Kumoricon Location / Area Questions

[thesirensings]

Apparently, Kumoricon 2011 is going to be at TWO different hotels next year. Are these hotels close together? Easy to find? Could we maybe get some addresses? I assume there is more than one Red Lion and one Hilton in Vancouver, otherwise I'd figure it out myself.


_{(Slight topic rename for clarity. @random)}

[oslapedo]

The Vancoouver Hilton is right next to Esther Short Park, IT'S GONNA BE AMAZING

[reppy]

Yeah, I lurved that location. XD

[Cyprus]

I personally think it will be a much better option than the Portland Downtown Hilton was lol...

[FateChooseMe]

I'm so excited for this being back there next year!
Uwaaah!

[Midnight Divine]

I think there kinda right next to each other, maybe, like a block away or something? I don't know. I'm so excited for the next con though! , we will have a lot more room in the hotels etc. I've never been there, but I heard a lot about it and seen videos of it as well. I think it's the right direction for the con

[Negima]

If I remember correctly, it's a couple minutes at most to walk from one to the other.  They're not next-next to each other but they are really close to each other.

[flyinvee11]

If it helps any, the Red Lion is the same hotel where Mewcon was this year.

[LexManos]

Red Lion at the Quay
100 Columbia St
Vancouver, WA 98660

Hilton Vancouver Convention Center
301 West 6th Street
Vancouver, WA 98660-3109

They are 3 blocks apart.
I am unsure how they are going to do the layout, but we'll see.

[Cyprus]

They are just over a 1/4 mile if I am thinking right...which is 5-10 minutes taking your time. Not too bad at all...

[Kimiski]

I IS EXCITED!!! I wanna room in the hotel where the main events will be.

[Negima]

Red Lion at the Quay
100 Columbia St
Vancouver, WA 98660

Hilton Vancouver Convention Center
301 West 6th Street
Vancouver, WA 98660-3109

They are 3 blocks apart.
I am unsure how they are going to do the layout, but we'll see.

I'm curious too.  Will they split it only for the room reservations or split the dealer's room and AA or something?

[superjaz]

hmmm which hotel to stay in
hilton has my points
red lion has a fridge and microwave
....

[Fuyuko]

I am freaking out!! Next year is going to be so AMAZING! I have a good feeling. >w<

[thesirensings]

Lets just hope it doesn't rain.

[Cyprus]

hmmm which hotel to stay in
hilton has my points
red lion has a fridge and microwave
....

I'm sold on Red Lion for those reasons alone lol...no more having to get ice & a cup everytime I want my coconut water chilled...

[Midnight Divine]

Lets just hope it doesn't rain.

Yeah, I hope not!, that would suck >....<

[SandPuppeteer]

With where the hotels are it's not a matter of how close they are but how easy it is to reach. The Hilton is right in the middle of Downtown Vancouver, next to the park. And that is awesome. Sure, the Red Lion is just a few blocks away. But it's not like in Portland where three blocks from the Hilton to Pioneer Square was a straight shot with easy crosswalks. The Red Lion is set deep in a massive parking lot, and the roads don't look exactly pedestrian friendly.

I am not looking forward to dodging traffic in the parking lot while in cosplay. Especially with what I have planned.

[LexManos]

For the most part, the walk from hotel to hotel is fine, you have a larger then normal sidewalk, and there *usually* isnt to much street traffic.
As for the parking lot, if you do it right, you only have to cross like 10 feet of parking lot, so it's not that big of a deal.

[Kimiski]

Walking from one hotel to another- a definent other reason why next year, simple cosplay I can move in, wear comfortably all day, and not need a wig. xD

[StarryShay]

SO PUMPED GUYS, SO PUMPED

[FateChooseMe]

^ SECOND.

[BloodyWhisker]

I remember that location.. I believe that was the location a few years back? It was the first Con I went to..
Hopefully my GPS can find it or I might get lost again. xD

[DarkStar]

We got you covered!

Google Walking Directions

[BloodyWhisker]

We got you covered!

Google Walking Directions

Oh perfect! So thankful there's a map since I'm unfamiliar with the Vancouver area...
Phew.

[lychee-twist]

MEWcon has been at the Red Lion at the Quay if that gives you any frame of reference. The Hilton is very close to that and was a fantastic location for Kumoricon 2007. I'm really excited but not sure how this will work out, especially for those of us who can't get around as well as others. Walking around in heels back and forth would be murder.

My big suggestion is to have some sort of shuttle to go back and forth for those people.

[EveofAbyss]

Woo! Let me be the 26th to say, YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUGH! I'm so madly stoked that Kumoricon is returning to Vancouver. That was, by far, the best year, and it was because of the location. Yes, yes, yesh. So pumped.

[TomtheFanboy]

OK WTF..... Why are my posts being eaten. I think there's some bandwidth issues after the con.

A map you say? I happen to have one left over from 2007....




This will be updated soon of course. Some of the restaurants I scouted in 2007 actually closed before con that year. This coming year the issue will change from space issue to food issues. If you can't drive, I suggest you make sure you go to con with someone who can.

[Rathany]

More details on this will follow shortly ... once our brains revive

[RoscoeTEHclam]

any idea what the division will be? like video games and tabletop and dealers hall one place, panels and such at the other?

[Mister_manji]

There's also a pizza place if I remember correctly.

[camname21]

Vary nice Tom +1.  with that huge park right there, it looks like a nice place.  Plus I know someone near by for a free room

[Kurohime]

Very, very excited about the move back to Vancouver!!  Poor Subway, it's going to be hit so hard.

[EveofAbyss]

The Subway and Starbucks employees will probably start getting holiday pay for working during Kumoricon weekend - that's the only way to cover the trauma of such overwhelming numbers, hahahaaa

[Akemi_Idane]

My California-bound butt does not like the move. D:
I don't know if I'll be able to go!

[SandPuppeteer]

My California-bound butt does not like the move. D:
I don't know if I'll be able to go!

It's actually not all that far from where the con was this year. So even though it's a different city, it's really just a suburb of Portland.

And before any Vancouverites shank me for saying that, I grew up there.

[camname21]

Its only like 30min further north.

[~boogiepop~]

I am sooooooo happy. I hope this next year is amazing. Since we are so close to the river I kind of want to plan one of my cosplays around that now HMMMMM...

[oslapedo]

Be that Poke'mon lady and act like you're fishing for Poke'men! Ahahaha

Its only like 30min further north.

If that.

[camname21]

Gave more time in case a traffic.

[TomtheFanboy]

Those of us who stay at the Red Lion can gaze across the river and be reminded of Kumoricon 2006!
*shudder*

[Kimiski]

any idea what the division will be? like video games and tabletop and dealers hall one place, panels and such at the other?

Which hotel I'm staying at depends on this as well xD

[EveofAbyss]

Those of us who stay at the Red Lion can gaze across the river and be reminded of Kumoricon 2006!
*shudder*

And with fond memories! (At least for me. It was my first year and a great introduction to Kumoricon!)

[ocb777]

I'm not terribly happy with the move of city, as it means just enough extra travel time that I cannot go unless I have a room and a ride.

I bus it from a suburb of Portland, and travel time is 2 hours to downtown. In both '08 and '09 I had to go home and sleep at least one night which meant leaving the con at 10pm and not being back till 10 the next morning. The trip will be longer to "The 'Couve."

The reason I go to K-Con is because it is the "Portland" Anime Con. If I have to travel to another state and have to have a room, my money is probably better spent going to Gencon.

I want to go, but I can't say for sure that I will be able too.

[Ichi_Kagetora]

Having lived and traveled diversely through both Portland and Vancouver I can say this, the trip from Tigard OR at the southern tip of Portland to Hayden Island which is the northern tip of Portland takes aprox 14 minutes driving. By bus and train it takes 1.5 hrs if you don't goof around. Many parts of Portland have easy access to the max trin wich takes you almost all the way to the Vancouver red lion then a short C-tran transfer will take you the rest of the distance. Regardless of weather or not it is supposed to be a "Portland" con we should consider how important a good venue is to this con. Almost EVERYBODY i know hated it being at Portland Hilton for various previously described reasons. The only other forseeable option is to move the con to the Portland Convention Center which we can't do seeing as we don't have the capacity for it yet. The more people who show support for Kumoricon, no matter where it goes, the better a venue we can have. hold fourth that the staff have only your best interest in mind and I'm sure you can enjoy it in Vancouver or the Moon or the Island of Naboomboo as much as you did at Hilton Portland.


Edited to improve grammatical errors.

[Negima]

Those of us who stay at the Red Lion can gaze across the river and be reminded of Kumoricon 2006!
*shudder*

And with fond memories! (At least for me. It was my first year and a great introduction to Kumoricon!)

The Red Lion over there pulled a lot of contract changes on us during the con.  Did you attend Closing Ceremonies?  Noticed that it was in a different spot than the rest of the main events?  That's because RL booked a wedding over us.

[EveofAbyss]

Those of us who stay at the Red Lion can gaze across the river and be reminded of Kumoricon 2006!
*shudder*

And with fond memories! (At least for me. It was my first year and a great introduction to Kumoricon!)

The Red Lion over there pulled a lot of contract changes on us during the con.  Did you attend Closing Ceremonies?  Noticed that it was in a different spot than the rest of the main events?  That's because RL booked a wedding over us.

Ooooh, understood. That's messed up, no wonder the bad memories. Yeah, at least things have made progress venue-wise since then.

[ocb777]

Having lived and traveled diversely through both Portland and Vancouver I can say this, the trip from Tigard OR at the southern tip of Portland to Hayden Island which is the northern tip of Portland takes aprox 14 minutes driving. By bus and train it takes 1.5 hrs if you don't goof around. Many parts of Portland have easy access to the max trin wich takes you almost all the way to the Vancouver red lion then a short C-tran transfer will take you the rest of the distance.

You assume I don't live farther out than Tigard, or in an area that unlike Tigard has less bus and max access. On weekends, I have bus access once per half an hour and it takes the bus an hour and a half, without traffic and other riders just to get to downtown Portland. Add in a transfer to yellow line, and then to C-tran and I am literally looking at 2-2.5 hours each way, minimum.

And having been a regular at Orycon in the late nineties and early 2000s, and attending KCon the last 3 years, I know that staff makes the decisions based on how they think they can best serve the con goers, but it is still danged inconvenient and cant really be called Portland's anime convention if it is not only not in Portland, but not even in Oregon.

[EveofAbyss]

Having lived and traveled diversely through both Portland and Vancouver I can say this, the trip from Tigard OR at the southern tip of Portland to Hayden Island which is the northern tip of Portland takes aprox 14 minutes driving. By bus and train it takes 1.5 hrs if you don't goof around. Many parts of Portland have easy access to the max trin wich takes you almost all the way to the Vancouver red lion then a short C-tran transfer will take you the rest of the distance.

but it is still danged inconvenient and cant really be called Portland's anime convention if it is not only not in Portland, but not even in Oregon.

I was thinking along the same lines as you back in '07 when they first mentioned moving the con to WA, but once I actually got there and saw how perfectly the location accommodated the convention, all my regional biases went out the window.

Not saying your concerns aren't founded, but there is hope.

[bunny_jean]

Cons: I didn't mind the location in Vancouver, but my problem with having it in Washinton in general is SALES TAX. I freaking HATE sales tax. In the dealers room they mainly just pushed the prices up to accommodate, so everyone ended up paying basically regular price on a lot of things that could have been below regular price (manga) had the con been in Portland. I also agree that I think of Kumoricon as an OREGON convention. Sakuracon is for Washington, Kumoricon is for Oregon. I know it's just across the bridge, but there are state borderlines being crossed.

Pros: Last time it was in that area we had GORGEOUS weather, and that park was really really pretty and perfect for photoshoots.

Honestly I can't remember any details of the hotel since it was 4 cons ago now, so I can't say anything about that. I don't like the split hotel idea though. When Kumoricon was at the Red Lion in 2006 there were two hotels literally just across a couple parking lots that was okay (even though only the Red Lion had the events). If all of the events are at the Hilton and they're just reserving the separate hotels for hotel attendees to stay at then I have no problems with being at "two hotels." TBH I don't think there are enough events and panels to split it into the two hotels.