Alright, so I finally made it out to that San Diego Fan Fest thing everyone was talking about. Been meaning to check it out for a while, see what all the fuss was about, you know? It’s one of those things you hear about, and you figure, “Okay, let’s give it a whirl.”
Getting Myself There
Woke up that Saturday, not too early, mind you. Decided to drive down. Finding parking, well, that was an adventure in itself, as it always is downtown. Paid an arm and a leg for a spot that felt like it was in another zip code. Next time, maybe the trolley, but then you’re on their schedule, not yours. Swings and roundabouts, I guess.
First Look Around
Walked in, and bam! People everywhere. Lots of costumes, as you’d expect. Some were amazing, like, movie-quality stuff. Others, well, you could tell they put a lot of heart into it, and that’s what counts, right? The energy was pretty high, I’ll give it that. Lots of excited chatter, folks running around trying to see everything.
The main floor was packed with booths. You had your comic book sellers, artists, people selling all sorts of collectibles. I ambled through, just taking it all in. Some cool stuff, some… less cool stuff. You know how it is. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, trying to figure out where to even start.
What I Actually Did
I wasn’t really there for autographs or to meet anyone famous. Lines for those things were insane. Stood for about ten minutes looking at one line and just thought, “Nope, not for me.” I’m more of a wander-and-see kind of guy.
So, I focused on the smaller artist alleys. Found some really talented local folks there. Actually picked up a couple of prints. It’s nice to support artists directly, I think. Had a chat with one guy, really passionate about his work. That was probably one of the better parts of the day.
Food options were, well, festival food. Overpriced and mostly fried. Grabbed a quick burger just to keep myself going. Nothing to write home about, but it filled a hole.
I did try to catch a panel. The schedule looked interesting, but the room was already full by the time I got there. Seems like you gotta plan your day like a military operation if you want to see specific things. I wasn’t that committed, to be honest.
- Walked around a lot. My feet were definitely feeling it by the end.
- Looked at a ton of cool artwork.
- People-watched, which is always entertaining at these events.
- Avoided spending too much money, which was a win in itself.
Thinking Back on It
It was an experience, that’s for sure. It’s funny, I remember when these kinds of things were much smaller, more focused. Now, they’re huge productions. It’s a whole different beast. Saw a lot of families there, kids having an absolute blast. That was nice to see. Their excitement is pretty infectious.
What really struck me was just the sheer volume of everything. It’s a lot to take in. You could spend the whole day there and still feel like you missed stuff. For me, it was more about soaking up the atmosphere for a few hours than trying to see and do everything.
So, San Diego Fan Fest. I went, I saw, I walked a lot. It was interesting. Glad I finally got around to it. Would I go every year? Probably not. But it was definitely a day out of the ordinary, and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.
