by Annie
It was December and Dragon Con was so far away. I needed a con fix. I brainstormed and researched and then bought my ticket to Chicago to attend C2E2. My sister lives there and it is only a 2 hour plane ride from Atlanta.
I flew Spirit Air and yes, it was a great deal and the planes disembarked very fast because of the luggage restrictions - but it was not the best choice for con travel.
You are allowed a small personal item for free 16x 14x 12 so like a smaller messenger bag or a giant purse, and the typical carry-on will cost you up to $100 depending on when you buy your bag option. To make the most of my small personal item I packed very minimally and we chose costumes that were basically jeans and a t-shirt so I was able to squeeze all I needed to in my bag. This restriction does put a damper on your cosplay for a con, you just don't have room to bring an elaborate costume.
I also had to be very cautious of what I bought at C2E2 because I had very little room to bring home merch goodies.
You are allowed a small personal item for free 16x 14x 12 so like a smaller messenger bag or a giant purse, and the typical carry-on will cost you up to $100 depending on when you buy your bag option. To make the most of my small personal item I packed very minimally and we chose costumes that were basically jeans and a t-shirt so I was able to squeeze all I needed to in my bag. This restriction does put a damper on your cosplay for a con, you just don't have room to bring an elaborate costume.
I also had to be very cautious of what I bought at C2E2 because I had very little room to bring home merch goodies.
 | It was wonderful that everything for C2E2 was contained within the McCormick convention center. I know you might be thinking, "duh most conventions are in a convention center," but you need to remember my noobness and the only other convention I've been to is Dragon*Con which is basically a sweaty scavenger hunt around mid-town Atlanta. So in comparison, it was SO nice to be able to have mostly everything con-related on one floor in one big room. There was even a map provided so when you finally decide you really wanted to buy something from that booth that you only vaguely remember... you can actually find it! |
I was also nice that everything was inside, because it was cold and I forgot to pack my giant bear costume, leather jumpsuit, or fur coat crafted of dalmation puppies, (dammit Spirit I can't fit anything fun into a 16x14x12 bag!) I think the only thing that I would improve would be the food options, they were basic concession stand fare and unappealing to someone who doesn't go for fake cheese or hotdogs.
We only went to C2E2 on Saturday and although I had good intentions of attending at least one panel I never got around to it. We spent the entire day just walking the main floor. We checked out the Artist Alley, shopped the Vendors and of course saw some great costumes and had to stop every couple of minutes for photos.
Noob alert: the security guard will yell at you if you try to take pictures of the featured guests in the autograph area from a distance. My picture didn't come out clear anyway.
I loved the tattoo area I thought that was a great idea to have at a con. We didn't leave C2E2 with any new ink but it was tempting. I do regret not staying for The Crown Championship of Cosplay that night but we were exhausted from too much sight seeing the day before around Chicago so Wayne and Garth had to head back to Aurora.
Noob alert: the security guard will yell at you if you try to take pictures of the featured guests in the autograph area from a distance. My picture didn't come out clear anyway.
I loved the tattoo area I thought that was a great idea to have at a con. We didn't leave C2E2 with any new ink but it was tempting. I do regret not staying for The Crown Championship of Cosplay that night but we were exhausted from too much sight seeing the day before around Chicago so Wayne and Garth had to head back to Aurora.
 | My sister and I cosplayed as Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World. Our costumes came out great and we heard many many exclamations of “party on!” It was a fun and comfortable costume, jeans comfortable shoes, no make-up, and if you accidentally faded your shirt or got a stain it just added to the look. I still cannot get the dark dye out of my hair, but we all make sacrifices for our hobbies! I'm not sure if I will be able to make it back for C2E2 next year simply because it does require long distance travel. If I lived in the Chicago area I would definitely go back, if nothing else a one day pass is not very expensive and it is a fun way to spend a Saturday. |
