Potential First-Time Con Goer
I have a few questions about AC 2011 and would like to get a few answers before I ask my parents about going. I'm 15 right now but I will turn 16 before the con. What forms will I need to fill out? Will I be able to pre-register with a reloadable debit/credit card? If yes Do you take mastercard? Will I need to draw something for the con ID card? What forms of ID can I use in order to pick up my stuff if I pre-register? Will I need to bring a parent with me or can I pay somebody and share a hotel room? And is is possible for me to volunteer at the con? (Getting there wont be a problem since I have taken Amtrak before and will most likely take Amtrak again.) If I can convince my boss to let me work enough hours, I might be able to at least get a sponsor ticket, maybe even a supersponsor ticket! Thanks for your help and hope to see you at AC 2011!
haha, well I'm going to say this and its just because I am a nice guy and I know how tough things can be, If you need a hotel room me and my bud Jason will be the only two in there. I'm 20 so of course I can get the room but if you need a place just contact me, now of course you will have to pitch in but I do what I can to help people and I'm forking out for the room so lol all in all I get a say in what goes on there. Any who this will be my first time as well and I don't want to have a bad time and I wouldn't want anyone else to either so I open this opportunity to you. And don't worry mate we don't bite 
.
Just let me know, C ya at AC 2011!
I checked on Amtrak's website and it would cost me $1200+ round trip. Any other ideas as to how I might be able to get there?
It is. Airports are few and far between in utah from what i can see, but if you can get up to salt lake city, you could catch a direct flight for a little under $400 round trip.
I have no idea how you ended up with $1200 for a round trip.
Sandy UT's by Salt Lake City, Utah. (Amtrak code SLC)
AnthroCon's in Pittsburgh, PA. (Amtrak code PGH.)
During a normal day of the week, your Amtrak trip would go
SLC to Chicago IL (CHI) via the California Zephyr line,
then Chicago to Pittsburgh via the Capitol Limited line.
The cost one-way for those tickets is $320.
Double that for the round-trip, which would be $640 (plus any relevant tax,
minus any AnthroCon discount.)
Of course, that's still double what a plane trip should cost you.
And taking the entire trip by Amtrak would be about 48 hours of travel,
including the layover in Chicago (3:30pm-6:40pm.)
Even us Amtrak fans think that's too long to ride for ONE WAY.
Amtrak's a pleasant ride, but 2 days straight is a lot.
==============
So, flying would be a better choice, both cheaper and faster.
Travelocity might give you a round trip via American Airlines
for something like $354, including tax.
(For a trip with 1 stop-a change-of-plane at Dallas Ft Worth.)
Expedia might give you a round trip via United Airlines
for something like 305.80, including tax.
(For a trip with 1 stop- a change-of-plane in Denver.)
Priceline might give you a round trip for $320 (plus tax)
by either American, Continental or United.
(With 1 change-of-plane, of course.)
Other websites might offer other prices.
In another post (http://www.anthrocon.org/node/5986/calling-all-utah-furries), strong4 mentioned that s/he wanted company on the trip and was willing to pay the other person's railfare. That doubles your $640 roundtrip to $1280. Since it wasn't mentioned here, it's quite understandable that you didn't know...
I added a roomette on the california zephyr line both ways to see how much it would cost. That's why the price was so high.
I've had very few troubles with any of them; most of the time, you'll get the lowest rates on an airline that uses that airport as a hub, however. A simple check on a website like travelocity or orbitz can tell you which ones have the lowest rates and the best schedules for you.
The one exception i've ever had is that i generally avoid united, especially flying united through dulles airport in washington, DC; every time someone in my family flies on united through dulles, something bad happens. But it's probably just me.
It is worth noting that many airlines will charge you extra for checked baggage and for changes in your flight schedule, and that ticket prices tend to fluctuate somewhat.
I looked on Delta's website and I found a FIRST CLASS round trip ticket would cost me about $870. Is that a good deal?
I have no idea whether thats a good deal for first class or not haha. I would go with Coach myself.
Sigh. It may or may not be a good price. As Glelin said, most furries who fly use coach. Why? Limited funds. Other flights can apparently be made from Salt Lake for $340. I've flown First Class once in my life. (A free upgrade due to a delay.) The seats are a little wider, there's a little more room and the food is a little ritzier (or at least it was on my one experience), which occurred probably twenty years before 9/11.
Is it worth it? It depends on what you can afford. If flying First Class is going to eat into the money you might want to spend at the con, go coach. The prices are probably not something most of us can help you compare. One thing to remember: The flight won't be any shorter in First Class. You'll be on the plane(s) for the same length of time regardless.
https://www.anthrocon.org/node/4991/favorite-restaurants
Note that Big Mama's House of Soul has closed since this thread...
http://www.anthrocon.org/travel has lots of helpful travel info.
Chiarscuro linked you to generic travel information. In most cases, you will find pretty much anything you need food-wise within walking distance. Many con-goers who drive never move their cars from the parking garage. You may not have any compelling reason to travel anywhere during the con that you can't reach on foot.
Chiarscuro linked you to generic travel information. In most cases, you will find pretty much anything you need food-wise within walking distance. Many con-goers who drive never move their cars from the parking garage. You may not have any compelling reason to travel anywhere during the con that you can't reach on foot.
I agree with Charlie. In fact, at our first Pittsburgh AC, I made a point of wandering the area a little, to get a sense of what is where.
Within the range I'm willing to walk from the convention center is a CVS Pharmacy next to a Rite-Aid Pharmacy,
both of which are large pharmacies with some of everything (basically, general stores with pharmacies in them.)
I like to stop there early and stock up on anything I need- sodas, cups, umbrella, regular-sized soap and shampoo,
etc. They also pretty much define the limit of how far I prefer to walk from the convention.
(Some people like to drive or hike to the Strip to eat at Buca di Beppo. If you're driving, it's a good idea. If you walk it, I recommend
taking a taxi back to your hotel afterwards. In general, I prefer not to go that far from the convention. Especially since I didn't
exagerrate when calling it a "hike"- it's a forced march.)
So, between, say, the Doubletree, the Omni, and the pharmacies I mentioned are pretty much what I consider
my "range" for the convention. That includes dozens of eating establishments, most of which are fairly cheap.
Most congoers like to stay within 2-3 blocks of the Westin when eating. If you extend that, say, another 3 blocks,
there's a lot of places to eat, with thinning crowds (most of the crowds during the con are FROM the con,
so lines shorten the further you travel. If you want something a bit pricier, there's also some variety nearby
of less cheap foods. (The Original Fish Market, August Henry, etc.) There's even a classy steak place a bit further
out with a dress code if that's what you're looking for.
Like my plans are as follows: Get on the plane, get to PIT, take a taxi to the hotel, and then just go from there. I will be bringing my GPS so it will show me all the local food joints and what not, and since everything is within walking distance I just have to worry about taking a taxi back to the air port!
If you look under Travel Information and Driving Instructions to the left under Information, you will see there are multiple ways to get to and from the airport at various price ranges. The taxi estimate there is $30-$35 each way (before tip) and the Shuttle service can be had for #$34 round trip (again, before tip). Those are prior year prices and may change.
While I usually take the train, I flew in 2009 due to time constraints. I used the Shuttle service and was more than satisfied with it. The one thing to remember is that Pittsburgh's airport is a long distance from downtown where the con is held. You will need to allow a considerable amount of time to get from and to the airport no matter what method you choose. Depending when your plane arrives (or worse, departs) you may have to deal with rush hour traffic. In this case, getting to the con is less of a problem than going home.
*a certain impossibly evil lioness slinks in, cleverly disguised with a paper plate with a smiley-face drawn crudely upon it covering her muzzle* The most important thing to remember is that you must give all your money to the lioness at the door! And if you don't have enough money... you can always pay with your soul... >:}
When I read your post, I immediately thought about the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Coincidence?
I have been married for twenty years. So I have no soul or money.
So what do I do? 
Do your parents know anyone they can trust? Maybe he or she could share the room with you. Some old peer from college or a business associate with the right personality?
Greetings, Strong4!
You have received some pretty good advice from the respondents above, I can't do much but fill in a couple of details learned from my own experiences.
AmTrak vs. Airlines - I happen to like train travel - heck, in the interest of full disclosure, I work for what was once the Southern Pacific, but is now that Borg-like abomination in Armour Yellow and Battleship Gray livery, based out of Omaha, NE. I've travelled primarily on one long-distance name-train, the Coast Starlight, and travelled Coach class. The seats in Coach are far mor comfortable than almost anything in an airplane are going to be, regardless of class, and of course you can get up and walk around the train to stretch your legs. And the Scenery! Forget about seeing anything scenic from a window-seat on an airliner, unless you are looking down on the Grand Canyon or similar geography from about 5,000 feet, it just isn't that impressive - and airliners generally fly 5 or 6 times that altitude.
But train travel takes time, and not always best measured in hours, but for long-haul trips, it is days. You can sleep in a coach seat on a train; I've watched other people accomplish it, somehow, while I have been unable to get comfortable in my seat with my $10 AmTrak blanket. No, if you are going to be on the train for any overnight travel, best to pay for a roomette, at substantial expense. Of course, once you do, you can have meals delivered to your room (part of the cost of your roomette ticket), but again, this eats up valuable time and money.
The flying solution, on the other hand, is one of travelling for a couple hours, if it is a direct flight, and perhaps a couple hours more for a connectiing flight, if it is not. And the cost for a coach seat is very favourable when compared to AmTrak for the same distance.
A word about First Class vs Coach on an airliner - first, yes the seats are a bit wider in First, you notice when you get on the plane that the forward cabin seats 4-across (typically) rather than 6-across, like in Coach; but the big selling point space-wise is the Leg-room, the space between you and the seat ahead of you. If you are tall, or broad-shouldered, you might find this feature useful, but at the premium you pay - between 50% and 200% markup in price, for something lasting about 4 hours or less, hardly seems worth it - and especially if you are young and lithe and pliable. The OTHER advantage to First-Class seating is, they usually give you booze for free, which you as a minor can't take advantage of. The food is a bit better, and they may let you use actual metal knives and forks, and (depending on the airline) your bags might be checked free of charge, but again - is it worth the extra $600 or $800 for that? I think most people would say definitely not! That extra moolah will buy you an excellent steak dinner (or 6 or 7), and still leave you with money for Artwork or Books or whatever the Dealers' Den might offer to you.
So - plan on flying, and flying Coach; if they charge you for "special" seats, like right behind a bulkhead, get the next row back; the armrests in most of the coach-class will fold up out of the way, except along the aisle, where they only partially fold up; but the ones for the seats up by the bulkhead don NOT fold up, as that is where the tray-table is stored. If you are lucky to get a flight with the seat next to you vacant, fold the intervening armrest out of the way, and spread out a little; the seats in First-Class don't have that option! Prices vary by the day on which you choose to travel, and sometimes by the time of day - "red-eye" flights used to be cheaper, particularly for mid-week travel.
The upshot: If you are young and fairly average in build, you really do not need the extra room of First-Class for 3&1/2 to 4 hours, fly Coach and get to AnthroCon in just couple of hours.
Shuttle vs Taxi vs the Glorious 28X "Airport Flyer" - The cost of the shuttle is a bit cheaper than a taxi, but you pay for a seat on the shuttle; in a taxi, you pay for the trip. It will cost you approximately $38, whether you travel (and pay for it) alone, or find 2 or 3 furries going to the same destination, in which case you split the cost among you, with a tip from each of you commensurate with the number of bags the driver stows in the trunk and has to unload at the final destination. That's approximately $10 to $14 for each of you, if you coax 3 others to share a cab with you, and you go as soon as all of you are in the cab. And what is more, you have a local who is probably up-to-date on events happening in town, with opinions and recommendations on places to eat and drink.
The cheapest deal for travel, aside from having a local friend with a car pick you up, is to take the 28X "Airport Flyer" city bus, which runs by the airport approximately every half-hour, give or take 10 minutes either side, both early morning and late night. The fare is a measly $2.85 or so, though it might go up a dime or so by next year. You board with your luggage, and put money in the till/coin-box; signs everywhere say exact change - the driver doesn't handle money, and as a public employee, you don't tip him, either - but if you have 3 one-dollar bills that you put in the till, no one will object, it gets you on the bus.
In the past, I have tried to dissuade people from taking the 28X, because there is no place to put luggage other than on the seat next to you, and the bus made its first post-airport stop at the Robinson Center, to pick up and drop off several sullen people on their way to or from work at the airport or downtown, and this made it a tight fit for Furries hauling luggage to Downtown. But this year, just a couple weeks before AnthroCon, the 28X route completely bypassed the Robinson Center, meaning plenty of space for Furries and their luggage, and a slightly quicker trip. So now, if you have one or two bags, I can heartily endorse the 28X Flyer as the Best Deal around. Just remember to get off at Seventh Avenue at William Penn Place, as this is the LAST downtown stop, and get you to within a block of the Westin, or two half-blocks of the Omni William Penn. Just Walk downhill on William Penn Place to get to the Westin, and uphill on William Penn to stand in front of the Omni. Heck, you can see each hotel from the other, it is mighty difficult to get lost from there.
If you have more than two bags each, then I would strongly advise to go with the TaxiCab. And if you still wish to go with AmTrak, the hotel is sort of cattywhumpus across the street and around the corner, no need for any sort of transport here.
I hope this helps.
Good Luck!
There is the badge that you will receive from the Anthrocon when you register. This is a badge the con provides that is pretty much your ticket to the con. You will need to wear this badge at all times as you will not be able to get into convention events or some areas (such as the dealer's den, dances and such) unless you have this badge. You do not need to draw anything for this badge as they are printed out and supplied by the con.
There are also con badges like the ones shown here: http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Conbadge. These badges are not required and pretty much just act like name tags to let others know who you are. These can be drawn by you or you can commision such badges from other artists.
Hope this helps.