Nerdvana in San Diego: It’s Time for Comic Con 2014

Eight years ago you could buy a 4-day pass to Comic Con and walk in the front door when the Exhibit Hall opened.  Syfy had huge installations in the middle of the floor, and their booth was surrounded by Pokemon and D&D gaming tables.  

Now, people enter a lottery to be able to buy badges, and the Exhibit Hall floor is crowded beyond belief.  Vendors are on a waiting list to get in.  Syfy has moved across the street to the Hard Rock.  In fact, many of the neighboring hotels have taken advantage of SDCC by sharing their ballrooms and convention spaces for extra panels.  Even Petco Park has cashed in as it hosts The Walking Dead Escape.

Personally, as a native San Diegan, I think that SDCC is a welcome boon to our city and I support anything that needs to happen to keep SDCC here.  SDCC was born here, after all, and the money generated from out-of-town guests is more than we’ll ever see from the Chargers.  I think SDCC should be a city-wide event, spreading beyond the confines of the Gaslamp to other areas of San Diego.  

I get as excited about the SDCC banners going up along Harbor Drive as I get when I see the first Christmas trees during the holiday season.  

SDCC is a nerd’s paradise.  I’m so glad to be a part of it!

(That said, watch for my coverage of SDCC here on my blog and on Twitter @SarabethPollock

Comic Con and San Diego

Comic Con (SDCC) was born in San Diego in the basement of the El Cortez in 1970.  Since then it has erupted into a mecca of pop culture that unites fans and fandoms from around the world.

SDCC has outgrown its home at the San Diego Convention Center and so it now pours out into the Gaslamp, providing entertainment for tens of thousands of people while giving the local economy a much needed boost. It even takes over Petco Park. It’s a huge event.  SDCC lasts five days and provides more stimulation to our economy than any other event.  As a fifth generation San Diegan, keeping SDCC in San Diego is more important to me than keeping the Chargers. But that’s a whole other story.

I love SDCC and love the people it brings to my city. I will be one of the fans sleeping in line next week to gain access to Ballroom 20 and I will probably dress up.  Well, maybe.  We’ll see.

At any rate, SDCC is part of San Diego’s fabric. I am glad it’s here!