NYCC - Not ready for prime-time (Lance are you out there?)

[thespazz]

I haven't been to a comic convention since the late 80s and it sounds like its for the best. The last convention I went to had nothing but sellers tables, no costumed people wandering around, and no artists singing books. It was great because you could concentrate on why you were there..... to pick up books. I bet Jamie Graham had a table at this small convention. BTW is Jamie a member of this board?

[MisterX]

I don't know about you guys, but I got tired of seeing people wearing only their underwear and calling it a costume.

 

Especially middle-aged, overweight dudes.

 

In the food court.

 

I mean, their "costume" would get them kicked out of nearly every establishment in the country.

 

But not the NYCC.

 

I think a few little regulations are needed.

[Buzzetta]

It was so bad at this show that I walked away empty handed. I am used to crowds but the number of was too much for me to handle. I have no problem with people stopping to take pictures of people dressed up in character as that is part of the show experience. However, when people stopped at the bottom of escalators to check their phones with no regards to those around them that causes too many problems.

 

By the time I realized what books I wanted to buy the place was too crowded to negotiate the aisles in order to get to the booths. I left around 3-3:30 yesterday. It was overcrowded and seemed to be the busiest it was in years. Perhaps it was the layout. Perhaps it was the panels that were offered during show busy times. (If you have a high interest panel during the time period when the floor is usually busy such as the time period after lunch, it will draw people off the floor and into the panel rooms.)

 

It was a shame as in retrospect I wanted that book...

 

However, I did get my Lego Landspeeder NYCC exclusive, both the X-Men v Avengers football variants as well as the Rocket Raccoon mug.

 

Come to think of it... it really is a sweet mug.

[B767293]

Where's that thread saying that this is the year that NYCC overtakes SDCC?

[Boba]

I don't know about you guys, but I got tired of seeing people wearing only their underwear and calling it a costume.

 

Especially middle-aged, overweight dudes.

 

In the food court.

 

I mean, their "costume" would get them kicked out of nearly every establishment in the country.

 

But not the NYCC.

 

I think a few little regulations are needed.

 

Agree. You can be sure I was totally covered

[Boba]

To continue where I left off, the escalators - who ever thought three banks of up and down escalators could serve the massive pulse of people going into and out of the convention. Sure, there are other banks of escalators down at the South end of the convention hall, but you have to transverse the entire verandah to get to them, and they let out into another hallway leading to yet another bottle-neck. They really need to add stairways or even escalators.

 

 

 

[Boba]

Where's that thread saying that this is the year that NYCC overtakes SDCC?

 

The film industry has SDCC locked up. That may NEVER change. But the conditions for this convention to become more significant to the comic, toys and gaming community are there. A lot of the people who make comics are located in NY. Even Comixology, which is the new frontier of comics IMHO, is centered there. And silicon alley (NOHO) I'm betting is a source of a lot of gaming and toy-making technologies.

 

But the real draw will be the incredible facility of the city itself, once it manages to get them down to this no-mans land where Javits is located. But once they get their act together, watch out.

SanDiego is no picnic when it comes to the SDCC. The hotels nearby are notoriously expensive, when you can even get one, and the town, while very quaint, can barely host the sheer masses of human kind that descend upon it. Granted, the actually convention center in SD is phenomenal, and there's probably not enough room in NY to match it for size, but I think the size can work against you when it comes to having too much found to cover in a day or even a couple. The bottom line, however, is the significance of the host cities themselves, and the ability to draw individuals of means from all over the world. NY wins that contest hands down.

So yes, I do think that NYCC will eventually rival the SDCC, at least in importance if not size. But that's yet to be seen.

[Boba]

I bet Jamie Graham had a table at this small convention. BTW is Jamie a member of this board?

 

Yes, and yes.

[Boba]

This is exactly why, although I live in NY and grew up in the City, I'd rather go to Chicago for their convention. If you don't live in the City proper, or LI, it's pretty much impossible to get down there easily, you either drive, or go to Grand Central, which is quite a hike...and you certainly can take a cab, but you have to pray you can get one on the way back.

 

I didn't mind the time it was on the pier because at least there was parking...the vendors all hated it, though. I've been to San Diego,the center is huge, but it's an easier town to navigate and really if you don't know your way around NY, being in crowds is not always the safest place to be..

 

I had one experience related to parking which I will say was almost surreal.

 

The backstory, I went with a friend from work on Thursday, he drove in from Long Island and parked a block from the convention. I took the bus from New Jersey.

 

The following day, Friday, because I was going with my 3 sons and I figured the $60 I'd spend on bus fares was the same as the fee my buddy paid for parking nearby the previous day, and so I took a gamble and drove to the convention, figuring I'd park in the same garage as my friend, a block from the con. However, when we got out of the tunnel and exited onto 34th, I drove a block down 34th to the garage, only to discover it was filled.

 

So I drove down to the convention, and literally parked 100 feet away from the entrance. When we left the convention at around 8:00 pm we walked across the street, climbed into the car and drove around the block right into the tunnel and was home within just over a half-hour. I don't even get home that fast on the bus.

 

On Saturday, we wanted to get there earlier to get some exclusive convention toys, and I repeated the same steps and remarkably had the same results. This was a bright spot of the entire event, especially since we recently moved from Brooklyn and were expecting it to be a nightmare commuting from New Joisey to the convention each day. It turns out we likely got there faster and easier than all the hipsters in Red Hook.

 

That was terrific, especially since we were aching so much at the end of each day, and a nice comfortable car ride home was marvelous. This is a major plus for the Javits center and one that could be leveraged much more if and when they build some world-class parking facility nearby. That a big "if". Hope you're listening Mr. Bloomberg.

 

[Buzzetta]

I do not think the walk from the subway at 34th and 8th is that bad to the Javits. I would not consider that a hike. I also found it relatively easy to get a cab when I got tired of walking around on Saturday.

[Boba]

I do not think the walk from the subway at 34th and 8th is that bad to the Javits. I would not consider that a hike. I also found it relatively easy to get a cab when I got tired of walking around on Saturday.

 

OK, but have you tried to hail a cab after the convention, with an armful of swag and purchases? It's pretty much impossible to do when hundreds of convention-goers are trying to all get cabs at the same time.

 

I'm not a spring chicken, and it's not easy for some of us

 

And sure, it's easy to walk to the Javits since it's downhill, but for the reasons I site above (armfuls of swag and purchases) it's less easy walking back up to Penn Station or the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

[Buzzetta]

I do not think the walk from the subway at 34th and 8th is that bad to the Javits. I would not consider that a hike. I also found it relatively easy to get a cab when I got tired of walking around on Saturday.

 

OK, but have you tried to hail a cab after the convention, with an armful of swag and purchases? It's pretty much impossible to do when hundreds of convention-goers are trying to all get cabs at the same time.

 

I'm not a spring chicken, and it's not easy for some of us

 

And sure, it's easy to walk to the Javits since it's downhill, but for the reasons I site above (armfuls of swag and purchases) it's less easy walking back up to Penn Station or the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

 

I did it yesterday around 3:15. You just have to know where to go and where to stand and catch the cabs at a place that is mutually beneficial for both cab driver and passenger.

 

For example. On Thursday I had to get to the Javits immediately. (I wanted the limited Lego exclusives) Instead of waiting for a cab on the northwest corner of MSG at the cab stand I went south one block on the corner of 33rd and 8th. I waved my arm and caught a cab that was about to drop off passengers and enter the loading lane. It was mutually beneficial for both of us.

 

Away I went.

[Jiminy_Cricket-migration]

This con has been going downhill ever since those 4th party comic verifier companies started setting up booths.

[nearmint]

This con has been going downhill ever since those 4th party comic verifier companies started setting up booths.

 

[Boba]

This con has been going downhill ever since those 4th party comic verifier companies started setting up booths.

 

Saw them, well "him" sitting behind a very lonely looking table. I wonder how the.debut went?

[Boba]

Getting a cab from Penn or PABT is easy. From the con especially close to the end of the day, that's pretty darn difficult. They get sucked up before they get even close to the con, and most avoid driving into the morass of people in front of the building.

 

The distinction was getting from the con, as opposed to getting to it, which is somewhat easier. Still, in a city like new York it's ridiculous to have a facility like this not served by any adequate public transportation resource, and don't say busses, they are effected by traffic and run too sporadically to take up the amount of people going to or, far worse, everyone leaving (at once) when the convention ends.

[Boba]

I'm hoping to get some feedback about how Sunday went. This may end up being the day to go if you can't get passes for Thursday without buying all four days and to avoid the crowds until they figure that out better. Sorry for this rant, if that's all it sounds like but I do care about this event and really hope they start doing their homework and figure it out. It just felt really dangerous to be there on Saturday and I don't think that is something that they can continue to turn a blind eye too. I don't know how they didn't get shut down for having a dangerous number of people in too small (?) a space. Somebody wasn't doing their job, and that's all I'll say on that.

[Buzzetta]

Getting a cab from Penn or PABT is easy. From the con especially close to the end of the day, that's pretty darn difficult. They get sucked up before they get even close to the con, and most avoid driving into the morass of people in front of the building.

 

The distinction was getting from the con, as opposed to getting to it, which is somewhat easier. Still, in a city like new York it's ridiculous to have a facility like this not served by any adequate public transportation resource, and don't say busses, they are effected by traffic and run too sporadically to take up the amount of people going to or, far worse, everyone leaving (at once) when the convention ends.

 

From the Con... walk 1/2 north of Javits.

 

Anytime I have ever needed a cab it worked for me. Trick is making sure you get into the cab that you flag down and blocking some person_too_unaware_of_social_graces that tries to take it from you.

[rtecbot]

You either need to walk like the others have said a little south to catch a cab, or if you park pay $60 to be close to the Javitts center. It's a pain when you have stuff to haul with you plus the added restraint that NYCC does not allow you to have rolling items on he show floor.

[thespazz]

I bet Jamie Graham had a table at this small convention. BTW is Jamie a member of this board?

 

Yes, and yes.

 

What is his screen name? I'd like to see if he remembers some of my old buddies who owned comic shops in the Chicago area that closed up in the 90s.