... it's a shame the convention center is so poor.
I think the only thing I can add that you didn't mention was the organization in the lobby right outside the show. By organization I mean literally none - it was just a press of bodies trying to squeeze through the tiny gap in the cordon. Bananas!
This was the first year they folded NYAF into NYCC (I think), and I think it was experiencing growing pains for sure. Hopefully they can sort some of that stuff out next year!
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the lobby pissed me off. There was no one to know which way to go. Why they had one of the pre-reg lines cut across the already got a badge/press badge/professional badge lines is beyond me.
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I've never been to San Diego either, how do you think they stack up to each other? Exhaustion and location wise? I will probably have to go to one or the other next year.
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San Diego has been around a lot longer, and most of their organization issues and crowd control have been sorted out. It still feels like madness, and I am prone to panic attacks while I'm there...but I can walk out the doors, onto the patio that has a view of the harbor, and chill out for awhile. Or take a little walk and go to a decent restaurant a block or two away and sit down and eat a meal. The little things, you know? :)
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http://malandchad.com/2010/10/12/new-york-comic-con/
I only have one photo of the convention hall, and a billion of the city itself, ha ha.
Ah well. I had a good time and enjoyed saying hi to ya'll.
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