PAX East

[KingOfDoma]

I'm so there. Who else is in?

[ChristianC]

Here!

[BrainWalker]

It was my intention to register this weekend, but I ended up having less time to do so than I expected. And I was booked solid yesterday. Today I should be getting home at a reasonable hour, so I'll be taking care of that tonight.

I don't know who all from the local crew has the interest and the finances, but I learned from last year that worrying about that too much means that I might potentially miss out, so I'm planning for myself first and other people second.

[BrainWalker]

Hey, I got home sooner than I expected!

Well, I'm officially registered now. Looks like they don't have their hotel reservation system up yet.

[Besyanteo]

I'm interested, and I think I can manage to pay for everything and suchlike. I'll probably be getting my own room at whatever hotel everyone else uses, so you all can actually get some sleep.

[pd Rydia]

I tried to buy some tickets but the site crapped out on me just as I hit "enter" on my credit card details. So I'm going to wait until later to make sure I'm not buying multiple sets of tickets.

[ChristianC]

So! Hotel booking has officially opened now at http://www.paxsite.com/paxeast/hotels.php

I've got enough cash to pay for my part in a room, and I really want to rent a room as early as possible. Several hotels even have early-bird achiev- I mean prices, so if any other dudes or dudettes know that they're going and want to share room with an awesome Swede* then let me know :O



*may or may not be awesome, contents vary

[KingOfDoma]

Once I get some cash together, we can probably book right away. Most likely, this will be in a couple of weeks, as I've got some bills to pay.

UNLESS A GENEROUS THIRD PARTY WANTS TO PUT IN NOW SO I CAN PAY THEM BACK THEN... THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. >.>

[BrainWalker]

I have money right now, although significantly less than I had a couple weeks ago. Friggin' unexpected expenses. But what I don't have right now is time. I will likely get around to discussing this more seriously Friday afternoon.

I would like to room with someone who is definitely going, and so far that only includes you two. I know there is some interest within the local community, but finances are pretty tight over here. So, I don't actually have any idea if anyone else from Ohio will be joining me, which makes planning... difficult.

[PriamNevhausten]

We'll see what happens when the coffee shop gets sold. Hopefully we'll get a significant kick from that, and we won't be practically starving over here. Chances of preordering tickets: very small.

[pd Rydia]

Alright, I have tickets for myself and Mike. I'm looking at hotel prices for 4-person bedrooms, and right now, the 4 star hotel hosting/attached to the convention seems to be one of the cheapest. It's called the Westin Boston Waterfront and "averages" $179 nightly (you can expect most nights to be hella more expensive than that, since weekends cost more). The Seaport Hotel is also quit reasonable (comparatively speaking), at $169 nightly and 0.2 miles to PAX. Other hotels seem to charge for additional guests, per night, bumping costs to well over $200 nightly. Hotel taxes in MD are quite high, something like 12% or more.

I'll talk to Mike about whether we want a 2 person bedroom like last year or a 4 person bedroom.

[ChristianC]

I have the money. I have all the moneys. Whenever you guys want to book, let me know and I'll transfer the money. All of the moneys.

[pd Rydia]

I have consulted with the Fluffy One. We're getting a 2 person bedroom.

[BrainWalker]

Dizamn. That's what I get for being busy. It looks like the Westin Boston Waterfront is already booked solid. That's basically where I was going to book.

Time to formulate a plan B.

[ChristianC]

I've booked a flight, and a 3-day ticket.

Now I need some place to stay, but honestly right now I don't even care. I've managed to scrounge up like... 20 people on the MSPA board who I know are going, if I can't book a room with one of you guys, then I will kill them and wear their hides.

Seriously though, send me a PM or IM me, I'm not sure about booking from Sweden... :| But I can send the money for it.

[BrainWalker]

Alright, well, it's pretty clear that a room is going to be needed, so I'm planning to just go ahead and book one. Problem is, I'm not sure which one. I like the idea of being as close to the convention as possible (Which is why I'm super-bummed the Westin Waterfront booked solid in just a week) and I also like affordability. And considering how quickly the Westin Waterfront booked, it's probably best to move on this without farting around too much longer.

I was strongly considering the Seaport, but it looks like even for four people, the only rooms they're offering are single bed rooms, which is kind of insane. I'm willing to pay a slight premium to allow more than one or two person(s) to get a decent night's sleep. The Renaissance is only half a mile away, but I'm not super-impressed what they're offering for the price they're asking. The InterContinental is also half a mile away, has shuttle service, is apparently super-swank but also super-pricey. Next-furthest, at 1.4 miles away each, are the DoubleTree and the Courtyard Tremont, neither of which seem to be rated, but both of which offer very (comparatively) reasonable rates, even for four people.

I think I'm leaning towards the DoubleTree right now, but I don't really know anything about it other than price and relative location. Anyone else have any thoughts?

[KingOfDoma]

I trust your judgment. IM me with your address, and I'll just mail you a cheque for my share.

[ChristianC]

BW, give me your paypal account if you have one and I'll send the money for a room there. Even if the place isn't the best, it's three days, so it matters very little.

I just need a place to keep my stuff, and sleep (maybe!)

[Besyanteo]

I obviously haven't been to this specific hotel, but I had a good experience with the Tremont hotel in Maryland this summer. Room service stuff is hella pricey, though.

[Shinigori V2]

Room service stuff is hella pricey, though.

That's a universal law, though. They make bank off your laziness.

[pd Rydia]

Alright, well, it's pretty clear that a room is going to be needed, so I'm planning to just go ahead and book one. Problem is, I'm not sure which one. I like the idea of being as close to the convention as possible (Which is why I'm super-bummed the Westin Waterfront booked solid in just a week) and I also like affordability. And considering how quickly the Westin Waterfront booked, it's probably best to move on this without farting around too much longer.

I was strongly considering the Seaport, but it looks like even for four people, the only rooms they're offering are single bed rooms, which is kind of insane. I'm willing to pay a slight premium to allow more than one or two person(s) to get a decent night's sleep. The Renaissance is only half a mile away, but I'm not super-impressed what they're offering for the price they're asking. The InterContinental is also half a mile away, has shuttle service, is apparently super-swank but also super-pricey. Next-furthest, at 1.4 miles away each, are the DoubleTree and the Courtyard Tremont, neither of which seem to be rated, but both of which offer very (comparatively) reasonable rates, even for four people.

I think I'm leaning towards the DoubleTree right now, but I don't really know anything about it other than price and relative location. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Shit, they're booked already! I was not expecting that!

Did you try booking from their non-PAX affiliated site? That didn't occur to me till just now. I went ahead and booked for the InterContinental as soon as I read your post. Since Mike and I are just getting a room for 2, we don't have to worry about surcharges for extra people, making it as affordable to us as nearly every other hotel (a few others are $10 cheaper a night).

I can't comment on which hotel you should get. I guess one important question is: how do you plan/want to get from your hotel to the convention and back again in the evening? Driving? Taxi? Bus? Horseback? Mike and I are flying in, and I'd prefer to spend as little money on intra-city transportation as possible, so a close hotel (easy walking distance) is a priority.

[BrainWalker]

Shit, they're booked already! I was not expecting that!

Did you try booking from their non-PAX affiliated site? That didn't occur to me till just now. I went ahead and booked for the InterContinental as soon as I read your post. Since Mike and I are just getting a room for 2, we don't have to worry about surcharges for extra people, making it as affordable to us as nearly every other hotel (a few others are $10 cheaper a night).

I can't comment on which hotel you should get. I guess one important question is: how do you plan/want to get from your hotel to the convention and back again in the evening? Driving? Taxi? Bus? Horseback? Mike and I are flying in, and I'd prefer to spend as little money on intra-city transportation as possible, so a close hotel (easy walking distance) is a priority.

Yeah, as much as I'd like to be as close as possible to the convention, the Intercontinental would run us $285 apiece for the duration, whereas the Doubletree would only cost us $205 apiece. I'd like to save Chuck and Chris (and myself) $80. Of course if we got a fourth it would be a little cheaper, but that's still pretty significant.

Edit: I've been trying to unravel the public transit mystery of how exactly we would be getting from the Doubletree to the convention center and I haven't quite gotten that ironed out yet.

[pd Rydia]

Yeah, as much as I'd like to be as close as possible to the convention, the Intercontinental would run us $285 apiece for the duration, whereas the Doubletree would only cost us $205 apiece. I'd like to save Chuck and Chris (and myself) $80. Of course if we got a fourth it would be a little cheaper, but that's still pretty significant.

Edit: I've been trying to unravel the public transit mystery of how exactly we would be getting from the Doubletree to the convention center and I haven't quite gotten that ironed out yet.

Oh, okay, here's something that should have occurred to me earlier. Try calling the Doubletree Hotel Downtown Boston (Reservations: 1-800-222-TREE / Local: 617-956-7900) and ask them what's the best way to get to the Convention Center from their hotel. If the person you are speaking with doesn't know, and doesn't immediately go to ask someone else, they are probably new, so politely ask them to find someone who does know. Being a hotel near the Boston Convention Center, you can be sure that the Doubletree regularly hosts guests who want this information, so any long time employee will have the information.

Alternately, as a less ideal solution, call the MBTA (617-222-3200) and let them know you would like to speak with a dispatcher. Let the dispatcher know you are planning for an upcoming trip and would like to know what bus service there is to get you from (hotel address) to (the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center on 415 Summer Street). A dispatcher should be able to advise you, though not quite as readily as hotel staff, and won't be able to tell you about non-MBTA options (like whether the Doubletree's shuttle service can get you to and from the Convention Center).

[BrainWalker]

These are fantastic ideas, and things I will definitely put into practice tomorrow afternoon.

[KingOfDoma]

Is it stupid of me to want to bring this?

[BrainWalker]

Moderately. But you certainly wouldn't be the only one at the con in costume.

[BrainWalker]

Okay, first up, get yourselves to Google Maps so you can see what we're looking at.

I called the Doubletree and confirmed my initial hypothesis. The New England/Tufts (apparently which one it's called depends on which mode of transit you're riding) Medical Center station is just north of the hotel. Originally I had thought the best way to get to the convention center would be to take the orange line subway from the medical center to Downtown Crossing, transfer to the red line for one stop, get off the subway at South Station and take bus #7 from there to Summer Street opposite World Trade Center Avenue. Theoretically getting back should work about the same way. That's three transfers across two different forms of public transit, though, which... isn't the most convenient.

But recently I discovered the Silver line, which... I'm not entirely sure what it is. It's listed on both the bus and the subway schedules, and it's apparently some kind of crazy bus/subway hybrid thing? There's apparently four lines of these rapid-transit buses, and two of them are partially underground. Whatever it is, the silver line runs until 12:30AM when the regular buses stop at around 10PM, which is super-awesome. On the silver line, we could take SL4 to Essex & Atlantic, which is just a hop and a skip from South Station. From there we could apparently catch bus 4 or 7 to Summer opp WTC, just across the street from the convention center, or catch SL1 or SL2 to World Trade Center Station, which is just a couple minutes' walk from the convention center. Apparently fares run $1.50 a trip for buses and $2.00 a trip for the subway. I'm not sure where that leaves the silver line, exactly, but whatever. Even though we're only going to be there for three days, I'm seriously considering shelling out the $15 for a LinkPass that lets you ride both buses and the subway all you want for a week. I plan to call MBTA tomorrow or Friday and iron out some finer details, but the overall point of this post is that I am sufficiently convinced that the convention center is reasonably accessible from the Doubletree hotel (Although apparently Dia and Mike only have to worry about a single bus) so I'm ready to book.

The booking site is asking for names, email addresses, and arrival and departure times for all of us. It's optional, but it's probably a good idea to let them know who's making use of their services. I'm pretty sure I know both your names (thanks, Facebook!) but I don't have either of your emails. Send me a PM or an IM or email me at this SN @gmail and lemme know if you're arriving or leaving at dates other than the 10th and the 13th, or if you'd rather not have the Doubletree emailing you about room keys or shuttle service or whatever they intend to use it for.

Also, I goofed earlier and calculated the split cost of the room by splitting the four-person price among three people. Whoops! Calculated appropriately, it's actually $181.98 for each of us for the duration. If we pick up a fourth I'm sure we can make adjustments to our reservation. Or... you know. Just do what we've always done and slip them in quietly. Although I'd kind of like to try to be an adult this time.

[ChristianC]

Doesn't look to be very far, thirty minutes of walking at most? It seems close enough, I say we go for it :D

[pd Rydia]

The LinkPass sounds like a good idea, Brian. It'll save you the bother of having to keep exact change on hand and also give you some flexibility should you need to return to the hotel early, or want to take a bus out to a restaurant, or something like that. They're also a LOT easier to use on buses than money.

Doesn't look to be very far, thirty minutes of walking at most? It seems close enough, I say we go for it :D

You may think otherwise after a long day of conventioneering.

[ChristianC]

You underestimate my Swedish legs. I have been known to cross mountains on these two!

But perhaps you are right, we shall see! 15 bucks is not that much!

[pd Rydia]

You underestimate my Swedish legs. I have been known to cross mountains on these two!

Have pity upon us poor Americans! We do not have the Swedish Alps to practice upon. Only imaginary sidewalks.

[BrainWalker]

Doesn't look to be very far, thirty minutes of walking at most? It seems close enough, I say we go for it :D

You may also think differently when you consider that we will be in a coastal city during the tail-end of winter.

Edit: Also, we are now officially booked! Woo!

Apparently there's a warm, fresh chocolate chip cookie at check-in. It may be difficult to believe, but this did not actually factor into my hotel decision.

[KingOfDoma]

Thank you for reminding me to bring my winter jacket. Brian, a check will be is winging its way to you soon!

[ChristianC]

Pfahahaha! You fools! Winter schminter, in Sweden-land we trudge through snow miles-deep just to throw out our garbage! We're assaulted by specially evolved snow-angler-fish the size of mini-vans!

Oh, and Brian, sorry about the password mail thing. I thought I had to login to confirm our reservation or something, but that does not seem to be the case.
Do you want the money wired over to you now, or are we paying the hotel when we get there?

[BrainWalker]

Well typically you don't actually pay for your hotel stay until you leave, but you can wire me the money whenever.

... snow-angler-fish the size of minivans? Sounds terrifying. Sounds like something I should try to recreate in Super Scribblenauts.

[KingOfDoma]

Pfahahaha! You fools! Winter schminter, in Sweden-land we trudge through snow miles-deep just to throw out our garbage! We're assaulted by specially evolved snow-angler-fish the size of mini-vans!

Oh, and Brian, sorry about the password mail thing. I thought I had to login to confirm our reservation or something, but that does not seem to be the case.
Do you want the money wired over to you now, or are we paying the hotel when we get there?

Canadian.

[pd Rydia]

Pfahahaha! You fools! Winter schminter, in Sweden-land we trudge through snow miles-deep just to throw out our garbage! We're assaulted by specially evolved snow-angler-fish the size of mini-vans!

Oh, and Brian, sorry about the password mail thing. I thought I had to login to confirm our reservation or something, but that does not seem to be the case.
Do you want the money wired over to you now, or are we paying the hotel when we get there?

Canadian.

Canadian polar bears v. Swedish mutant angler fish
Heaven or Hell
Fight!

[pd Rydia]

We got our passes in the mail yesterday.

[ChristianC]

I was such a fucking idiot and entered my own home address. Now I need to pick up the passes AT pax X(

I guess...? I ordered them a long time ago, and I don't remember the specific details... maybe they do send them to me? O_o

[pd Rydia]

According to https://v2.interactiveticketing.com/tic ... step=intro

Badges will be mailed out to the US ONLY (A FedEx Option is available for those outside the US) approximately two weeks before PAX -- you'll receive your lanyard at the show.

If [...] you're located outside of the US and do not choose the FedEx option, your badge will be available for pickup at will-call. Please bring a copy of your barcode badge confirmation if you're picking your badge up from will-call.