We’re trying, but it’s hard, because Battle for Wesnoth 1.6 came out this weekend.

You know, this is why we won’t have a gaming console in our house. If we can get so hooked on a simple little turn-based fantasy game, can you imagine what would happen with real video games? You’d never read another word from us.

Moving on, there was much less squawking in the blogosphere over the San Diego Hotel Lottery this year, proving that humans are adaptable and they all comprehend matters now. When you ponder the fact that four-day passes sold out four months ahead of time, hotel rooms sold out four months ahead of time, and the wait list for exhibitors is estimated at two-three years, you see that the entire concept of “con spontaneity” has gone the way of the cassette tape. Despite all the struggle, we’re still looking forward to the show this year, as much as we ever have. Because there will be veins of pure fun to be discovered and mined. Plus, it will be our 25th San Diego in a row. (Aren’t we supposed to get an Inkpot for that?)

Speaking of The Con, Mark Evanier has his annual commentary on why the show shouldn’t move to Vegas, and compares the economy of Comic-Con to the economy of CES, which is held in Vegas every year and was, at its height, even BIGGER (gasp!) than Comic-Con. He also has some very sensible advice about commuting to the show via the wonders of modern mass transit:

In the meantime, if you tried to get a room for San Diego this year and failed, do not despair. More rooms should become available so check the site from time to time…and ask around, look around. A lot of folks make multiple reservations, then cancel all or all but one. Some people book outside the convention reservation system and then, if and when they get a cheaper or more convenient room, they let the less desirable booking go.

You might also consider taking the train to San Diego for a day (as I suggested here) and I should append another tip. Many folks have told me of the joy and ease of using the San Diego trolley system to get from the train station to the con…or from outlying hotels and motels to the con. I’ve never taken it but everyone tells me it’s comfy and clean and reliable and cheap. Here’s a website where you can see where it wanders. The con also, of course, has shuttle buses from many close-by hotels that will get you to the convention center.

1.Jim2
Which reminds us that Fantagraphics’ Jason Miles is just now getting around to putting up his pictures from SDCC ’08, which makes us think maybe we should put up the pictures from ’07 we never posted but…maybe not. It does, however, lend some credence to the metaphysical notion that somewhere, there is an eternal ur-Con going on, and we’re all stranded there in a time loop.

3 COMMENTS

  1. When I used to live in Ocean Beach – I always thought that trolley was a hinderance because when they started to add more lines – a lot of dependable reliable buslines had to be cut and the one I that I used to take downtown to work was non-stop from Ocean Beach to downtown, nowadays you have to get off the bus to transfer to the trolley – and it’s just a major pain in the ass.

    That is – if I still lived there. But now, I’m a big boy and live in Brentwood.

    ~

    Coat

  2. My wife has written up a list of reasons Vegas might not be a good fit for Comic-Con, based on the culture and layout of the city. Everything’s so much more spread out, and just trying to get to and from the monorail or a bus can take 30 minutes…plus all the mega-hotels and their restaurants, shops, etc. are focused on their big-wheel regular customers.

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