food

A mixture of all of those seems very popular, in my experience.

In the morning, for many of us it's nice to have a quick breakfast we can just grab and take along, rather than having to go out and scavenge. And sometimes it's nice to have a snack squirrelled away in your bag, just in case you get hungry. The rooms don't have any kitchen equipment, tho--i don't even remember a coffee maker--so anything that's perishable or that needs preparation is probably out.

And i've always found it especially nice when i can go out for food with friends--which works best for dinner, in my experience. But speaking personally, i can't afford to do restaurants all the time, even just for the one weekend.

So that leaves fast food, which is a happy medium but generally not all that healthy, and not bad for those times when i'm dashing out to get a quick 30 minute lunch before a panel i'm excited about or a shift of volunteer work.

Balance is a wonderful thing.

Of course, that's just me--others have different approaches. As long as you make sure that you're eating at least some food with actual nutritional content at least twise a day, you should be fine. *grin*

--dester'edra

This really should be in the "First Timers" forum, but I'll give it a shot.

The Westin does not want people cooking/preparing food in the rooms. The Westin does not want people getting food or beverages from any source other than the hotel itself. (I expect that's standard hotel policy and applies to the Omni, too.)

Furthermore, the rooms do not have kitchens or cooking appliances, unless you count coffee-makers. You can heat up water in the room, and get water in the room.

That having been said, some canny people have packed a few items to supplement buying food at the hotel. I've heard suggestions like beef jerky and Star-Kist tuna pouches that are open-and-eat. If one brings in a Cup'o'Noodles, the hot water can, I expect, be used to prepare it. Bringing a FEW items won't cause outrage. Besides, you won't have room to PACK an entire food supply for your stay.

As to buying food-and beverages...
The hotel, like most hotels, has vending machines available 24/7 for your dining and dancing pleasure, as well as ice-machines which probably should not be used after midnight. Furthermore, there's a restaurant in the hotel on the 2nd floor-directly above the front desk and a quick
walk up one set of stairs. Mind the prices, however. I eat in Manhattan and found the restaurant pricey. The breakfast buffet, IIRC, was $20, and was all-you-can-eat. So I did, and it was enough to cover food until dinner, when I wasn't very hungry. That's not the most cost-effective way to eat, but it did save me TIME.

Others will point out that the Kwik-E-Mart across the street sells beverages, and snacks. (I didn't see anything that I found acceptable for a meal, but beverages are handy.) It's literally across the street, and you can see it out the front window of the Westin.

Others would also point out there's a lot of places to eat nearby, some down the block or down the next block. The hotel has MULTIPLE places to eat. A map of the immediate neighborhood may include a number of them. If you travel by Amtrak and walk the 2-3 blocks to the station, you will probably pass at least one, whether or not you catch it OPEN.

That's the best answer I can give on this one. It's always a good idea to plan so as to need the least cleanup, since time is often at a premium at a con, and you don't expect Housekeeping to clean up food-spills and things from the room, right? (And if you did, you were planning to leave a heavy, heavy tip, right?)

While not exactly a meal If you run into me at the con be sure to ask for a cookie, and if you get me at the right time I might have some apple cake or rootbeer fudge on me.

I'd recommend a trip to an army surplus store to pick up a few MRE's (Meals, Ready to Eat), they're completely self contained, and while better warm, they can be eaten without any heat. on top of that, I've seen tons of stuff that could be useful at cons (blankets, duffel bags, backpacks, shoes/boots, socks, etc)

LOL MREs i had some of those before and meh, i'll just stick to fast food once im there, and fuit bowls! O_O hope the super market has them :3

We usually bring our own food, because it cut down on costs, and not to mention that we had two diabetics in the room, so we always needed something on hand.

But actually, this last year we found ourselves going out a lot and getting food, as it was cheap and delicious! The pizza place that was a few blocks away had -delicious- food, and was incredibly inexpensive!

The other food comes in handy though for breakfast and snacks.

Make note that most restaurants on Sunday close at 5pm.

I'll also add that many of the restaurants in the area are EXTREMELY happy to have us patronize their establishments.

The sandwich shop between the convention center and the hotel was creating custom sandwiches with names like the "Whisker", the "Fursuiter", and the "Tailwag" just for our attendees. And they were quite reasonable in price.

Pittsburgh has proven to be a really friendly environment for us.

KP
Anthrocon Programming Director

We brought a whole case of ramen and no one bothered us about it? I assumed it was alright as long as were using the coffee maker and not anything else to actually cook anything.

A good cooler is always handy for bringing cold cuts and sandwhich goods and anything else you like. We have a good 8-10 hour drive at least and i didnt have to change our cooler out once between my home and AC(and then only had to change it once while at AC). So if you have a good cooler it will keep for your trip.
(but make sure to get everything that can be frozen frozen and everything that needs to stay cold as cold as possible before sticking it in so it doesns't warm up the cooler. Just basic cooler precedures.)

If you want cheap and fast we were constantly at the subway getting sandwhiches and eating them on the go. It was a very short walk and could even make it shorter if you ran or walked fast.

There's a CVS down the street to if you want to pick up anything there(closes at 5-6pm), and a 7/11(i beleive it was a 7/11?) on liberty ave. as well if your into some gas station things like chefboyardee or something similar. There's also a Dukin Donuts down right across the 7/11.

There's also some grocery stores nearby(i think theirs one over just across the bridge) if you want to make the shopping their.

Also take note that there are alot more restruants over the bridge. Everything around the convention center closes at 5-6. We had alot of problems finding anywhere to go to after 5. But over the bridge is alot more options that stay open later if your willing to walk or split a cab(it really isn't a bad walk, just don't get lost! Lol).

Anyways hope that helps give you an idea on what you can do.

All right, I've seen this question come up time and again, both for this upcoming AC and the previous ones. It seems to be a common topic at the closing ceremonies/feedback event. That this should come up so often perplexes me, as do the some of the suggestions.

This is NOT a safari. It is NOT a camping trip, nor a military expedition. It is a programmed event, held in a major north american city and hosted at a major convention center, served by hotels and restaurants. It is nominally a 4-day event, though some participants will be arriving or departing a few days on either side.

Food Issues? We all need to eat. We are civilised folk in a civilised setting, without the means readily at hand to store foodstuffs or to cook them. We shall dine on food prepared for us by those who DO have the means to store, prepare, and provide meals.

MRE's or LRRP rations? Uh, no. This isn't combat, we are not deprived of time or cover.

Rammen, Morning, Noon and Night? Sorry, but you are going to feel less than up-to-par on that diet.

Breakfast is an important meal, nutrition-wise; but if you are trying to save on your budget, do not plan on doing the hotel's $20-plus dollar all-you-can-eat breakfast, and then stuffing yourself silly, to get the value of your money and to keep from having to eat anything else all day! You will make yourself, at the very least, sluggish and bloated and irritable, and at worst make yourself quite ill.

Going Supersponsor, and hoping to graze in the Supersponsor's lounge? Yeah, you and perhaps nearly 200 others! Most conventions have "Con Suites", where convention-goers can temporarily get away from the crowd, gather their wits together, and have a light snack or refreshment before deciding how to best spend the rest of their convention day. While the AC Supersponsor lounge is luxuriously provisioned as such things go, it is handled by a couple very hard-working volunteers who prepare the food (which is QUITE GOOD food)but who might not be able to serve the desires of so many seeking meal-replacing sustenance.

Supersponsors help the convention; I do not wish to say anything which would discourage people joining at a Supersponsor level - but if your sole motivation is to save the cost of a few meals, well - you need to pull out the calculator, and go over the numbers again.

So - what to do? As adults, me must feed ourselves; the convention is not going to take on that responsibility, or cost. As adults, we must be wise in our dining choices, eating what is capable of sustaining us and not going to leave us feeling weak or ill or sick, and in quantities which are practical, and prices which are affordable.

The simplest thing to do is to eat at the various eateries in the vicinity -EASY walking distance for reasonably healthy young people - and being SENSIBLE in what you eat and what you pay. Try to eat at a nice, sit-down establishment, the kind where they serve you food on plates. Failing that, go to the kind that lets you serve yourself a reasonable quantity and variety, if the price is reasonable, i.e. a buffet. Last choice? One of the places which provides you with food that you unwrap, or comes in a box or bucket. Most of the more common 'Fast Food' places are within 6 blocks of the Westin, and they are small blocks, at that.

What's that? These places might be CLOSED when you decide to eat? Hey, thats tough! Be practical, and MAKE TIME in your schedule to dine, when these places are serving!

You do NOT have to be rich to afford this - but adult people see to fulfilling their basic needs - you know, food, water, shelter - FIRST, above doing all that fun stuff associated with the convention.

OK - you still wish to save money, or you are somehow allergic to whatever food Pittsburghers eat - then get an ice chest, and bring sensible food to snack on, like FRESH FRUIT. Apples, Pears, Oranges, Bananas, Grapes, Mangoes, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, that sort of thing. Chilled canned pineapple, fruit cocktail, cans of V-8; a bag of Bagels and some spread, some cheese (NOT "american process", like KRAFT, but blocks or hunks or wedges or balls of real, genuine cheese; Swiss, Jarlsburg, Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, mozzarella...string cheese!) that can be sliced or cubed, and served on some sort of baked cracker or roll; raisins or other dried fruit. Don't gorge yourself on this, just a few small snack plates a day, and ice-water, and you will be fine. Granola bars to take with you into the convention proper, to tide you over.

Try to get at LEAST one hot meal a day; it doesn't have to be in the hotel restaurants, though eating at least one meal there is a good gesture; you might save that for a treat.

Sorry if this sounds like a lecture - but it doesn't seem to have occured to people that they need to think practically about this issue. Mother isn't here to cook for you; you have to feed yourselves, and do it wisely.

Rant Mode: /OFF

I ate at Subway every day of the con. In fact, I've pretty much made it my con "thing". That's because more or less I survive on Subway during my daily life as well, and I know the choices and what's good there and what's healthy. And I really like the food too. It's easy for me to buy two foot-long tuna subs and keep them in the fridge for lunch at work.

Then again, I also take a multivitamin and drink a nutritional supplement daily. Which, not to set Vulpes Rex on another rant, but if you insist on sustaining yourself on Ramen or other garbage, you might as well invest in a multivitamin (which I get a bottle of 300 Centrum for $20, so it's dirt cheap considering one a day) and your body won't be in such a severe shock from the bad food because at least you'll have SOME nutrition.

As for the drinks, what I take is called "Boost" and they have a wonderfully flavored varient made specifically to boost your immune system too. Need an extra edge in warding off con flu? There you go. And they don't spoil in warm weather, no refridgeration required.

Otherwise, listen to Rex. Schedule yourself time to eat, there's plenty of food around within walking distance, and remind yourself that eating at McDonald's every day of the con is going to drain your energy, make you fat, and ruin your con. If you can't afford to eat enough to sustain yourself with some basics, then you can't afford to go to the con in the first place.

As much as I'd love to have every person possible there, you have to admit to yourself that if you can't scratch up the money to eat then maybe you need to take another look at going. Cut a corner somewhere else, pull in a few extra hours at work and set the money aside, or anything of that sort. You have plenty of time before AC so you have no excuse.

-There is no truth

I think this was mentioned on another thread, but I want to enthusiastically recommend The Brown Bag Deli, in the arcade attached to the hotel. When you walk into the arcade, there's an Uno's Pizza place on your right (to be avoided at all costs - their pizzas are frozen, pretty much the same thing you'd buy in the grocery store, only a lot more expensive). Turn right and walk past the coffee place (which is good for a quick morning pick me up and pastry) and walk all the way down the hallway; just before you walk out the doors to the outside, turn left and there's The Brown Bag.

Why am I so enthusiastic about them? Well, not only do they make fresh sandwiches to order at reasonable prices, the people there were incredibly friendly and very welcoming last year. The manager was a hoot - she had furry-themed sandwiches on their specials board ("Anthrocon Avocado Sandwich" and "Anthropomorphic Melt") (OK, that last doesn't necessarily sound too appetizing, but they tried!) and they had furry artwork all around the restaurant. I believe the manager even went to see some of Kage's story hour and had a great time! The only drawback is that they closed early Sunday afternoon last year, something that the manager promised me that they would try to improve on this year.
---
Tom Brady/Duncan da Husky
Artists Alley and Con Store Manager
For fastest replies to Artists Alley questions, e-mail me at

As Unkle Kage always says "to avoid Con Crud, eat sensibly, drink lots of water, and remember to keep up your personal hygiene"

It was my husband and I's first con last year and we found several ways of keeping a good diet that was nice and cheap. We brought some apples, mini bagels and some muffins for our bus trip. We also had a HUGE bottle of water that we refilled at various water fountains which are located in quite a few places in the Convention centre.

There is also a diner about a block and a half away from the convention centre that has an AMAZING breakfast deal and that is open early enough for those who are wanting to partake in artists alley to be able to get a good breakfast in them. The diner is also outstandingly affordable. Bagheera, Balaa, my husband and Myself ate for $15 total. We got bacon, eggs, toast, hashbrowns, coffee and orange juice. A good breakfast that kept us going through the days arting.

We had Granola Bar's and Ritz crackers for lunch as they are very fast to eat and inexpensive (buy a pack from your local Grocery store) with an apple to go along with it. For drinks, Like I said above I had a large water bottle that I kept with me.

We only ate supper out twice, once at one of the many subways around the convention centre, and the next time on the saturday when we hiked it across the bridge to the Hardrock Cafe. For the other nights, Bagheera had brought Ramen Bowls that We happily snacked on while completing Art homework. We just got hot water from the tap and Walaa, Supper.

Drink Lots of water and fruit juice and try to avoid things that are carbonated and sugary. Not only do they not Hydrate you but if thats all you drink, when the Con ends your going to end up with severe con crud and not feel too pleasant at all. I highly recoment A bottle of water that you can refill like what I did, also you can get Juice boxes for Cheap and cases of V8 for cheap as well *I love V8*

Also avoid snacking on things like chips and chocolate bars, not only are they not healthy for you, but they arent very filling and wont give you the energy you need to keep having fun and you'll feel kind of sluggish and blah.

As interesting an idea as the MRE's is, I dont really recomend them. They are expensive and not too apetizing, not to mention a little overboard I think. You dont need to go to extremes at Con's, just a little healthy grocery shopping before hand can keep you going through the weekend and keep you from getting sick.

Listen to uncle Kage when he gives his con advice, we did and it helped us alot ^.^

Keeping yourself clean, and eating right and regularily will keep you crud free and remembering a wonderfull weekend. Look forward to seeing you at ac ^.^

Hope that helps some ^.^

Hi folks. I'm new to the forum.
Attended the con last year, and had a great time.
Planning to attend this year hopefully in a Fursuit!

I live in Pittsburgh & can hopefully give some suggestions for eateries, while you are here for the Con.

Here is a good place to go to check out restaurants that are right in downtown Pittsburgh

http://www.wpxi.com/restaurants/index.html

Go to: Find a restaurant
For Cuisine select "Any"
For Neighborhood select "Downtown"
Then select your price range. In the $0-$15 range it will bring up a list of 104 restaurants right in the downtown area in that price range!

Within walking distance to the convention center is what we Pittsburghers call the "Strip District". It has many restaurants, clubs, variety stores and wholesale food stores/markets where you can buy fresh fruits, veggies and many other delicious alternatives to "fast food" at a really decent price.

For example: Wholey's is famous for it's fish and seafood. Their Fish sandwiches are awesome. The Spaghetti Warehouse is a great Italian restaurant. Primanti Brothers is a Pittsburgh Original...There are loads and loads more.

For those wanting fresh fruits and veggies you can't beat the cheap prices in the markets in the Strip District...all within a few blocks walking distance from the convention center.

If you are a AAA member, grab a Pittsburgh book. It's also a wealth of info about the area. Anyone that might have a car or be renting one if u fly into the city...there's lots of reasonably priced restaurants that are easy to drive to and not far from downtown.

Hope this info helps!

i so am stocking up on food! i dont want to run out of energy while at a con! that would terrible!