GenCon Day 0: Tickets and Downtown Exploration

If you ever go to GenCon, be sure to use the Will Call option when buying your tickets. I don't recommend having them shipped because they're not insured. If they get lost in the mail, your out the money you spent on them. I also don't recommend waiting to register until you get to the Con, unless of course you're not sure you can make it til the last minute.

Gencon Day 0 is the day we picked up our tickets and did some exploring  before the actual con started. We started the day at the hotel's continental breakfast where we were the only two there. I took my knitting down to get a little bit done while we ate.



Parking in downtown Indy during this con is crazy. We found 3 dollar parking that was several blocks from the Convention Center. This was the start of what was going to be alot of walking over the next four days.

We were early and the will call line didn't open until noon, so we walked up to the mall to look around and find the food court. Since convention food is so expensive, we planned to utilize the fairly cheaper mall food on a regular basis. I sat down and had something to drink while J did a little more exploration. More knitting in public time, and I had a couple people stop and ask me what I was working on .

The ticket line was huge but once it got started, it moved pretty quickly. This was the first time I realized that my social anxiety fears were, for the most part, not going to be a problem. I had a conversation with an older woman who was there watching her grandkids so their parents could enjoy the gaming. In line, J and I also talked to a couple of other con-goers who gave us some tips on parking, food, and the general layout of Gencon.

After PG and Mr. PG got to town and picked up their tickets, we went with them to grab some food at the food court and then headed back to their room to build characters and play a game of hearts. Unlike our room, theirs was within walking distance. The rest of the group from MHK was going to be there in the early evening, so we headed back to convention center where I met up with two other knitters, one planned and one completely serendipitous. It was like a completely random Ravelry meet-up.

PG treated us to dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. The food was amazing and even though the restaurant didn't have working air conditioning, it was still a nice, comfortable dinner. From there we headed back to the car, picked up our hotel roommate and headed back to our room. The walking had taken its toll and we were exhausted but definitely optimistic about the next day.

ALF