What time does the con start on Thursday?
Hello! This will be my first time to Anthrocon. I'm wondering what time the con starts because I have the choice of arriving (by Greyhound bus) either 4am on Thursday or 11am and don't know which time I should aim for. Thanks. ^_^
I personally haven't been awake at 4 AM on the Thursday of the con, but I'm certain that some folks will be.
I may get to sleep in until 5am! 
Steve Hopps aka "Simba Lion"
Anthrocon 2007 A/V Director
http://www.anthrocon.org/
E-Mail: smblion@anthrocon.org
11am is probably a better time to arrive- unless your hotel room will be available on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, depending on your roomshare. Then, depending on departure time, it might be more advantageous to try 4am,a nd get a good sleep in a bed (and not the bus).
Otherwise, I'd try for 11am arrival. Less of a wait with your luggage, and not much goes on during those 7 hours.
--Chiaroscuro
Why do people arrive so early to a con that starts on Friday?
I've heard people coming as early as Monday and Tuesday, before the con people setup.
There are several reasons:
#1 Thursday arrival is very popular, to get your registration completed. Even with minimal 'activities', it's a chance to get tegistration out of the way and begin socializing.
#2 Staff start arriving on Tuesday and Wednesday for setup, and there's a lot of work to do. Many furries are generous with their time and help pitch in on the work, as well!
#3 Pittsburgh is an excellent city, full of many sights, museums, a zoo, an aviary, and many other local activities. Some people want to enjoy the local scene, but not take time away from the con.. so Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are good days for this.
#4 In complement to #3, some people want time to socialize with just a few friends, early on. With nearly 3,000 furries at the con, it's sometimes tough to spend long amounts of time with cherished but distantly-located friends. If people come early, there's more time to enjoy with one antoher in the small group, before the busy time of the convention proper.
#5 Westin beds are sooo nice to sleep in.
--Chiaroscuro
Yeah, like you get any sleep during the convention.
If I'm not allowed to sleep, then you're not allowed to sleep either. 
--
My LiveJournal - My Website - See what I'm doing on Twitter
That's why to arrive early! To get the chance to enjoy that Heavenly Bed.
For the most part, people arrive earlier because they see other people arriving earlier, so each year you see this growing a bit more. To accomodate the earlier crowds we began offering some programming on Thursday night, several years back, even tho opening ceremonies is on Friday.
Steve Hopps aka "Simba Lion"
Anthrocon 2007 A/V Director
http://www.anthrocon.org/
E-Mail: smblion@anthrocon.org
At FurFright07, I arrived around 11am on Thursday, and sat in the lobby for about 5 hours before anyone I knew showed up... and, I can tell you from personal torture, lobby's aren't that interesting. I actually fell asleep for a bit, and was scolded by one of the staff members... The room was under another persons name, so me and my two other roommates had to wait even longer to get in the room.
~Ark~
AC isn't FF. If you arrived at AC at 11am on Thursday, you would have been able to meet with friends in the Zoo. I, actually, was there at 11am, waiting for friends to arrive so I could meet up with them, let them drop their luggage in my room for a few hours,
freshen up, and head over for a leisurely lunch.
First-timers really should look at the PDF downloads from last year
http://www.anthrocon.org/schedule
and make a note of the places to meet. The lobby is a BAD place to meet, since the
hotel NEEDS the lobby to handle guests arriving and leaving.
In the Zoo, other fans will provide SOME entertainment. I, of course, had a deck of cards
and was playing card-games while waiting.
(What did you expect? )
Artists were arting, and so on.
Getting to see your long-distance friends is bittersweet. The only thing that comes to mind is that you wanna give them a big hug and go walk and talk for a long time, possibly get a bite to eat, share your sketchbooks, go out fursuiting together. It's the time before Anthrocon that can be really fun. You're not bound by the self-obligation to see any panel. It's all free time. Go socialize!
That's why I recommend an early Thursday arrival for people who know others they will
meet at AC. I only arrive late Wednesday night because my train doesn't arrive Thu
morning, and Wed evening is better than Thu evening for allowing me to meet up with
friends. I can unpack, get a good night's sleep, a big breakfast, a long shower, and
be at my best when my friends arrive.
the fun starts whenever you want it to. Id arrive as soon as I could. just remember that if you dont have a room until later in the day, you might consider coming in at 11 or coming at 4 and sleeping on the bus as much of the way as possible. I arrive at 7AM on wednesday and then take a quick nap before wandering around a bit.
Depends on your definition of "start". Opening Ceremonies are normally 11 AM on Friday. But, many folks come by on Thursday (and even Wednesday) to hang out, socialize, and volunteer with setup. (There are also a couple of semi-official events on Thursday evening, such as a mixer)
I personally haven't been awake at 4 AM on the Thursday of the con, but I'm certain that some folks will be.
--
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