Posted: 8/28/2008 11:53:48 AM EDT
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So I'm headed up to visit Atlanta this weekend. Is there anything I should be aware of? Besides Dragon-Con, since that's why I'm headed up. Filming a documentary about the geeks. Fun times. Also, any odd peculiarities in CCW law? I've got the basics down, but any little lessons would be appreciated. |
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They're paving i75 and I85 in downtown. Traffic will probably blow worse than usual. www.georgia-navigator.com/construction/map/atlanta/central City of Atlanta = Liberal = not gun friendly. Not sure if Dragoncon falls into the Gov't Owned building category or "public gathering" category. If so, CCW is against the law. At least you can carry on MARTA and into restaurants that serve alcohol. |
concealed means concealed.... and all that jazzzz |
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Stay as far away from 75/85 in downtown as you can. It's going to be backed you hours do to road work. M.
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Wow. That could be... Interesting. If I see anything, I'll break out the cameras. Thanks for all the advice. I'm not entirely sure where our hotel is vs. the convention, but I'll definitely try and avoid 75 and 85. Well, except tomorrow morning, since it appears to be the only decent way in to where we're going. But we'll be rolling through at about 5am, so hopefully it won't be TOO bad. I'm going to avoid carrying at the con. Partially because it may/may not be a "public gathering", partially because the geek crowd can be a bit liberal, and might not react well, and mostly because I'll be carting around a whole crap-ton of camera gear, and anywhere I can shave off weight/discomfort is good. |
Part of it is. It's Sci-Fi, medieval period stuff, and comic books. www.dragoncon.org/ |
Yeah, we have a family friend who always goes with her butt hanging out too. She picks some different sci-fi character each year who dresses like a prostitute on screen and dresses up as her. She's a looker, though, so no one complains. 
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I had some friends who came down to DragonCon last year...her husband is big into sifi and she loved Ghots Hunters and they were there....we meet them down there on Friday night...if u dont have anything to do go down there...words cant describe it I will have to say the kid loved it...he is star wars freak...and when he would ask some of the folks for pictures they were all very nice and polite and didnt mine a 8 year old bugging them |
metal detectors? wands? psychics? What do they use byte? |
Well, the weekend went fairly well. Got stuck in a hotel a ways away from the Con (The Renaissance) and got stuck walking down to the Hyatt/Marriott, until someone saw fit to tell us there was a MARTA station about a hundred yards from our hotel. Whoops.  Between the Gay Pride thing (Which was based at our hotel. Go figure), the Con, the football game, and other general chaos, downtown was a madhouse. I have to admit, I didn't leave with the greatest impression of the city. Although I think it'd be very nice if it WEREN'T a madhouse. Which brings me to another question: I'm planning on coming back up the weekend of November 8 to do some followup with one of the people we met at the con who is participating in the ALS walk. Does anyone know what's going on that weekend that's causing downtown hotels to be booked solid/hideously expensive? It could just be the ALS walk itself, but I can't see that being the only thing. |
Perhaps because it is a pay to get in(full access with badges), internationally sponsored event that attracts 50,000+ people(read: freaks) over one weekend.  Resistance it useless. ByteTheBullet (-: |
There are parts that you can freely walk about and gawk at(take pics of  ) the freaks, mainly all the hotel lobbies and a food court that is connected by bridges. To get into the dealers rooms and other places in the 'halls' they do check to see a DragonCon badge. The security actually does a pretty good job blending in and there are visible officers too. Not that it matters now, but at least one of the hotel lobbies has a bar.Why does this always have to get so complicated?(not aimed at anyone in particular) Here is a pic I took a few years ago...  ByteTheBullet (-: |
Some areas are open to the public (namely the hotel lobbies), any of the actual convention spaces require a convention badge to enter. As for security checks, concealed is concealed. There are no provisions to check people for weapons (and, in fact, despite the "no projectile weapons" rule, I saw a number of functional bows), although they will peace-bond bladed weapons. They DO have APD and GSP officers working security who are supposed to watch for weapons, but I suspect they spend more time looking at almost nekkid women :-) (had one on the smoking deck of the Hyatt, former Army officer, somebody spilled beer on her so she was stripped down to panties, patrol cap, shoes, and two small McCain 08 stickers :-) ). There is a LOT of alcohol flowing, but thanks to a new law, that no longer qualifies the event as a 'public gathering' :-) |
Man, I *KNEW* I shouldn't have been avoiding the back of the Hyatt. In all seriousness though, it was utterly ridiculous there, and in most of the lobbies, and, well, anywhere. Carting camera gear through there was NOT fun. |