The shuttle map is posted. Here's why you care.

30 JUNE 2017

When you dream of Comic-Con, you probably see yourself in the front section of Ballroom 20 or parading around in cosplay finery or blowing three paychecks at once in the Exhibit Hall. Riding around on a shuttle bus? Not the most glamorous part of San Diego Comic-Con. Especially when your bus is stuck in traffic and your every urge is telling you to leap off and run to the convention center.

The free shuttle service is immensely useful, though - and not just for the long slog to your room at the Town and Country. Shuttles help save your aching feet by transporting you to distant restaurants, parties at other hotels, and other destinations. (And if you're doing SDCC in any kind of vigorous way, your feet will ache. I'm an avid hiker and even my feet get sore at Comic-Con.)

The shuttles are wheelchair-friendly, go all over and run day and night - literally. That's 24 hour service to 63 locations. Which is another reason they're so awesome; you can party down wherever you find yourself and skip the whole Lyft/staggering around lost/trusting the wrong person thing and crawl to the nearest shuttle stop. Safe return accomplished without a dime spent.

So in review, shuttles are your friend; they'll help you save money, stay safe and protect your feet. Even if you're staying right next to the Con, you may want to give the schedule and map a look. You might solve a transportation problem you didn't know you had.

The SDCC Daily

27 JUNE 2016

Sometimes it seems like we've already gotten so many panels, events and toys announced that there can't be anymore - and then more announcements come. That happened today.


Like this Cosplay Train Express. There is so much packed into this - a cosplay train hurtling through California, trivia contests, Julie Newmar and Adam West sauntering up and down the railway cars, personal phone messages from celebrities. You could view it as one way for Angelenos to get to San Diego each day for the Con or you could embrace it as the "world's first all immersive pop culture rail experience."

Data nerds, you will like this study/word cloud that analyzes all the subcultures and groups that go to San Diego Comic-Con. Or as they call it, the "tribes" of Comic-Con. Conclusion: "NYCC and similar events are giant regional shows that aggregate niche fandoms, whereas SDCC is a mass media event that appeals to a more global audience with broader, overlapping interests in pop culture of all kinds." I can agree with that.

Well, this is depressing. San Diego has launched a human trafficking awareness campaign deliberately before the MBL's All Star Game and Comic-Con to remind everyone that buying other people is not the best way to spend your vacation.

On a lighter note, you'll find out more about the new Sonic the Hedgehog game at the 22 July Sonic Comic-Con party.

And here's a radio contest offering multiple badges.

Your favorite Twilight Zone creatures are now a Pin Mate wooden figure set - everyone from Talky Tina to the plane gremlin who drove William Shatner nuts.

The Wicked + The Divine rolled out a new line of threadless t-shirts - so let's assume these will be at the more hipster SDCC booths.

True, the Walking Dead Escape is not going to be at SDCC. However, you can catch the experience at the new TWD attraction at Universal Studios if you're heartbroken over missing it.

Warner Bros. is going to drown you in TV shows at the Con - both these appetizing pilots and shows like Supergirl, The Flash, The 100, Big Bang Theory, Arrow, Blindspot, Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Lucifer, The Originals, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Frequency, Gotham and Animaniacs Live.

The Marriott Marquis, the hotel where I used to sleep each Comic-Con before the housing situation dissolved into madness, is going to be extra fancy for you this summer. A sprawling Swarovski crystal chandelier, 16 foot digital walls, floor to ceiling windows that gaze out on the skyline, a ginormous outdoor terrace - we may not have gotten our convention center expansion but we got this. We also got a great description of SDCC as "San Diego's biggest space hog" which is my favorite visual ever.

Supposedly Syfy Presents tix are going to go live at any moment. We'll see.

Getting around at Comic-Con

4 JULY 2015
 
 

 
 

Happy 4th, everyone. Let’s talk about getting around at Comic-Con. Whether you’re just traveling from the convention center to the Spreckles Theatre or trying to get to your hotel from the airport, you’ll need to know which ways are fast, easy on your wallet and easy on your feet.

If you’re driving in, you’ll need to be braced for the 405 traffic and of course the terrible congestion around the Con. If this is your first rodeo, know that once you arrive in the area, you’ll have to deal with delivery trucks unloading event supplies, gawkers who drove in just to see the sights, regular residents and tons of attendees trying to find their hotel garage. All of them will come to a frequent dead stop to let endless pedestrians cross the street. My advice is to avoid driving during peak hours as much as possible. Taking your car out at night: not a big deal. But if general, you won't need to drive much once you're at the Con.

Here are some ways to get around at the Con. 

First, onto the big news. Lyft and Uber just got authorization to give rides to and from the airport.

Lyft. They’re also running a special promotion where you can enter the code COMIC into the payment section of the app – and get your first ride free. Also, they’ll have plenty of drivers around the area wearing zombie costumes and makeup. When you get matched with these drivers, you’ll actually see a zombie profile picture in the app.

car2go. This is a car-sharing company with a fleet of 400 electric vehicles in San Diego. To help out attendees, they'll have a DropZone (free parking area) by the Con, which is basically a free valet service. You drop off the car and someone parks it for you, while you walk to the convention center 10 minutes away.

Sidecar. Another ride sharing service popular with San Diego locals. You can make your selection based on price, shortest route and other factors.

The SuperShuttle. This takes you from the airport to your hotel and back. You can book it in advance or on the spot. Obviously with the number of people flying in, an advance reservation is a good idea.

The SDCC Shuttle Bus. This is the free Comic-Con service that takes you everywhere - into the Gaslamp, to the convention center, out to Mission Valley and pretty much everywhere. They run around the clock, which makes them a pretty awesome option.

Pedicabs. These are great for when you're traveling a distance that seems too short to merit a cab and too long for your tired feet.

Taxis. These are everywhere. Your hotel valet, the airport loop, empty streets late at night, crawling through the Gaslamp in the day.

The MTS trolley. This is San Diego's trolley that stops right at the convention center. This might be the most popular mode of transportation for attendees so I suggest looking over their site. If you're putting your car at a a park-and-ride lot, pick one by the trolley. They serve the convention center every 7.5 minutes during the Con. And they have a handy app.

Amtrak. A great option for anyone coming down from LA - but you'll need to book in advance. 

     
Coaster Commuter Train. This runs north-south and serves 8 stations between Oceanside and San Diego, with the entire route taking about an hour. This also stops at the Santa Fe Depot.

The Coronado Ferry. If you want to go over to Coronado Island for a beach night, dinner or the Hotel Del Coronado's famous Sunday brunch, the ferry is your friend. You can pick it up right behind the convention center. Just be aware that the last journey home is before 11 pm.

RideScout. Not a transportation method, but an app that shows you your transport options in real time - by bus, carshare, bike, etc - with estimates on how long each option will take.
 
 

 

Why you should care about the Shuttle Map

9 JUNE 2015




Every year, Comic-Con generously provides shuttle buses to carry our weary selves around town. Today CCI came out with their annual shuttle map and schedule, assuring you in the process that "these buses are your friends." While a lot of you probably scanned it intently, attendees lucky enough to have a room within walking distance might have skipped right over it.

But wait. Yes, the most obvious use for these is getting from your hotel to the convention center - but if you think outside the Con box for a minute, you can come up with other uses. So look at the map and see if you want to:

• Take a shuttle to your restaurant/bar/event at the far end of the Gaslamp
• Visit your friends who ended up at a hotel in a totally different part of San Diego
• Use a shuttle to crawl back to your hotel after you've had a few drinks
• Travel down to the Town & Country on Wednesday to pick up your badge
• Ride over to Ralph's to pick up groceries for your room

Because sometimes you just want to conserve your foot stamina for things that matter, like standing in line for animation day in the Indigo Ballroom.

The hours, by the way, are very convenient:

Wednesday, 8 July: 3 pm- midnight
Thursday, 9 July at 4:30 am - Sunday, 12 July at 7:00 pm

Check out the actual schedule and map for various exemptions and special considerations and the timeframes to expect. And in case you were wondering, yes - these shuttles are wheelchair-friendly.

Probably during your Comic-Con meanderings, you'll be tempted to just fall into a cab's backseat and let it carry you home. There's nothing wrong with that, but cab fares can add up fast - so consider the advantages of spending a few minutes waiting for a shuttle. As wide-ranging as their territory is, these really do come in handy for transporting you around for free.

Traffic closures and ECCC

25 MARCH 2015



If you plan on driving to and from Emerald City Comicon this weekend, be aware of several traffic closures:

• An I-90 bridge closure is scheduled over the weekend - all westbound lanes will be closed Friday night through early Monday.

• The Alaskan Way Viaduct will be shut down.

• The Sound Transit's light rail service will not be serving downtown. The northern part will be closed for system upgrades Saturday and Sunday. Operation between Sea-Tac/Airport Station and Mount Baker will continue. A free shuttle will take riders from Mount Baker through the downtown tunnel, but it won't serve Beacon Hill or SODO stations.

Washington State Dept of Transportation justified the closures because fans are expected to "trickle in" versus descending en masse. But - I'm pretty sure en masse is exactly what we'll look like.

Best apps for San Diego Comic-Con

16 JULY 2014



With an eye toward keeping it simple:

• The SDCC App. Obviously.
• MySchedule. Organize your panel choices, sync across devices and share with friends.
• Marvel Events. This includes signings, parties, panels, etc.
• NerdHQ. Keeps you informed of panels, celebrity appearances, photo ops and more.
• ConnectiKon. So you can leave your cocoon and metamorphose into a social butterfly at the Con. 
• mTicket. You can buy Trolley tickets without waiting in line. 
• Bathrooms.io. When you have to go, you have to go. This app (created and contributed by Vince at CInli) helps you find a restroom in San Diego.
• Local Mind. Theoretically you can use this to check on lines with other people. It just depends on who’s using it.
• San Diego Guide. If you want to get out in the city. 
• San Diego Restaurants and Bars.Self-explanatory. 
• Coronado. Can help you navigate the island if you take the ferry over. 

If you know of any others, please say so in the comments.

Get the new Trolley mobile ticketing app now

8 JULY 2014     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last night I posted a brief guide to your transportation options at SDCC. The most popular of these is probably the Trolley operated by the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS)  - and just in time for Comic-Con, they're releasing a new mobile ticketing app, mTicket.

 

If your first thought was that the app will save you from waiting in line at ticket vending machines or booths - you are correct. You can buy and store paperless Trolley tickets right now for SDCC on your smartphones. That includes purchasing multiple passes to cover your entire group. How do you get the app? Through the App Store or Google Play - and it's free.

 
These are the prices: 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-day passes are available for $5.50, $10, $13, $16 and $20 respectively. You don't need a Compass Card with mTicket and you can activate your ticket at any time on the day of travel before boarding the Trolley. A day pass is just what it sounds like - unlimited rides all day on all Trolley lines and most bus routes.

 

Now. As mentioned earlier, MTS also has printed a limited quantity of commemorative Comic-Con day passes. These cost the same as mTickets but they are sold in person. You can get them at ticket booths at select Trolley stations or The Transit Store at 102 Broadway. If you want one and you're not local, go ahead and call The Transit Store at (619) 234-1060 to get yours.

It's not too often you find a way to eliminate a line at Comic-Con, so hats off to MTS for making our lives a little bit easier this July.

 

   

 

Getting around at Comic-Con

8 JULY 2014

Regardless of how you'll arrive at Comic-Con - by plane, by car, by yacht, by foot - you're going to need to get around while you're there. The shuttles are a big help but their destinations are limited, so it helps to know what other transportation is at your disposal.

First, know that traffic in the Gaslamp District and around the convention center can be ungodly. It's not just attendees arriving, but delivery trucks unloading event supplies, naïve people who think it'd be fun to drive down and see the nerds, and regular residents, with all vehicles paused to let throngs of pedestrians cross before them. I cannot stress enough how frustrating it is to spend 40 minutes trapped in one spot while you watch everyone else walk into the convention center. For this reason, avoid driving as much as you can during peak hours. If you want to take your car out of the hotel at night when you go out, it's not that big a deal. But in general, you really won't need to drive much once you're at the Con.

Here are some alternatives to driving a car.

The SDCC Shuttle Bus. This isn't the shuttle that takes you from your hotel to the convention center - it's more like the Comic-Con Jitney and it goes downtown, to the airport, out to Mission Valley and other places. Which means if you're flying in, you don't have to pay for a cab to get to your hotel.

Pedicabs. These are a godsend when your feet are killing you and you can't bear the thought of walking another 8 blocks to meet your friends for dinner. Don't feel bad about flagging them down to take you short distances - as long as you tip handsomely, it's all good.

Taxis. Obviously these are in abundance everywhere. Hotels, airports, deserted streets late at night, cruising slowly along Harbor Drive.

The MTS trolley. San Diego doesn't have a subway system but they have an effective trolley that stops right at the convention center both by Lobby A and Lobby D. During the Con they will run every 7.5 minutes from 6 am - 10 pm. This is a good choice in general, but especially if you're depositing your car at a park-and-ride lot or staying in a Mission Valley hotel.

Because everything in San Diego must have some sort of special Comic-Con version of itself, they are offering a limited quantity of commemorative SDCC 2-day, 3-day, 4-day and 5-day passes. These cost $10, $13, $16 and $20 and are sold at select Trolley Stations.

Amtrak. This is a very attractive option for anyone coming down from LA. But bear in mind that if you are coming from LA, you'll need to make a reservation 23-27 July; no walk-ons. Amtrak deposits you at the Santa Fe Depot on Broadway - from there you can walk to the convention center or take the trolley.

Coaster Commuter Train. This runs north-south and serves 8 stations between Oceanside and San Diego, with the entire route taking about an hour. This also stops at the Santa Fe Depot.