I used to live in San Diego area so it was easy to just drive down to SDCC and buy a ticket at the door and walk right in. I believe my first one I attended was 1987, so the older location before it moved, although time has made the exact location and set up of the room hazy in my memory. Unfortunately, and this is the ignorance of youth, I went there looking for movie stuff instead of comics or trying to meet comic creators. I remember picking up a bunch of movie posters at the time, Aliens, The Shining, Lost Boys, and a couple movie related shirts, Aliens and Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. Still have those shirts to this day, although the no longer fit. I had been picking up comics at this time as I was in high school, but i confess it just didn't occur to my teenage self that I could meet the creators there . I know I went another one or two time after that, and I believe it was around 1989 and then again in 1991 after they moved. It still hadn't occurred to my naive young self that I could meet comic creators there though I believe I had gone for comics related stuff at this time. I moved to Sacramento in 1993 and dropped off comics for a few years, getting back into it and then attending Wonder Con in Oakland in 1999. where I finally got on board for meeting people; Romita Sr and Romita Jr, Dan DeCarlo, Garth Ennis , Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, among a few others. Older and wiser I made the trek back to SDCC a couple times, 2005 and 2008, but by then it had changed and was overrun and crowded. I remember in 2008 I stood there saying never again and I'd stick with Wonder Con in S.F., which I did.. until they moved that down to Anaheim. Still haven't gone back to SDCC though and not sure I ever will.