T-minus 2 days until PAX East 2016 emanates from Boston, Massachusetts. Despite my excitement, I’m a little nervous going into my second year attending the event. 2015 was a lot of fun for me, but I feel like I missed out on a lot because I spent most of my time between the convention and the Omni Parker Hotel, since it was my first time being in Boston.
That’s not to say that there isn’t things to be excited about when it comes to the convention, but you’ll want to be able to make your time worth it in order to get the maximum enjoyment from PAX East (or any convention for that matter.)
To that effect, I, Clinton ‘Navigator’ Bowman, in my everlasting mercy and compassion (it’s a Brooklyn thing,) will hit you off with 5 easy, yet seemingly hard to grasp tips for enjoying PAX East 2016. Let’s get this poppin’, ya feel me?
1. Deodorant/Antiperspirant is King at PAX East.
I’m about to spit the realest truth to you…B.O is like watching the Philadelphia 76ers, LowTierGod playing a fighting game or Trent Richardson try to running back, we don’t want to deal with it, but since it exists, we have to acknowledge how terrible it is. But unlike those 3, you can do something about it. Take a shower and apply deodorant or antiperspirant before you go to bed every night. It has been proven that applying deodorant or an effective antiperspirant the night before allows for better absorption into the skin, allowing it work longer and in a more desirable fashion than putting it on after a shower in the morning that you leave. This goes for both the fellas and the ladies. I, among many others, don’t want to deal with that nastiness for 3 days. Plus, soap and deodorant don’t cost much, unless you need the specifically prescribed stuff.
2. Remember to Eat
No, not just a damn Snicker bar. Have something substantial in the morning. If you have access to an Airbnb that has a stove or a microwave, feel free to wake up early and cook up a big ass batch of oatmeal, or some bacon and eggs with toast of your liking. Carry some snacks with you as well as a small lunch, maybe some cold cut sandwiches that you can eat on the side while you’re at the convention. For dinner, there are also plenty of places to eat and purchase food and food stuffs in the Boston/Cambridge area, which ties in to the next point on my list…
3. Spend Some Time Away from the Convention
It’s important that you do enjoy yourself at PAX East, and that’s all well and good, however, there will be times where you will suffer from an overload, and that’s never good. When that happens, get away. If you’re coming in early on Thursday, and you’re a fan of baseball, go catch the Red Sox play against the Tampa Bay Rays at 1pm at Fenway Park. Assuming that the Boston Celtics don’t lose their series against the Atlanta Hawks, game 5 of the series will be on Friday at the TD Garden. There’s also the Boston Aquarium, the site of the Boston Tea Party, Harvard University, the Freedom Trail and the bar that’s featured in the opening of “Cheers.”
4. Go at Your Own Pace
For those of you fortunate enough not to be members of the press, I must press this upon you:
GO. AT. YOUR. OWN. PACE.
There’s no need to bust your ass and see everything all at once. You have 24 hours over 3 days to catch everything you want to, and even then, there’s no real guarantee that you’ll see everything. Hell, panels and concerts go well until 12am, so there’s more than enough time to catch the real good stuff without killing yourself.
5. Budget Yourself
Most people would be tempted to buy what they can with the money they have, and believe me, it’s a bad idea. You have to effectively budget yourself in order to the get the most out of the weekend. Make sure you have enough for food, transport (Boston has some real cheap public transportation,) as well as picking up some souvenirs both in and out of the convention. But don’t be fooled by the convention vendors, a lot of what you can buy at the convention, you can probably get elsewhere for a cheaper price, so be smart about your spending.
