In the first weekend of September, downtown Atlanta, GA comes alive with a mixture of characters. Spock, Captain Jack Sparrow, and the Ghostbusters take to the streets for Dragon*Con. Dragon*Con is the U.S.'s largest, East Coast-based science fiction convention. It's three hotels of panels, exhibitor's booths, gaming, and dealer's space. The sum of which can be a little daunting to the first time attendee, so I've compiled a list of things that every first timer should know to survive Dragon*Con.

Register ASAP

It's in your own best interest to either pre-register or register early on Fridays as registration lines past year on Saturday had waits up to four hours. Registering before 5pm on Friday (preferably at 10am when registration first opens) will ensure that you only have to wait forty-five minutes max. Pre-reg is available through ticket master on www.dragoncon.org.

Don't Eat the Hotel Food.

You'll find tons of convenient, little stations throughout each hotel offering various snack or lunch-type fair. It's also often 2-3 times what you'd pay for it under normal circumstances. Don't waste your money Go to the Hilton's lobby-level, head toward the elevators and down the corridor until you hit the land bridge. This will take you to the Peachtree Center's Food Court. They have various fair to satisfy all appetites and pocket books. Though whatever you do, eat before 8pm as many of shops close early on the weekend. If you do find yourself hungry after 8pm, go check out the conventions hospitality suite which is open 24 hours throughout the con.

Make Plans Ahead of Time, & Have a Back-up Plan

The convention's schedule is released about a week before the convention commences. It's in your own best interest to read through the schedule and pick out what events you'd like to do. This will ensure that you don't miss anything you really wanted to see, and will also let you know if there's anything conflicting going on as well. The Daily Dragon is put out everyday and is usually available from information booths. This handy flier will let you know if a panel or event has been changed or cancelled, saving you from running all over the con.

Arrive Early

If there's a panel or event that you want to see that has a celebrity in it, or if it's a contest, arrive atleast an hour early. Seating is limited in most of the panel rooms and once the room reaches capacity no one else will be allowed in.

Don't Tip the Panhandlers.

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