50 Days of Dragon Con Day 5

Vortex

When at con there are dozens of food options to choose from.  Once the con starts I do not leave the con and worry about food.  Since I am here early I leave to go to eat. There have been several places that have come recommended.  One of the places is a burger joint called The Vortex.  This is just down the street from the Hyatt in midtown.  I did not look this place up on line and instead decided to go in blind.  Once I got there there was a sign to seat myself.  I turned the corner to find a very large penis statue.  OMG THIS IS SO COOL.  There were dead animals on the wall-not really my thing- but lots of other random stuff plastered on the wall and the walk spaces.  When I sat down the menu cover was covered with rules amout not being a baby, smoking, drinking, and the such.   It was all very cooooool.  Then I opened the menu and instantly became overwhelmed.  I wanted everything.  How do you decide?

I decided to get the Mac N' Cheesy-Changa to start off with.  This is macaroni and cheese wrapped in a tortilla with some pulled pork then fried and topped with queso.  OMG HEAVEN.  This is one of the best things I have ever ever eaten.  OMG the goodness!  Since I was still undecided on which burger to get, I asked the waitress.  I ended out getting the Zombie Apocalypse OMFG burger.  This burger was a delicious meat patty on a piece of Texas toast topped with pulled pork, 2 fired eggs and honey BBQ sauce.  Pure deliciousness.  This was so damn good.  All of their burgers looked so good.  Next time I go I will try some other burger but definitely get the Changa again.  The prices were excellent so all in all a great value.

HOLY COW do I recommend this place to anyone going to con.  It was a 5 minute Uber ride for $5 to get there and the same to get back.  SUCH greatness and not that far out of con.  Check them out!!!

50 Days of Dragon Con Day 27

The Host Hotels

Every year we the con goers completely take over 5 host hotels.  The Sheraton, Westin, Hyatt Regency, Marriott Marquis and Hilton.  The hotels are all AMAZING to the onslaught of us the gaggle of nerds.  Dragon Con has a contract with the hotels that on their internal TV station they run Dragon Con TV.  Dragon Con TV is run 24 hours a day throughout the con.  Lots of random skits and the morning info show.   They even do parodies of current music.  Pretty cool when you are in your room getting ready in the morning and have it on in the background. 

Considering there are 40,000 plus con attendees plus staff, and guests that puts us over 50,000 people.  Not everyone stays in the host hotels, but they are FULL.  The hotels also have contracts with other folks to allow for other non con attendees to be there as well.  With all of us, the staff at all of the hotels is absolutely stellar.  I have never had a bad staff experience.  Some are meeh but never a BAD one.  The hotels even design their room keys especially for Dragon Con.  Pretty neat.  The Hilton even has some of their staff dress up as a greeting committee.  They provide snacks and water while you are in the registration line.

For all of the trouble we may cause and all of the chaos that comes with us, I think the host hotels do a fantabulous job.  The Hyatt has even sent an email this year that lets their guests register for the con next year at their registration in a couple of weeks.  WOO HOO.  Last year the Hilton did something of the similar.  I hope they do it again.
To all of the staff of the hotels, thank you for making us feel so welcome.

The voucher for a room for the 2015 con

50 Days of Dragon Con Day 29

Lost...Again

While I am on the subject of getting lost in the Hyatt, I have yet another story to tell you.  One year not so long ago, I was looking for a good place to eat.  I had heard that the Hyatt had a bar on the roof and it spun.  COOL.  I also heard that the Hyatt had a good restaurant called Twenty-Two Storys.  I decided this was the place to go.  Now, I thought this awesome Twenty-Two Storys was on the roof of the Hyatt and went looking for it.  This was a few years after the struggling to find a bathroom incident so I was a wee bit more familiar with the hotel than I was previously...or so I thought.

Once at the Hyatt I went to the elevator bank and usually they have something that tells you to go to the special elevator that takes you to the roof.  Maybe you have to get a special visitors pass or something.  I could find no info on this at the elevator so I decided to do some more walking.  I knew there was an information panel over at the International Tower so I headed over there.  I found the interactive menu for Twenty-Two Storys but not instructions on how to get there.  AHHHH!  Really irritating.  I kept looking around and decided to try the elevators again. 

As I got back to the elevators, there were fellow con goers and they were setting up the Con Suite and told me to stop by.  I decided to follow them.  I did this because I did not have a Hyatt room key and did not want to get trapped on a higher floor.  I wandered around the second floor of the Hyatt and found the Con Suite for the first time ever.  TOTALLY COOL!  YAY!  It has now been an hour since I set out and I am famished and not a little bit pisssed off.  I decided eff this I was going to go to Sear in the Marriott.  On my way out of the elevators heading to the Marriott habit trail I walked passed the bar known for the Bucket O' Rum and saw the waist high sign stating that this was Twenty-Two Storys restaurant and bar.  OMG I was soooo mad.  GRRR, I thought this was supposed to be on the roof.  Needless to say that Polaris is the bar on top of the Hyatt.  Yeah, I know that...now.

The Polaris at the top of the Radius Tower.

 

50 Days of Dragon Con Day 30

Lost...At A Con

Have you ever had to pee so bad you thought your eyeballs were floating?  Of course you have.  We all have.  One Thursday before con, I was doing some recognisance.  I was still a newbie then.  In fact I think this was my second or third year at con.  I was wandering around and got myself lost below ground somewhere in the Hyatt.  It was the maze that is the in between spot between the Hyatt proper and the International Tower.  UGG if you have ever been there, you know what I am talking about.  There are several floors and all of them are confusing.  They all look similar.  I was looking for a bathroom and I kept seeing signs to go here and there but I could not find the bathroom to save my life.  Finally I found my way to the Hyatt proper and their wonderful bathroom.  YAY.

While I am on the subject of con bathrooms, the Marriott is the bomb-diggety.  They have gorgeous bathrooms that are all individual and they have people in there cleaning almost all of the time.  I have never been to a Marriott bathroom that has been out of toilet paper or paper towels.  They are such the poo.  This is not to say that the Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton and Westin are bad, just they are not as cool as the Marriott.  If you have a need to make #1 or #2 and it is not a rush situation,  recommend making a stop in the Marriott.