Wizard World's Philadelphia Comic Con - Day 2 (Saturday)

Day two of Comic Con began much different than day one. First, I arrived in the morning, instead of later in the day. Second, the crowds. I thought Friday seemed busy but it was a ghost town compared to Saturday. When I got off the train, it was like cattle being herded. It seemed that every person at Market East was heading to the convention center. Upon arriving, volunteers were yelling directions for those ready to enter and other people that needed to first register. I already had my bracelet from Friday so I was set to walk directly in.

As I walked with the crowds, I noticed that booths that were crowded yesterday were actually blocked off due to over-popularity today. For example, Norton had a great exhibit about X-Men while subtlety advertising their technology. Yesterday I could walk in and take a picture with the cardboard cutouts as a X-Men, but today the tent was so full that they had to wait for it to empty before allowing the next group of people in. Other areas had similar problems.

While yesterday I just wore a Mario themed t-shirt, today I thought I'd brave a little cosplay. I didn't want to dye my hair though so people didn't really get it. If I said something first, then I would get "oh, I see it now." While others didn't get it, I thought my River Song looked great in the Tardis.

Yesterday I walked around and got the lay of the land, today I decided to take in some panel discussions. I went to Sean Astin, Whoopi Goldberg, David Boreanaz, and Jason David Frank. The first three were in the ballroom, while Jason David Frank was in a smaller room. I also saw panels for Christopher Lloyd and Nathan Fillion listed but there was too much to do and some times overlapped.

Each panel had microphones set up for fans to ask questions. After a brief introduction, the moderator would point to a microphone for you to ask a question. I only asked a question to David Boreanaz. Sorry for the shaky filming but it was hard to keep the camera steady and bend down to the microphone at the same time.


After the panels, I went back to the main floor to walk around again before leaving. My first Comic Con was a great experience and I learned tons of stuff. First, avoid Saturday if possible. It seems that everyone goes on Saturday. Even people that paid for pictures and autographs had to wait twice as long. The celebrities are there the entire weekend, unless specifically noted. You're better going on Friday or Sunday when the crowd is smaller. Second, cosplay is not important. It's fun to see all the costumes but it doesn't make the convention. The final thing I learned was bring cash. While some vendors have credit card readers on their phones, many of the vendors didn't take plastic. I only bought one thing, but the guy's credit card reader broke and he became cash only.

Although the convention is continuing on Sunday, I decided to skip the final day. There were a few more interesting panels but there was another event this weekend here in Philadelphia that I decided to check out. So Sunday I will be at the Manyuank Art's Festival.

If you want to see more photos from Wizard World Philadelphia, check out the Making Cents of It Facebook Page. I've created an album with the pictures that came out decent.

Following the convention, I will be writing a full post on how to attend Comic Cons for cheap, possibly free. Keep an eye out because with ticket prices starting at $45 for a single day's admission, and autographs costing another $50, Comic Con can quickly add up to a huge expense.

Wizard World's Philadelphia Comic Con - Day 1 (Friday)

From the moment I stepped off the train at Market East, I could see that the convention was indeed in town. People all around the train station were in costumes, carrying yellow "Wizard World" bags, and heading towards the convention center. Once there, I was a little disappointed when I walked in to see the ground floor almost empty. Surely a convention of this size would take up the entire convention center. I checked in, got my bracelet and headed to the escalator. I can now say that they didn't need the ground floor. Unlike the car show which needs space, Comic Con was tight packed into the second floor. Break out sessions were held on the first floor (more on those tomorrow).

I walked around and took in my surroundings. The middle area was full of booths. There was a lightsaber booth, a classic video game booth, a tower of t-shirts booth, and more. This was a geeks dream flea market. Booth after booth of geekdoms. To the left were tons of artists selling prints and signing comic books.

The back was where the autograph opportunities took place. I walked by to check it out and was blown away. Autograph prices ranged from $30 for some lesser known celebrities to $195. I didn't get any autographs but that didn't stop me from checking out the lines. Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy) was starting her signings when I walked by so I was able to see the beginning. Karen came in from the back of the curtain, said a few words to the crowd before sitting down to sign autographs.

I continued on my journey of Comic Con and saw some awesome stuff. There was a full size Tardis for photo-ops. I took a picture but I'm going to wait until tomorrow to retake them in my costume. Yes, for my second day of Comic Con, I'm going to cosplay as River Song. Perfect costume for a Tardis picture. Other photo-ops included the Delorean, a Jurassic Park Jeep, becoming an X-Men, and more. Some cost money, others ask for donations, and a few were free. Most of the more extreme cosplays are also more than willing to take pictures. I saw both Loki and Arrow taking pictures when asked. I met a doppelganger for Silent Bob and he was more than willing to pose for pictures, just don't ask him anything that can't be answered with hand gestures. The guy was really in character and didn't say a word.

I finished off day one with a little speed dating, Comic Con style. Over an hour period, I met about thirty guys. Did anything come from it? That's for me to know. I will tell you that it was an interesting experience and you can tell that it was easy to spot the posers vs the hard core fandoms.

Tomorrow I will take the journey back to the convention center for another day of geeks and fandoms. I will try to update on Twitter but I needed to make a choice between good pictures or instant uploads. I choose to take the pictures with my camera and upload them when I get home. Otherwise, you'll just be looking at cell phone images and where's the fun in that? I am also planning to attend some panels and Q&As. Today was about learning the setup, tomorrow is to actually experience the convention.

Following the convention, I will be writing a full post on how to attend Comic Cons for cheap, possibly free. Keep an eye out because with ticket prices starting at $45 for a single day's admission, and autographs costing another $50, Comic Con can quickly add up to a huge expense.

Philadelphia Comic Con

Have you ever been to Comic Con? I am very excited that I will be attending the Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia later this month. If you're in the Philadelphia area, tickets are still available. I will be Tweeting live from Comic Con so keep an eye out for some great pictures.

While it's too late to apply for a regular volunteer position, the Wizard World Comic Con is looking for people to be part of their digital team in Philadelphia.

Wizard World Comic Con is looking for a number of local assistants to work with our Digital Team at Philadelphia Comic Con. By assisting our social media team either Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and/or on a half day Sunday (June 19, 20, 21, 22), you will receive a FREE one day pass to the show!!

For future conventions, check out their volunteer information packet to see the benefits and locations. Basically you work a few hours doing simple tasks and you can enjoy the rest of the convention for free. Some volunteers actually claim the experience is even better because they feel apart of the event. Comic Cons are not the only conventions that offer free admission in exchange for volunteer hours. If there is something you're interested in, look at volunteering as a way to save money.

Free Delivery from Fresh Direct (Philadelphia Area)

Fresh Direct is currently running a promotion for new customers in Philadelphia. Until August 31, 2013, you can get free delivery on your order. I just placed an order for delivery tomorrow and it was really easy. The prices were similar to the local grocery stores and I won't have to deal with the craziness.

I really liked that when you order meat, you can have it vacuum sealed. This makes it simple to throw the meat directly in the freeze without worrying about freezer burn so you can stock up during sales.

Terms and Conditions for Fresh Meets Free Promotion:

This offer for a waived delivery fee is good on your next residential web order in the Greater Philadelphia delivery area. Delivery fee will be removed automatically at checkout for orders delivered by 8/31/2013, no promotion code necessary. DeliveryPass members will receive one (1) additional week of DeliveryPass in lieu of a free delivery. Offer excludes surcharges. All standard customer terms and conditions apply. FreshDirect reserves the right to cancel or modify this offer at any time. Offer expires at 11:59pm ET, August 31st, 2013 and will be removed from orders that are modified after this time. Offer is nontransferable. Void where prohibited.

If you live in another area that is serviced by Fresh Direct, check if they are running any promotions.

Free Admission to the Philadelphia Zoo for Teachers

Every year, the Philadelphia Zoo offers free summer passes to teachers. The purpose of the passes is so that teachers can enter the zoo during the summer and discover possibilities for classroom field trips or other academic enrichments. Please note that you must apply for the pass online and you will be required to show proof that you are a teacher when you arrive at the zoo.

This pass will be available to certified/licensed preK-12 classroom teachers, principals and assistant principals who work in public, private and charter schools. The pass will be good for your single admission, Mondays through Fridays, between June 17 and August 30, 2013. You can use the pass to visit the Zoo multiple times during this period. Each individual teacher must register online for one individual pass and you must bring BOTH a valid pass and your teacher ID, union card or school district pay stub each time you visit the Zoo.

Free Admission to The Franklin Institute (Pennsylvania) for Teachers

If you're a teacher, or you know a teacher, then there is a great promotion currently running at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Currently they are offering free admission for teachers to see the new exhibit SPY: The Secret World of Espionage. You must make reservations to enter for free and bring a valid teacher ID with you. The promotion is only for teachers within the area, including DE, NY, MD, PA, and NJ.

Advanced Registration is required. Call 215.448.1200 and plan your visit. Non-educator tickets: $28.00/Adult | $19.00/Child (3-11) General Admission included

*Educators in grades Pre-K-12 must register at least 24 hours in advance to receive free Museum Admission and entrance to SPY: The Secret World of Espionage. Does not include entrance to Franklin Theater or IMAX. Free admission is for Educators in DE, NY, MD, PA, NJ only AND School ID is required when checking in at will-call. Offer valid for visits through September 2, 2013.