End Of Baltimore For Otakon.

[ashfire]

The last year for Otakon in Baltimore. The convention center was getting crowded with the number of people attending since it had moved there in the 90s. The Hilton Hotel helped by offering space because it had a attach enclosed walkway to the center and provided meeting rooms for different activities. The arena had to be used up the street for part of the events which had restrictions for camera use and food. There had been talk of restructuring the older part of the convention center before the move for 2017 and now the talk has resumed to surround the whole block and raise the building higher and build a new arena and pull another hotel which is just on the corner into the convention center. Many other things have changed in the area. Two above the street walkways, one to the Bank Of American build and one which got you to the Inner Harbor, were taken down due to structure conditions. The fountain which was a cosplayer place for poses for photos at the Inner Harbor will be torn down. A open parking area near the Inner Harbor has become a construction site for a new apartment building and retail center.
Otakon will be moving to the convention center in Washington DC for 2017 not far from the White House. It is a larger a convention center than Baltimore. Now there have been other events that used Baltimore. Firehouse Magazine had Firehouse Expo which started in the arena before it moved into the convention center. 2015 was the last year for Baltimore. It has now moved to Nashville Tenn. Otakon and Firehouse Expo were back to back at times in Baltimore. I guess I will miss traveling to Baltimore and will have to see what will be there in a few years after the work is finished.
Will Otakon return there in that time? Will there be something interesting to attend at the convention center sometime to come and see the changes?

[shooraijin]

Unfortunate for Baltimore, though DC isn't super far away.

[ashfire]

I know I will miss some of the things about the area around the Baltimore Convention Center. Some of the food places and open areas at the Inner Harbor. BaBa Gump Shrimp was nice food place. Café 100 was interesting. They had a buffet set up and you got what you would eat and they would weigh it a register to see how to charge you. There was Jonnie Rocket's, Hooters many other places to eat at the Inner Harbor some that changed over the years. Otakon had the festivals over the years in different places where it was out in the open on Thursday before the opening of the con.

[ClosetOtaku]

I truly enjoyed attending Otakon in Baltimore, but I can't say I'm sad the era has ended. I remember the Baltimore Convention Center from a much earlier time (try 1985), and though Inner Harbor has been developed, it lost some of its charm and attraction along the way. Even within the past decade, the vicinity has gone from glorious to a sad shadow of its former self.

I am also happy, as I am a mere 10-minute drive to the Metro, and then a comfortable half-an-hour train ride to the Convention Center -- far better than the hour-long (or more) commute and subsequent parking scramble I have had to make each day to arrive at Otakon. As a general rule, I think the eating establishments will be better and more upscale (hearkening back to those early days of Otakon in Baltimore), and a more spacious convention center may mean less waiting in line for the elusive seat (while helplessly watching scads of kids with no discernible conscience jump ahead of you). At least I can hope.

[ashfire]

One thing that will be missed is The ICE COLD WATER Man. He would sing it to sell it ICE ICE COLD COLD ICE COLD WATER AND ITS ONLY ONE DOLLAR.

[ashfire]

One thing I am learning about the Washington DC Convention Center is the lack of open space parking lots. I drive a Ford Econoline Wagon Van and it may not fit in a parking garage. One hotel my friend has reserved has a open lot across from it but it may require to have a reserved spot in that lot way before the con to be sure to have a spot for four days. We had rooms at the Holiday Inn close to the Baltimore Con Center for years which had a open lot on site which was nice. Years before I had a Dodge Ram pickup with a cap on the bed for storage. A couple of times I had parking issues with it but it was worked out with the hotel or it fit in a parking garage.