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BotCon 2011: Back in Pasadena!

July 15th, 2010 1 comment

I’ve mentioned repeatedly on this blog that I went to BotCon 2009 and had a blast. In 2009 it was in Pasadena, in Southern California where I grew up. I currently reside in Northern California. Going back to SoCal is only a short drive of 5 to 6 hours. I missed BotCon 2010 because it was all the way out in Florida and I was just way too busy to be planning a trip cross country.

So it is with great enthusiasm that I report the following: BotCon 2011 will be back in Pasadena! I am totally thrilled that this will be back on the West Coast where it’s easily accessible for me. Usually the BotCon organizers do not announce the location of the next BotCon until it’s fairly close to the date of the event. So it is very unusual that this was announced right after BotCon 2010 ended. It is also unusual that Pasadena is getting it again 2 years later considering the same location usually does not get it again til 5 or 6 years later (if ever). I’m not sure what bucked the trend this time. Maybe because 2009 was such as success, or maybe they just want to coincide the release of the 3rd Transformers movie at a location near Hollywood. Whatever the reason, I’m glad it will be back in Pasadena. Me and Gemini will be there for sure! You can count on it!

The Pasadena Convention Center is a nice place too. The surrounding area is nice, and there are plenty of nice restaurants right across from the convention center. Right now Botcon is not so big that you can’t even find a place to eat without a long wait around meal times. I should have took pics of the outside venue in 2009, but I will do it in 2011. Part of the reason I stopped going to Anime Expo is the venue. I hate the Los Angeles Convention Center. It is in the heart of downtown LA where it’s pure ghetto. Sure it’s next to the Staples Center (where the Lakers play, and everyone knows me knows that I am a Laker die-hard, and congrats to them on their latest championship), but the whole area surrounding the place just feels trashy. AX is also over-populated IMO. Way too big and way too many attendees where doing anything becomes more of a chore than having fun. But yeah, I’m getting off topic. BotCon in Pasadena is just the right size and venue.

There is a story about 2009 I want to mention. The lines to get inside were pretty long (I don’t even think the BotCon people expected this), and it went around the convention building into this one area. Total wait to get in was about 90 min to 2 hours, not too bad by convention standards. Anyway, the line went under this tree that had a pretty big beehive in it! Obviously the bees were disturbed and they started to fly out and attack people to defend their nest. It was a crazy scene for a while. Some people were stung, including kids. So we heard a lot of crying. Yeah, I need to mention that BotCon has a lot more kids than your typical anime conventions. But the BotCon people quickly re-routed the line so we wouldn’t be under the tree. Still, if I had been stung, I would’ve quickly called up a lawyer friend of mine. I’m gonna need to put his number into my speed dial before I go in 2011. I wondered what kind of bees they were and asked it out loud. Gemini replied, “Bumblebee.” LOL!

And for those of you that missed my BotCon 2009 pics, here they are: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

TransFans, Roll for BotCon! Transform and Roll Out!

Categories: TF News