Monday, September 1, 2003

By Monday, it was time to go home.  The trip was harrowing for a variety of reasons, including the fact that we had almost a half hour wait to get an elevator.  We finally just went UP on an elevator to go down. Eventually, we got out, got on the plane, and got home.

So what did I think of Dragon Con? 

It is NOT a gamer's con.  There's not a lot of gaming.  There are not a lot of dealers who support gaming.  Don't listen to what other people tell you -- the dealer's room is MINISCULE in comparison to Gen Con.

On the other hand, I couldn't even find comics at Gen Con but I could find plenty (and comparison shop!) at Dragon Con.  Dragon Con treats its guests well, even if the hotel does not.  And there's much more variety to the events, presentations, and seminars. 

The hotels, on the other hand, are surprisingly not "with it."  I don't know why.  The restaurants don't stay open over the weekend (part of the problem of the con being over Labor Day weekend), there are no real breakfast places to eat and the Marriott kept two of its main restaurants closed the entire time.  What the hell kind of service is this from a place that charges $150/night?

Dragon Con almost suffers BECAUSE it's so well run.  You forget the flaws of the surrounding infrastructure that supports a convention. 

The best way I can describe Dragon Con is like Disney World on serious drugs. Dragon Con has a very loose party atmosphere.  It's much more "female friendly" and definitely a place for geeks to get their groove on if they're so inclined.  It's a nice change from Gen Con.