Anthrocon news!

[giza]

It's official. Peter Laird, creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, will be joining us at Anthrocon 2005 as our Guest of Honor!

In other con-related news, we've been looking for a bigger hotel for some time... and we think we found one. Please check out this page for details on what we found.

Comments

[giza.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure it is.

How would it be different from our current location?

[unclekage.livejournal.com]

I've already told the Pittsburgh folks that we're a 24-hour convention, and they said it would not be a problem.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for others obviously, but this will probably make it less likely I'll attend. I only attend one con a year; up until now it was always AC because it was the local con. Now that I have to travel anyways, I may want to try out some of the other cons.

[skiprudder.livejournal.com]

Looks good. We definetly needed the space. I guess my only concern is travel to Pittsburgh might be pricier than to Philly thanks to USAirways monopoloy there, but you know, come to think of it, they might not be around in 2 years anyway, so, it's all good.

[starbiter.livejournal.com]

The sentence "Kindly vote on your plans to attend AC or not (paraphrasing) by voting on our website/web board" should include a link to said board. ;)

Anyway, I'll find the board, but fyi I will NOT be going to AC if I have to drive to Pittsburgh. ;) Sowwy!

[giza.livejournal.com]

I'll let our web master know. In the meantime, here is the link to the vote (http://www.anthrocon.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=882).

Don't suppose I could convince you to fly into the con? Dragons do fly, right? :-)

[starbiter.livejournal.com]

Thankyou, pal. I did go ahead and vote.

It would be way too much of an expense and a time suck for me to go to Pittsburgh for AC. I already go there once a year for a different event and my schedule won't allow for two such trips. I have been on the verge of giving up AC for a couple years now, so if it moves further away the decision will be made for me.

Of course, the rest of the world will probably still attend, so, carry on!

[strangeden.livejournal.com]

I'm really sad about this proposed move because it would
scrap my ability to get there and I've actually been a
supersponser these past two years. :(

[giza.livejournal.com]

You've got over 2 years to figure out a way to get there, ya know. I'm sure at least one other fur is heading out from your locale who could give you a ride. :-)

[strangeden.livejournal.com]

It's not the ride so much as it is airfare cost Vs time away from the autistic 7 year old. Getting the time away is even harder than scraping together the travel costs. Philly I could swing but Pittsburg is less likely. Airfare is really hard to figure out. I just don't have that sort of money. Spending so many extra hours driving makes the entire situation really unfeasible for me. I can't just casually add another day to my convention time. I'm a parent of a special needs child. I can't just get any old babysitter to manage my child.

It's really sad too because a lot of the lower income bracket or less free time bracket individuals who've been attending AC since it's teeny Albany days are getting left behind as the con moves out of our physical and financial range.

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

I'm probably about as likely to attend as i have been before, since i'm a creature of habit, and haven't missed an AC yet, but... I'd probably be less enthusiastic about it. It's suddenly become a LOT longer of a drive. The center is certainly large enough, it'd fix the space problem for a while, and the fact that it'd be open 24 hours allayed a lot of my worries.

However, a friend of mine went to college about a block from this place, and he was saying that unless a LOT has changed about the area, it is NOT one of the friendliest and safest areas of pittsburgh. The kind of folks who are on the streets there would probably get quite a kick or maybe several, from harassing/assaulting some of the less physically intimidating congoers. Especially late at night/early in the morning, when folks would be stumbling back to their overflow hotels, tired after a late night of dancing/roomparties/drinking/art binges/whatever. Let's face it, a lot of people who attend furry cons would have a hard time intimidating a nervous four year old.

Maybe i'm just over-worrying. aside from trade shows, how often is this convention spaced used for "geeky*" cons, and have they had any trouble with the neighborhood in the past? It's no fun to get mugged after a productive day in the dealer's room, on your way back to the hotel.

*=Science Fiction, star trek, star wars, anime, gaming, fantasy, horror, etc...

[giza.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I was on site about a month ago, and the area seemed okay to me. Of course, I was there during daylight hours...

A couple of things we have that should help with these sorts of problems though:

1) Our main point of contact isn't the hotel, but rather the City's Convention and Visitor's Bureau. This means that they can arrange for more police coverage in the area while we're in town.

2) The convention center also provides their own security, in addition to our own Dorsai Irregulars.

We'll bring it up with the Bureau, though. I'm sure they've had to address this before. Additionally, I'm sure there are some preventive measures that could be taken, such as including a "how to stay safe on the streets" guide with registration packets or something...

Thankyou for the feedback.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

Yes, let's ask the city agency tasked with luring business into the city how safe particular areas are after dark. ;P

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

next time somebody's on-site, ask around at the local shops, stores, ask the employees who've got to work there, ask a cop at a stoplight how the place is during the day and at night. Hang around at night and see what the atmosphere is like.

I'm glad the con will have plenty of security, and i hear that the main hotel is attached by some kind of covered breezeway, which would probably be at least irregularly patrolled, but the block or two walk to $overflow_hotel might get dicey. Somebody local oughta take that walk once or twice (with backup!) to see what it's like at 2~4 am on a weekend.

[giza.livejournal.com]

>Somebody local oughta take that walk once or twice (with backup!) to see what it's like
>at 2~4 am on a weekend.

This picture was taken standing in front of the Weston Hotel. (http://filepile.claws-and-paws.com/private/pittsburgh/DSC00764.JPG) The the red building that you see a few blocks away is the Omni, our backup hotel. That's how short the walk is.

But talking a walk at 2-4 AM on a weekend mornining... sure, why not? :-) I'll do it the next time I'm out there.

[melskunk.livejournal.com]

Honestly, that looks like the shit! I'm really impressed and I don't know if this'll make people stop going because of the distance (I'll have to fly now, but that's cool) but seriously, becoming a large, respected convention in a major city center? DUUUUUDE! You guys simply must! It's going to be a coming of age for the fandom! I must speak in hyperbolie!
Seriously though, it's the step you need to take, and I'm sure it'll work out great. It's giving me goosebumps.

[melskunk.livejournal.com]

I can't seem to vote in the poll? But I'm:
Definitely planning to attend

[bigtig.livejournal.com]

Thank you Mel! I was wondering when someone other tham me was going to realize that this will be the first fur con ever in an actual convention space as opposed to crammed into some hotel-by-the-higway.

It's like we're legit or something...

[melskunk.livejournal.com]

I know! I realise a lot of furs are on a shoe-string, drive all night sort of budget to get to AC, but the idea that we could be listed on thier website and in front of the convention center as the '10th annual Anthrocon Convention, June something-something' just makes me go 'squee' with happiness.
If you don't tell anyone and I don't tell anyone we're not legit, we might just fool them ;)

[kovucougar.livejournal.com]

Cool.. Mapquest says it's about 180miles less driving distance to Pittsburgh than Philly, about three hours less driving time.

[doco.livejournal.com]

Well, best wishes from a fellow con organizer on the other side of the pond... :)

In related news, EF 2005's con site will kick ass. Really. ;)

[khakiwolf.livejournal.com]

I am now tempted to bring my copy of TMNT #35 (I think it's 35), still in the poly w/ backboard, mint condition, and ask Mr. Laird to sign it. Murrr.

[coppercheetah.livejournal.com]

Having lived in Pittsburgh for a fair number of years (while attending college at Carnegie-Mellon University, then several years afterward), I'd like to state that I think moving AnthroCon to Pittsburgh is a very good idea, for several reasons:

1. The convention center chosen is a very cool place to hold events, not only for the convention space itself, but because the surrounding city area is also a lot of fun to explore. Take a chance to see it when you're in the city. The Three Rivers view, the PPG (Pittsburgh Plate Glass) building, the park area close by are all wonderful scenic sights, and they're right about the food. Pittsburgh folks love to eat. :)

2. Pittsburgh in general is a VERY tolerant area when it comes to alternative lifestyles. My boyfriend and I pretty much started our relationship there, and people were very acceptant of it even when we were being overly publicly demonstrative (which is typical to happen in those first years when you're trying to establish that you're a couple. :) ) I saw my first Pride parade while in Pittsburgh, and they regularly turn out a pretty hefty event for it. (Living close enough to see the San Francisco Pride Parade, I can make proportional judgments here--Pittsburgh's parade is 'moderate', which is to say pretty darn big for anywhere else in comparison.)

I won't say that gay-bashing and other hate crimes don't occur--I was witness to one. And that's one, in all the time I lived there. I'll take those percentages, thank you very much.

3. Pittsburgh knows about the furry community. FurryMUCK pretty much started in Pittsburgh, in terms of all the wizards lived there (ask me some time about the "Pittsburgh Furry House O' Sin"). Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have had furries in them since MUDs came out and even before to a degree. There has been a furry community presence in Pittsburgh for at least the past decade, close to two.

4. Pittsburgh is very easy to reach in terms of transport access. Due to its size and status for sports and commerce, it has to have easy access. With the convention starting to now press into the 2,000+ attendee range, this has to be considered, as congoers are coming from all over the place. And transport inside the city is equally good--the bus and train lines provide good mass transit, and taxis are even fairly affordable. And just about everywhere has a sidewalk, if you're into hoofin' it.

In conclusion, AnthroCon is looking to move locations to a place with good logistical as well as historical reasons to hold a furry-based convention.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Woo, neat! Thanks for the feedback!

[bigtig.livejournal.com]

Could you please post this on the Anthrocon discussion thread if you have an account:
http://www.anthrocon.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=882

So far the only comment about pittsburgh I have seen glossed over was akin to : "What are you talking about: the place is a shithole."

The history is also wonderful! if you don't wish to post, may I frank it there?