Dragon Con worth attending?

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I would like some opinions as to whether Dragon Con is worthwhile.
Anyone here attended it?

MadKaugh

 

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"Madkaugh" <madkaugh@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:1122335961.391880.76440@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

> I would like some opinions as to whether Dragon Con is worthwhile.
> Anyone here attended it?
>
Guilty as charged, several years ago.

It was a *lot* of fun. Very large gaming contingent. A higher percentage of
costumes than Comic-Con, and they were, in general, at least as well made.
More women. More parties, at least for the unwashed masses who don't get
invited to the "special" parties. Not overtaxed, because there's an
attendance cap. (The year I was there, there was a Shriners' convention at
the exact same time, and it was about as big, maybe bigger. Plenty of room
for everyone. And Shriners are a hoot. Or were for us, anyway. They weren't
used to not being the biggest freaks in town.)

I'd recommend it, if you like conventions.

A thought or two, however, for your consideration.

First, the convention center itself it tiny, and pretty much full with just
the exhibit hall. So the convention itself is spread out among a half dozen
or more hotels in the convention district. They're fairly close together,
but it can be a lot of walking.

Second, and this is deadly serious: do not drive in Atlanta unless you are
already psychotic and wish to die. Get a hotel room in the convention
district (and there are plenty of them), within walking distance. You see,
in Atlanta, about half the streets are named "Peachtree." Peachtree Street,
Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Avenue, Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Court, you
name it. Right through downtown, in the middle of the convention district,
there are two main drags a block apart. One is one-way, the other two way.
Carry a *lot* of traffic between them. One is (IIRC) Peachtree Street, the
other Peachtree Avenue. Nightmarish hell.

So take a cab from the airport to the hotel, and back, and walk to
everything else.

--
Terry Austin
http://www.hyperbooks.com/
Campaign Cartographer Now Available

 

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Terry Austin wrote:
> "Madkaugh" <madkaugh@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:1122335961.391880.76440@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:
>
>
>>I would like some opinions as to whether Dragon Con is worthwhile.
>>Anyone here attended it?
>>
>
> Guilty as charged, several years ago.

When I was at Ga Tech, I used to go every year. Great Con. Sometimes
they have amazing guests. Definitely worth while.

> Second, and this is deadly serious: do not drive in Atlanta unless you are
> already psychotic and wish to die. Get a hotel room in the convention
> district (and there are plenty of them), within walking distance. You see,
> in Atlanta, about half the streets are named "Peachtree." Peachtree Street,
> Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Avenue, Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Court, you
> name it. Right through downtown, in the middle of the convention district,
> there are two main drags a block apart. One is one-way, the other two way.
> Carry a *lot* of traffic between them. One is (IIRC) Peachtree Street, the
> other Peachtree Avenue. Nightmarish hell.

As the joke went, from the Atlanta locals, the naming system for streets
in Atlanta is easy:

1) Every east-west street is numbered, starting with North Ave and
ending with Peachtree Battle.

2) Every north-south street is named Peachtree.

Easy peasy.

(yeah, I grew up in San Diego ... Atlanta was a major culture shock ...
but I served my time, and moved back to California)



On a serious note: there are also hotels that are on or near MARTA stops
(MARTA is the subway/rail system). The Marta line goes right through
the convention center (with a stop named "Peachtree Center" as a matter
of fact). But, when I was last there (10+ years ago), Marta didn't run
all night. So, that could be an issue.

 

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John Rudd wrote:

> > "Madkaugh" <madkaugh@yahoo.com> wrote in
> > news:1122335961.391880.76440@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

> > >I would like some opinions as to whether Dragon Con is worthwhile.
> > >Anyone here attended it?

> When I was at Ga Tech, I used to go every year. Great Con. Sometimes
> they have amazing guests. Definitely worth while.

> On a serious note: there are also hotels that are on or near MARTA stops
> (MARTA is the subway/rail system). The Marta line goes right through
> the convention center (with a stop named "Peachtree Center" as a matter
> of fact). But, when I was last there (10+ years ago), Marta didn't run
> all night. So, that could be an issue.


I'll check; the last time I was in Atlanta, my flight got in during the
wee hours, and I took Marta to the hotels. Was about five years ago.

MadKaugh

 

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Terry Austin wrote:
> "Madkaugh" <madkaugh@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:1122335961.391880.76440@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:
>
> > I would like some opinions as to whether Dragon Con is worthwhile.
> > Anyone here attended it?
> >
> Guilty as charged, several years ago.
>
> It was a *lot* of fun. Very large gaming contingent. A higher percentage of
> costumes than Comic-Con, and they were, in general, at least as well made.
> More women. More parties, at least for the unwashed masses who don't get
> invited to the "special" parties. Not overtaxed, because there's an
> attendance cap. (The year I was there, there was a Shriners' convention at
> the exact same time, and it was about as big, maybe bigger. Plenty of room
> for everyone. And Shriners are a hoot. Or were for us, anyway. They weren't
> used to not being the biggest freaks in town.)
>
> I'd recommend it, if you like conventions.
>
> A thought or two, however, for your consideration.
>
> First, the convention center itself it tiny, and pretty much full with just
> the exhibit hall. So the convention itself is spread out among a half dozen
> or more hotels in the convention district. They're fairly close together,
> but it can be a lot of walking.
>
> Second, and this is deadly serious: do not drive in Atlanta unless you are
> already psychotic and wish to die. Get a hotel room in the convention
> district (and there are plenty of them), within walking distance. You see,
> in Atlanta, about half the streets are named "Peachtree." Peachtree Street,
> Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Avenue, Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Court, you
> name it. Right through downtown, in the middle of the convention district,
> there are two main drags a block apart. One is one-way, the other two way.
> Carry a *lot* of traffic between them. One is (IIRC) Peachtree Street, the
> other Peachtree Avenue. Nightmarish hell.
>
> So take a cab from the airport to the hotel, and back, and walk to
> everything else.
>
> --
> Terry Austin
> http://www.hyperbooks.com/
> Campaign Cartographer Now Available

I am seriously thinking about driving (6 hours, plane will take a good
chunk of that with the security checks and waiting) and ditching the
car at a MARTA stop outside town. You are right; driving in Atlanta is
insane.

MadKaugh

 

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John Rudd <john@rudd.cc> wrote in
news:wslFe.5622$p%3.30660@typhoon.sonic.net:

> Terry Austin wrote:
>> "Madkaugh" <madkaugh@yahoo.com> wrote in
>> news:1122335961.391880.76440@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:
>>
>>
>>>I would like some opinions as to whether Dragon Con is worthwhile.
>>>Anyone here attended it?
>>>
>>
>> Guilty as charged, several years ago.
>
> When I was at Ga Tech, I used to go every year. Great Con. Sometimes
> they have amazing guests. Definitely worth while.
>
>> Second, and this is deadly serious: do not drive in Atlanta unless
>> you are already psychotic and wish to die. Get a hotel room in the
>> convention district (and there are plenty of them), within walking
>> distance. You see, in Atlanta, about half the streets are named
>> "Peachtree." Peachtree Street, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Avenue,
>> Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Court, you name it. Right through
>> downtown, in the middle of the convention district, there are two
>> main drags a block apart. One is one-way, the other two way. Carry a
>> *lot* of traffic between them. One is (IIRC) Peachtree Street, the
>> other Peachtree Avenue. Nightmarish hell.
>
> As the joke went, from the Atlanta locals, the naming system for
> streets in Atlanta is easy:
>
> 1) Every east-west street is numbered, starting with North Ave and
> ending with Peachtree Battle.
>
> 2) Every north-south street is named Peachtree.
>
> Easy peasy.

That is consistent with my experience.
>
> (yeah, I grew up in San Diego ... Atlanta was a major culture shock
> ... but I served my time, and moved back to California)

Don't even get me started on San Diego traffic. Or the complete and utter
lack of informational signs, like where the hell the I-5 is and how to get
on it.
>
>
>
> On a serious note: there are also hotels that are on or near MARTA
> stops (MARTA is the subway/rail system). The Marta line goes right
> through the convention center (with a stop named "Peachtree Center" as
> a matter of fact). But, when I was last there (10+ years ago), Marta
> didn't run all night. So, that could be an issue.
>
My memory says there is a *lot* of hotel and motel space in the convention
district, some of it at reasonable prices.

--
Terry Austin
www.hyperbooks.com
Campaign Cartographer now available

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

> (The year I was there, there was a Shriners' convention at
> the exact same time, and it was about as big, maybe bigger. Plenty of room
> for everyone. And Shriners are a hoot. Or were for us, anyway. They
> weren't
> used to not being the biggest freaks in town.)

Who are the Shriners?

 

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"elfbard" <elfbard@iprimus.com.au> wrote in
news:42e71b6c$1_1@news.iprimus.com.au:

>
>> (The year I was there, there was a Shriners' convention at
>> the exact same time, and it was about as big, maybe bigger. Plenty of
>> room for everyone. And Shriners are a hoot. Or were for us, anyway.
>> They weren't
>> used to not being the biggest freaks in town.)
>
> Who are the Shriners?
>
According to http://www.shrinershq.org/, they run hospitals for children,
and do a lot of very good work.

They also wear funny hats. All the time. Everywhere. At least at
conventions.

They like parades, too, but we couldn't get the Star Wars entourage to join
in.

--
Terry Austin
http://www.hyperbooks.com/
Campaign Cartographer Now Available

 

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On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:58:13 +0930, elfbard wrote:

>
>> (The year I was there, there was a Shriners' convention at
>> the exact same time, and it was about as big, maybe bigger. Plenty of room
>> for everyone. And Shriners are a hoot. Or were for us, anyway. They
>> weren't
>> used to not being the biggest freaks in town.)
>
> Who are the Shriners?

The quick answer is that they are a public service orginization made up
of older, rich, men. All members are master Freemasons.

The Shriners raise a lot of money for charity, and fund many hospitals
and clinics. The are most famed for their conventions, where they hold a
parade, (and ride around in little cars), and do the ususal convention
things. They are also known for not expecting their damage deposits back.

--
Phoenix

 

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Rick Pikul <rwpikul@sympatico.ca> wrote in
newsan.2005.07.28.03.41.20.387137@sympatico.ca:

> On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:58:13 +0930, elfbard wrote:
>
>>
>>> (The year I was there, there was a Shriners' convention at
>>> the exact same time, and it was about as big, maybe bigger. Plenty
>>> of room for everyone. And Shriners are a hoot. Or were for us,
>>> anyway. They weren't
>>> used to not being the biggest freaks in town.)
>>
>> Who are the Shriners?
>
> The quick answer is that they are a public service orginization
> made up
> of older, rich, men. All members are master Freemasons.
>
> The Shriners raise a lot of money for charity, and fund many
> hospitals
> and clinics. The are most famed for their conventions, where they
> hold a parade, (and ride around in little cars), and do the ususal
> convention things. They are also known for not expecting their damage
> deposits back.
>
And they wear funny hats.

(And are, generally speaking, very nice people.)

--
Terry Austin
http://www.hyperbooks.com/
Campaign Cartographer Now Available

 

[KAOS]

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On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 06:18:20 -0000, Terry Austin
<taustin@hyperbooks.com> dared speak in front of ME:

>Rick Pikul <rwpikul@sympatico.ca> wrote in
>newsan.2005.07.28.03.41.20.387137@sympatico.ca:
>
>> On Wed, 27 Jul 2005 14:58:13 +0930, elfbard wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>> (The year I was there, there was a Shriners' convention at
>>>> the exact same time, and it was about as big, maybe bigger. Plenty
>>>> of room for everyone. And Shriners are a hoot. Or were for us,
>>>> anyway. They weren't
>>>> used to not being the biggest freaks in town.)
>>>
>>> Who are the Shriners?
>>
>> The quick answer is that they are a public service orginization
>> made up
>> of older, rich, men. All members are master Freemasons.
>>
>> The Shriners raise a lot of money for charity, and fund many
>> hospitals
>> and clinics. The are most famed for their conventions, where they
>> hold a parade, (and ride around in little cars), and do the ususal
>> convention things. They are also known for not expecting their damage
>> deposits back.
>>
>And they wear funny hats.

For a time, they sponsored a circus around here. not sure if they
still do that, though.

They still wear the funny hats, though.

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>> Who are the Shriners?
>>
> According to http://www.shrinershq.org/, they run hospitals for children,
> and do a lot of very good work.

Okay, thanks.

> They also wear funny hats. All the time. Everywhere. At least at
> conventions.

You think they wear those hats to bed?

> They like parades, too, but we couldn't get the Star Wars entourage to
> join
> in.

Doh!

 

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"elfbard" <elfbard@iprimus.com.au> wrote in
news:42e87819_1@news.iprimus.com.au:

>>> Who are the Shriners?
>>>
>> According to http://www.shrinershq.org/, they run hospitals for
>> children, and do a lot of very good work.
>
> Okay, thanks.
>
>> They also wear funny hats. All the time. Everywhere. At least at
>> conventions.
>
> You think they wear those hats to bed?

I suspect so, yes. If you'd ever met one, you'd suspect so as well.
>
>> They like parades, too, but we couldn't get the Star Wars entourage
>> to join
>> in.
>
> Doh!
>
It was kinda funny, actually. Every day of DragonCon, there was an
impromptu parade of Star Wars costumes from one end of the convention
district to the other, let by Darth Vader and a half dozen or so of the
red imperial guard, and followed by an indeterminate (but usually more than
a dozen) number of stormtroopers. All *excellent* costums. When the
Shriners had their parade on Saturday (IIRC), they Star Wars procession
just happened to get stopped to wait while the other parade was going by.
It seemed quite natural to us that they should join in at the end. I
suspect the Shriners would have gotten a big kick out of it if they had.

You see, they _know_ they wear funny hats.

--
Terry Austin
www.hyperbooks.com
Campaign Cartographer now available

 

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On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 01:46:07 -0600, Kaos wrote:

> For a time, they sponsored a circus around here. not sure if they
> still do that, though.

Yes they do, it is part of their fundraising.

--
Phoenix

 

[KAOS]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 01:31:31 -0400, Rick Pikul <rwpikul@sympatico.ca>
dared speak in front of ME:

>On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 01:46:07 -0600, Kaos wrote:
>
>> For a time, they sponsored a circus around here. not sure if they
>> still do that, though.
>
> Yes they do, it is part of their fundraising.

Aye, but there was a bit of a PETA-inspired stink over the circus last
time they were around, so they may have cancelled it in this area.
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> It was kinda funny, actually. Every day of DragonCon, there was an
> impromptu parade of Star Wars costumes from one end of the convention
> district to the other, let by Darth Vader and a half dozen or so of the
> red imperial guard, and followed by an indeterminate (but usually more
> than
> a dozen) number of stormtroopers. All *excellent* costums.

Sounds like it was the 501st.

>When the
> Shriners had their parade on Saturday (IIRC), they Star Wars procession
> just happened to get stopped to wait while the other parade was going by.
> It seemed quite natural to us that they should join in at the end. I
> suspect the Shriners would have gotten a big kick out of it if they had.

Heh.

> You see, they _know_ they wear funny hats.

I'm glad that they can laugh at themselves and not take it too seriously

 

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Kaos <kaos@invalid.xplornet.com> wrote in
news:6gmje113r3mko2cp5h8f1m7oivjioa44kv@4ax.com:

> On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 01:31:31 -0400, Rick Pikul <rwpikul@sympatico.ca>
> dared speak in front of ME:
>
>>On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 01:46:07 -0600, Kaos wrote:
>>
>>> For a time, they sponsored a circus around here. not sure if they
>>> still do that, though.
>>
>> Yes they do, it is part of their fundraising.
>
> Aye, but there was a bit of a PETA-inspired stink over the circus last
> time they were around, so they may have cancelled it in this area.

Or they may have set a record for donations. Don't assume that a PETA
protest is bad.

--
Terry Austin
www.hyperbooks.com
Campaign Cartographer now available

 

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"elfbard" <elfbard@iprimus.com.au> wrote in
news:42e9c516$1_1@news.iprimus.com.au:

>
>> It was kinda funny, actually. Every day of DragonCon, there was an
>> impromptu parade of Star Wars costumes from one end of the convention
>> district to the other, let by Darth Vader and a half dozen or so of
>> the red imperial guard, and followed by an indeterminate (but usually
>> more than
>> a dozen) number of stormtroopers. All *excellent* costums.
>
> Sounds like it was the 501st.

Quite possible.
>
>>When the
>> Shriners had their parade on Saturday (IIRC), they Star Wars
>> procession just happened to get stopped to wait while the other
>> parade was going by. It seemed quite natural to us that they should
>> join in at the end. I suspect the Shriners would have gotten a big
>> kick out of it if they had.
>
> Heh.
>
>> You see, they _know_ they wear funny hats.
>
> I'm glad that they can laugh at themselves and not take it too
> seriously
>
To be honest, I think it's part of their strategy. You see a cheerful,
friendly person, wearing a funny hat, and you just might ask why. Hard to
get annoyed at their charity speech when you _asked_ for it.

--
Terry Austin
www.hyperbooks.com
Campaign Cartographer now available