PAX tip number three is finally upon us, and with it only a week left until the doors of the Washington State Convention Center open to receive the great geek flood of 2012. Have you been studying the schedule yet? Working on your geeky opening lines? I hope so! But let's get a move on and dive into the third, and possibly most important, tip.
Watch Your Conference Fuel Gauge: food, naps, and hygiene.
This final tip is SUPER IMPORTANT for any con, for you, and for everyone around you. Watch your Conference Fuel gauge. Be aware of how tired, hungry, and smelly you are. If any of these go bad you’ve entered the danger zone. Going non-stop all day will get tiring, and when we con-goers are tired we’re prone to crankiness. Get some rest! Stop by the handheld lounge and grab yourself a bean bag chair. You can rest up in a relatively quiet area and maybe even catch a little nap if you have a friend to watch your stuff. I see people snoozing in there every year!
Keep an eye on your hunger and thirst levels, it’s super easy to forget to eat! The convention center has a Subway inside, but it’s always very busy (this counts as a convention line, can you say "one hour wait?!") I’d recommend avoiding the Cheesecake Factory across the street, since it’s the closest sit-down restaurant to the convention center it can have around a three hour wait.
Walk one block in any direction from the convention center and you’ll find a less crowded place to eat. Take a leap of faith and walk two blocks, you’ll be amazed with the culinary fare! If you’re saving cash for convention schwag pack yourself a bag lunch! Sandwiches, Cliff Bars, apples and oranges (in zip locked bags), mixed nuts, dried fruit, powerade, gatorade, or boxes of apple juice are just a few solid choices for a 15+ hour day on the go. Avoid dairy (it spoils) or super soft bruisable fruit (bananas or peaches), and never eat onions, you never know if this is the year you meet that special someone. Don't forget to check out yesterday's tip for being social to find an amazing nerdy pick up line.
I hope this has been useful in preparing new attendees, and exciting the veterans. Let us know which events look the most enticing to you! Tweet us @abitofgeek or leave some comments here. I hope to see some old friends as well as new faces this year! And if you have a great tip for good eats around the convention center, drop that knowledge on us. Everyone gets hungry!
-MJ
Watch Your Conference Fuel Gauge: food, naps, and hygiene.
The Guidebook (for almost all smartphone OSes) is chock full of restaurant recommendations.
This final tip is SUPER IMPORTANT for any con, for you, and for everyone around you. Watch your Conference Fuel gauge. Be aware of how tired, hungry, and smelly you are. If any of these go bad you’ve entered the danger zone. Going non-stop all day will get tiring, and when we con-goers are tired we’re prone to crankiness. Get some rest! Stop by the handheld lounge and grab yourself a bean bag chair. You can rest up in a relatively quiet area and maybe even catch a little nap if you have a friend to watch your stuff. I see people snoozing in there every year!
Keep an eye on your hunger and thirst levels, it’s super easy to forget to eat! The convention center has a Subway inside, but it’s always very busy (this counts as a convention line, can you say "one hour wait?!") I’d recommend avoiding the Cheesecake Factory across the street, since it’s the closest sit-down restaurant to the convention center it can have around a three hour wait.
Relaxed, rested, and happy PAX goers! Photo by Ario Midgett.
Walk one block in any direction from the convention center and you’ll find a less crowded place to eat. Take a leap of faith and walk two blocks, you’ll be amazed with the culinary fare! If you’re saving cash for convention schwag pack yourself a bag lunch! Sandwiches, Cliff Bars, apples and oranges (in zip locked bags), mixed nuts, dried fruit, powerade, gatorade, or boxes of apple juice are just a few solid choices for a 15+ hour day on the go. Avoid dairy (it spoils) or super soft bruisable fruit (bananas or peaches), and never eat onions, you never know if this is the year you meet that special someone. Don't forget to check out yesterday's tip for being social to find an amazing nerdy pick up line.
I hope this has been useful in preparing new attendees, and exciting the veterans. Let us know which events look the most enticing to you! Tweet us @abitofgeek or leave some comments here. I hope to see some old friends as well as new faces this year! And if you have a great tip for good eats around the convention center, drop that knowledge on us. Everyone gets hungry!
-MJ
