Ok, so you’ve paid for your entry to the con, made your hotel reservations, your travel arrangements and when you look into your wallet…you find a barren wasteland worthy of Wekomundo.

One of the most frustrating things for con-goers is the fact that we are gouged in just about any way possible before we even get there! The hotels know we need them, so they can virtually name any price for a room that looks like it came from the original Saw movie. And airlines…those (insert expletive here), I think they’re going to actually charge you for the crappy peanuts they serve!

So it’s difficult and frustrating to go to a con and then be forced to make difficult choices. Do you pay for one DVD, or do you blow everything on a box set? Do buy neko-ears, or do you go for the awesome black, silk ghi if you’re a guy or a beautiful, cherry blossom kimono if you’re a gal (or a dude that likes to dress up)?

The best advice anyone can give you is to simply save and budget. If you know ahead of time what cons you are attending then you already ahead of the game.

Budget yourself. And it is actually easy to do because you already know the five things you are going to spend on; convention entry fee, travel expenses, hotel accommodations, a daily food allowance and purchasing power for the dealer room. The two areas that get least amount of money are food and the dealer room. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

In the months prior to the con (yes, I said months) make it a point to stash away a small amount each time you get paid (or if given an allowance on a regular basis). Have a monetary and calendar goal for each category. You may only need to worry about three or four categories, it depends on your situation. My suggestion is as follows:

1. Convention entry fee: go ahead and pay this upfront. This will be the cheapest cost you will have. That way, this is out of consideration for the rest of your budget.
2. Travel expenses: unless you are flying, this is the second easiest thing to deal with. Gas money. Figure out how much you need to fill up your car. Then figure how many times you may need to fill up the tank. Unless you are far enough away where you may need to stay over a night on your way in, this is all you have to save up for. My suggestion is that you only fly if you live more than a 48 hour road trip away.
3. Hotel accommodations: you will know ahead of time how much it will cost. If you have enough money on hand to put down a room deposit, do it. Make your reservations MONTHS in advance. In doing so, you may get a cheaper rate, it depends. Also, all you need is a bed, a bathroom and possibly wi-fi. You don’t need anymore than that…after all…the idea is that you will be at the con more than your room.
4. Food allowance: you need to eat and drink. Don’t skimp. Bring your own snacks if possible. Find out where the closest convience or grocery stores are and raid them! But you will need more than that, you need to eat at least lunch and dinner. And if possible, do NOT pay for food at the con. You pay way too much for food that isn’t that good and may cause you some intestinal distress. Figure out the cheap eats in the area. Otakon is pretty good about this last part, but they haven’t updated their food map in some time. I’ll get to that later on.
5. Dealer room: ok, you have to have some discipline here. Before you go, figure out what you want to buy and estimate the cost. Include money for that “OMG! Best thing EVAR! I must haves!!!” thing that might just pop up. I am going to give you a dollar amount, it’s what I usually save up for myself: between $350 and $400.

So the idea is that every paycheck or allowance, put aside money for the con. Think of the con as a bill. If you pay your bill, then that’s money that is already gone from your normal paycheck/allowance. It is money that is just sitting in a box, account or whatever (I put mine in an Otakon Nalgene bottle), that you will never touch unless it is to pay for something con-related.

Good luck, I know you can do it!!!

Now on to food….

Ok, as I said before, Otakon gives its goers a map and listing of food places in the immediate area. It really needs updating. So, this past Sunday, I took a quick trip downtown with my camera and made my own list of places. But before I do, let me make one thing clear to my fellow Otakon otaku:

The Burger King is still gone. It is never coming back. Get over it.

Alright, moving on… I used last year’s map from the program (2009, if you have it, this is what I am referencing to ) and started at the Gallery which is right across the street from Harborplace, on Pratt and Calvert. You have to go to the fourth floor to get to the food.

At The Gallery Mall (location 22 on the map), 4th Floor:

Moun Wok – Typical mall, quick service Chinese food, moderately priced.

Sbarro’s – Pizza, pasta salad, a bit expensive if you get more than a a slice and a soda.

Salad Works – good and healthy, but a bit expensive, but can be filling.

McDonald’s – limited menu, that’s right, no value meals. Unless you need a Big Mac to quell your junkie shuffle, just don’t bother.

Now, if you cross the street, you will see Harborplace East and West. They are marked as location 24 on the map. Harborplace East is the one parallel to Pratt Street and West parallel to Light Street on the map.

Harborplace East:

Marble Slab – Ice cream.

Five Guys – Cheap and fast burgers, hot dogs and fires. Good price as well.

Edo Sushi and Grill – Expensive, and not really worth the price, but is one of the closer sushi joints.

Uno’s – The world famous pizzeria, long lines.

Harborplace West, 1st Floor:

Noodles and Company – NEW! Asian noodle dishes, not bad.

Auntie Anne’s – Mainly a pretzel place.

Johnny Rockets – Solid and well-priced hamburgers/fries/onion rings serve 50’s style.

Phillip’s Buffet – Expensive, but pretty good. An end of con experience perhaps.

Oasis – Italian ices, smoothies…cold stuff to eat and drink.

Phillip’s Raw Bar – If you like oysters and claims and quick service crabcakes, this is your best bet, but expensive.

Phillip’s Resturant – Don’t waste your time. A combo of the other two.

Vaccaro’s – Oh. My. God. Take the time, if you happen to be there, to order a canoli. Please, indulge yourself. Let me put it to you this way…fine-dining resturants in Baltimore order canolis from Vaccaro’s and feature it on their dessert menus…

2nd Floor:

Thai Noodle Bar – just as it sounds

Chicken Gourmet – Think of every chicken joint in any food court that serves burbon chicken and you get a good idea.

Brown Sugar – Fast food version of BBQ.

New York Deli – yet another “NY Deli-style” place.

Roman Delight – Pizza and pasta.

Subway – Might actually be your best and affordable bet.

Hooter’s – Of course you’re only going there for the wings, right?

Bank of America Building, or the Skywalk Mall, located on the map as location 6. It is the closest place withfood to the convention center, but it has limited food choices.

Skywalk Mall, if entering form the Skywalk:

Café 100 – “NY Deli-style” sit down or carry out.

Going to the street-level entrance:

Blimpie’s – Like a Subway.

Chef Paolino – Pizza, burgers, sandwiches, sit down or carry out. Not bad, really.

Basically, your best bet for quick food is to go too Harborplace West. You can actually get there by walking the Skywalk all the way across. The Skywalk is accessible by going to the 2nd floor of the Main Hall (where the fountains are). Right past the escalators is the exit to the Skywalk. You can either go directly to the Skywalk Mall, take it down to the street level, or take it to Harborplace West.

As far as decnt sushi goes…I will name three places. In Harborplace East is the Edo Sushi and Grill (overpriced and meh), go up Charles Street, a block past the Monaco Hotel is Geisha Sushi (S8 on themap) that is actually pretty good (stay away from the coffee marinated salmon, tho) and lastly, my favorite and way up on Charles Street (S9 on the map) is Minato’s; the best sushi in the city, and I am happy that I live in the building behind it.


NEW!!! NEW!!! NEW!!! NEW!!! NEW!!!

Ok, for those of you who don’t know, there is limited, free bus service in Baltimore now. It is called the Circulator. Right now there are two lines the Orange and the Purple. A bus shows up at each stop every ten minutes or so. And…THEY ARE FREE!!!!

The Orange line goes along Pratt and Lombard, with some twists and turns, and runs east-west. I believe it runs three blocks west of the convention center and runs as far west as the Aquarium.

The Purple line runs up Charles Street to the train station and loops back down St. Paul (one stop outside my building, whoot!). If you get off at the Light St. stop, you are only one block away from the convention center. Look at the links below and may it out for yourself. Best thing about the Purple line? It takes you by Geisha and Minato’s!!!

Be sure to visit the links section!

Ok, until next week, for the final tip installment of personal hygene. That means you, fanboy!


SIDE NOTES:

On another forum, Anime Music Video.Org, it has been announced by the AMV director for Otakon that there will most likely be any AMV Overflow viewings. This sucks on so many levels. Hopefully they will change their minds before putting out the programming schedule, which should be any day now.

Give my vlog some love! http://www.youtube.com/user/TheUnagiObserver



TONIGHT’S SOUNDTRACK:

Go here and then go to the music section to hear the music!

http://bigstevegearhart.multiply.com/

Songs from the CowBoy Bebop soundtrack!


LINKS:

http://www.harborplace.com/

For the Gallery, and Harborplaces

www.minatosushibar.com/

Minato, turn the volume up, cool site.

http://www.charmcitycirculator.com/

Find routes for the Circulator.