Clutch

I think that the reason it was cold in the convention center is that most conventions are for business people. They usually wear suits, or long pants at a minimum. Most of the Otakon crowd is in shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops, and that combination does not hold a lot of heat. The video rooms were not packed to capacity for long periods, so there was never a chance for the quantity of bodies to heat up the room. I put my hat on at least one time, because I was starting to get too cold, and never took off my long-sleeved sun shirt. After the anime ended, I just went outside for a while to warm up. The cosplayers with the full outfits were probably happy it was not overly warm in the convention center.

In the convention center there were some vending machines in a central lounge area, and a few tucked in the corners, that appeared to contain soda.

I posted this in the wrong thread, but will add it here:

That depends. Some places have a mandatory tip based on the size of the group. Personally, I try to tip generously, because the employees are usually paid way under minimum wage.

There is no Guidebook for Windows Phone, so I had to use the local Wi-Fi to load the Schedule page for updates. One of the Information Booths did not know their screen had gone to sleep when someone closed the lid on the laptop. They had to take it out of hibernation.

The third floor of the Marriott (near the elevators) was very loud on Friday and Saturday nights. I was close to calling the Front Desk a few times, because the lounge area on the floor was being used as an open party space. I try not to make a lot of noise when I am in a hotel, and hope the other guests are the same way, but there are always exceptions. Last year, the couple next door was having a screaming/throwing match, until one of them left. I need my rest!!!!

I walked straight in from the main convention center entrance, and had my bag opened for checking, but did not see any 'red coats' near by. I think the person that checked my badge, and let me in, did not see my camera bag on the opposite side, and just waived me through. Although I though the shoulder strap would have given it away?

I was in one of the video rooms, where someone came in using a wheel chair. There did not appear to be any areas carved out for the wheelchair, so they stopped right next to their friends' seats. This did make the row narrower in that one place. I was going to suggest removing the end chair and placing it against the wall, temporarily, if anyone made an issue of it. The room layouts may need to drop a few seats to make accessible spaces for wheelchairs or baby carriers.

I am a light sleeper, and the Marriott was really rough at night. Around Midnight Saturday, someone was yelling "It's Henry, it's Henry". The night before, there was a party in the small lounge area next to the elevators. The wall behind the couch is someone's room, so I am sure they were not very happy about it. I was pretty close to calling the Front Desk a few times. I did not have any T-Mobile signal from my room, and had to switch the phone over to Wi-Fi calling. Although that was not such a smart idea, because I got a ring-down page from work at 6 AM. The beds were great. My only real complaint about the room was that the glass door they have on the shower was not dampened, and a little push made an uncomfortable clanging of the glass.

I was in Walgreens, and saw some maps called Streetsmart for $10. These maps are similar to the Streetwise maps that they no longer make. Would be a good investment in learning the area.

Just had dinner at the Sakina Halal Grill, on 1108 K Street NW. Food was really good. If you liked Lumbini in Baltimore, try Sakina.

Pack your bumbershoot.

Does Otakon bear responsibility for any damage incurred during bag checks? Can damage claim information be posted in this thread?

The USPS is one of the slowest delivery places to update their data. I honestly think they scan for a whole day, upload the batch at the end. From my experience, it is not uncommon for updates to take forever. They lost a package for me once. I called the vendor and USPS to say I never received it. The vendor sent me a new one. After it arrived, the Post Office called to say they found the original packaged and were sending it to me. I had to get them to list it as "refused shipment" to get the first package back to the vendor. That package had been to more states that I have.

To put things in perspective: July 24 - July 26, 2015 Baltimore Convention Center Baltimore, Maryland, USA Today's date: 07/08/2015