I have gone to Comic Con since 2003. Each year it gets more exciting but also more crowded. If you'll spend four or five days in the Convention need to eat. Here is what I learned.
Comic Con was more crowded each year, which makes it much harder to get to see the panels. Often necessary to arrive hours earlier for a popular Panel, wait in a long line and then sit down with a number of other panels before you see the pane that you are interested in. This is the reality of Comic Con. The good news is that some of these panels that you hadn't been interested can come to those who enjoy more than anything. The bad news is that you'll be stuck sitting in a room for several hours. In this room does not have a restaurant.
My advice is to be prepared and bring some food easy to carry with you. If you do you will never lose a large pane because you are hungry and need to go out to feed. I always carry a backpack with some protein bars, a bag of carrots and a bottle of water. You also may prefer something else (maybe candy bars, an Apple or two, or beef jerky) but just be sure to have some food that can be easily and that will fill you.
If you live in San Diego should be fairly easy for you to pick up some things on your favorite market on the way to Con if you're from out of town and staying in a hotel, don't worry. Super market of Ralph's 101 G Street. This is just four blocks north of the Convention Center. Their hours are 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5: 30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, phone 619. 595.1581. So, stock up on some good cheap eats and be prepared.
I like to splurge on a good snack or two providers. There are many, and they are as expensive as you would expect. They can change from year to year, but I'll give you a basic summary. If you're in line to get into Hall H you can pick up something with the concessions tent set up on the lawn. This has nachos and stuff. On the back of the Hall of exhibits are some concession stands selling things like slices of pizza. Up a flight of stairs is nearby lower mezzanine, which also has some concession stands. The concessions are usually mezzanine less crowded than the concessions of the exhibit hall. There are two Starbucks. The first is only outside of room 40, the second is near one of the entrances to the central exhibition hall. In the lobby between rooms and sails Pavilion 6ABCDEF are two or three vendors selling things like pretzels and cookies. Finally, in the huge patio in back of flag candles is a large concession tent selling hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers. The Sails Pavilion's courtyard has panoramic views of the port of San Diego. You can sit on the patio that even if you don't visit the concession stand, making it the best place to stop and relax at the Convention Center.
If you want to stay away from the Convention for a few hours and eat some food better, then you should check the Gaslamp Quarter. The Gaslamp Quarter is several square blocks of modern restaurants and shops that start in front of the street from the Convention Center. Because Comic Con is a great local event you will probably see special promotions for you in many restaurants. Most of these restaurants have fancier sit-down dinner in a huge variety of cuisines including steak, seafood, burgers, pubs, Italian food, Mexican and Indian. There are also some fast-food places, most notably in the Horton Plaza Mall. My advice on this is to go to the Gaslamp when you have time for fun, and not when you'll need to hurry back to a Panel.
So there you have it. Bring some food with you. Splurge on some snacks of concessions. Check out the Gaslamp Quarter. Most have a large Convention and enjoy your time here in beautiful San Diego!
Larry Truett is a freelance computer programmer living in San Diego, California with his wife and their three cats. He enjoys hiking, reading, gardening, watching too much television, and other activities of nerd.
