Otakon 2017
Even the most battle hardened long time Otakon veteran finds themselves in unfamiliar territory this year. This being the first time our nation’s capital plays host to Otakon we find ourselves learning a new convention center in a different city. We’ll explore Otakon at the spacious Walter E. Washington Convention Center as well as some of the local dining options and of course - Washington DC, itself.
Registration
Otakon had a peak attendance in 2013 with 34,211 con goers. Since then despite an almost equal showing in 2014, the year of the now infamous 8 hour line con, con attendance has been slowing down. In fact this year with only 24,894 it has been the lowest turnout since 2007 despite Otakorp, the nonprofit that runs Otakon, having addressed the issue in 2014 by mailing badges for everyone that registers before a certain date. While this has alleviated the issues surrounding registration it is clear that attendance numbers have yet to rebound. Even though I was lucky enough to be able to get a press badge I still had to register my girlfriend. We arrived pretty late on Friday and found the line to be basically nonexistent. We stood in line a total of five minutes.
Hotel Booking Experience
In previous years when Otakon was held in Baltimore it was exceptionally expensive to stay near the convention center. Prices were around $300 a night minimum for one of the hotels within a block or two of the convention center in the inner harbor. The same thing in DC near the Walter E. Washington convention center was about $175 per night. And that was with booking just two weeks before the convention. There’s also more hotels currently being built directly adjacent the convention center. At least for this year they actually ended up making the walk to and fro really inconvenient on the west side of the convention center. This bodes well for future capacity.
Dealer Room & Artist Alley
The rooms were right next to each other connected by a single large hallway to the rest of the convention center. Entering the rooms you find yourself in a large balcony overlooking all the booths below with an escalator and stairs leading the way down to the ground floor. The first thing to strike my mind as I entered was the sheer immensity of it all. All I had to do was look down and see it all. The dealer room was spacious even with large gaps between booths. Large parts of the room remaining entirely vacant. On one end a food court with lots of chairs and tables providing a welcome sight after spending a decade eating on the floor in Baltimore.
At one point torrential rains caused a storm drain pipe to burst in the Artist Alley. The room was closed for about 2 hours while the leak was cleaned up.
Washington D.C.
The convention center is tucked away a few miles from most of the major tourist hot spots in DC. In previous years the Inner Harbor with its’ water front, fountains, and boats provided an amazing photo opportunity for cosplayers. In contrast D.C. near the convention center is rather bland filled mostly with old Victorian row homes interspersed with newer contemporary construction however only a few miles away the many parks and government buildings could provide an impressive backdrop for even the most perfectionist of cosplayers. After all, what could be more perfect than the United States Supreme Court when cosplaying Phoenix Wright?
The food in DC is vast and impossible to fully experience in one visit. The selection is put simply – worldly – to the extreme. In the area of Japanese cuisine alone there are dozens of options. I was able to have Sushi with my girlfriend on Friday near the convention center with no wait. On Saturday my friends and I were able to get seated at Sakuraman, an establishment specializing in Ramen, after a 20 minute wait in the Adams Morgan part of the city just a 10 minute ride away from the convention center. A 24/7 supermarket across the street from my hotel was great for getting snacks. Being DC it also had alcohol.
Of course DC comes with some annoyances of life. The convention center required a bag check every time someone entered the building. It actually did slow down getting in and out of the building. A veritable maze of line control one had to navigate simply to get to the bag check table where if you had no bag you could simply walk by regardless made the experience quite amusing.
Nightlife & Dance
Otakon has two raves. One on Friday and one on Saturday. This year, as always, the rave was very intense and lots of fun. If EDM isn’t your thing the bars in and around the convention center are open late.
Cosplay
Cosplay opportunities in DC are unique. With so many government buildings it allows for certain cosplay opportunities that are unique to the city. The new convention center gave much more room for cosplayers to pose and have meet ups. The larger halls in the convention center itself as well as the dealer room and artist alley give cosplayers much needed breathing room for photographs. The old convention center was always crowded with so many people that stopping for a photograph was extremely difficult and in some cases downright dangerous for congoers.
Overall Impressions
The new convention center is definitely an asset for Otakon moving forward. The cheaper hotel rooms in and around the convention center plus the better amenities will allow Otakon room to grow where it previously stagnated under its’ own weight.
The convention center is tucked away a few miles from most of the major tourist hot spots in DC. In previous years the Inner Harbor with its’ water front, fountains, and boats provided an amazing photo opportunity for cosplayers. In contrast D.C. near the convention center is rather bland filled mostly with old Victorian row homes interspersed with newer contemporary construction however only a few miles away the many parks and government buildings could provide an impressive backdrop for even the most perfectionist of cosplayers. After all, what could be more perfect than the United States Supreme Court when cosplaying Phoenix Wright?
The food in DC is vast and impossible to fully experience in one visit. The selection is put simply – worldly – to the extreme. In the area of Japanese cuisine alone there are dozens of options. I was able to have Sushi with my girlfriend on Friday near the convention center with no wait. On Saturday my friends and I were able to get seated at Sakuraman, an establishment specializing in Ramen, after a 20 minute wait in the Adams Morgan part of the city just a 10 minute ride away from the convention center. A 24/7 supermarket across the street from my hotel was great for getting snacks. Being DC it also had alcohol.
Of course DC comes with some annoyances of life. The convention center required a bag check every time someone entered the building. It actually did slow down getting in and out of the building. A veritable maze of line control one had to navigate simply to get to the bag check table where if you had no bag you could simply walk by regardless made the experience quite amusing.
Nightlife & Dance
Otakon has two raves. One on Friday and one on Saturday. This year, as always, the rave was very intense and lots of fun. If EDM isn’t your thing the bars in and around the convention center are open late.
Cosplay
Cosplay opportunities in DC are unique. With so many government buildings it allows for certain cosplay opportunities that are unique to the city. The new convention center gave much more room for cosplayers to pose and have meet ups. The larger halls in the convention center itself as well as the dealer room and artist alley give cosplayers much needed breathing room for photographs. The old convention center was always crowded with so many people that stopping for a photograph was extremely difficult and in some cases downright dangerous for congoers.
Overall Impressions
The new convention center is definitely an asset for Otakon moving forward. The cheaper hotel rooms in and around the convention center plus the better amenities will allow Otakon room to grow where it previously stagnated under its’ own weight.
