Help out an Aussie

Heya,
Last week I decided I'm going to make the journey to C3.

So what?
Well the thing is, I live in Sydney and I've never been overseas before. I'm hoping with all you guys living over there you can give me some tips on the burning issues.
Stuff like, If I'm going all that way, what else should I be seeing when I'm there?
Whats great about your home town/state?
Is there something I should definately be seeing and I would be a fool to miss?
Bearing in mind I'm probably going to be on a *bit* of a budget for this expedition, I can't be going everywhere and seeing everything.

Apparently I have to fly in via the West Coast so that adds a whole new section to my travelling that I hadn't really planned on.

I was initially thinking to fly to L.A and then to Indianapolis first since that is the main reason for me going and I don't wanna blow my money before I get there.

I'm not a hardcore collector anymore so I don't see myself coming home with a lot of generic SW merchandise, only really cool stuff so from what I understand I will need about $300USD for C3?

From here, I dont know what to do. Common sense tells me being a film nerd and all I really should go to places like New York and L.A.

I know this is slightly off topic but I figure if you can't rely on fellow SW fans to keep you out of trouble then who can you trust?

Of course, I wanna meet as many of you as possible at C3 so put me down for one of these FF parties I'm reading about.

I've got just over a year to save up and get my act together, exciting stuff!

Thanks in advance!
D

 

hey, glad you're making the trip. theres really not much to see in indiana. if you're touring the country then new york and LA would be good places to stop, but in indiana our claim to fame is the star wars convention and the indy knights. there are some cool comic stores here, you should definately check one or two or ten of those out. lets see, we have the convention center, the circle, the capitol building. i think thats all. but i can take you on a wicked tour of comic shops if you want

 

I don't know how likely a direct flight from LA to Indy is. You can plan your see US via the stops to CIII. Some things in the US that I would see over and over: the Badlands of North or South Dakota (I seriously doubt this would be a layover for you, but I love the scenery). Washington/Oregon: in some parts their climate incites flowers to grow as big as your head!. Big Bend in Texas, again extremely scenic, but isolated. New Orleans is always fun, but I find I always spend more than I intend to.

If you just want to see the weird crap, and there's lots of it from cities fighting about who has the biggest ball of twine to the gravational anomaly sites, check out Roadside America. It also comes in book form.

 

have you ever seen the biggest ball of twine?

 

Hey Zuckuss, you mentioned comic book shops in Indi...are there any near the ICC? If so, where? Thanks!

 

Thats a great start. Thanks guys. I'm going to get myself a decent map this week so I can start working out distances and whether its better to fly or drive from some states to others.

At this stage I will only be there for 2-3 weeks so theres going to be a lot I miss out on and I will have to choose locations with lots of things to see and do in a close proximity to each other.

On average, how much would I be looking at for accomodation and meals (on a case by case basis)?

 

vaderfan, there is one on market street right off the circle. it takes about 5-10 minutes to walk from the convention center

 

Dsource, it's hard to tell you how much to budget, but hopefully this will give you a start:

In 2002, the average price of a hotel room in the U.S. was $84.71 per night. That takes in everything from a Motel 6 in the middle of nowhere to $450 a night suites. For 2005, expect about the same average rate. You can of course find rooms everywhere that are cheaper -- but that is probably for a reason LOL. Youth hostels are a possibility, but you will not find them in every community.

Food costs -- you can "probably" fast food it for about $15.00 per day, but that will get old in a hurry. Expect an average check of $8.00 at breakfast, $12.45 at lunch, and $17.23 for dinner. Once again, these are average figures based on restaurants all across the country. So, that's a total of $29.76 per day for food. I'm sure you would be able to find places that would be quite less than all this, but it is something to think about.

Travel -- an expensive proposition, as you know. Just to check, I priced a flight on Expedia from Sydney to Indianapolis, and came up with a price of $2,052 -- yikes. SYD to LAX -- $1,642. LAX to Indianapolis -- $208.00. Cheaper than SYD to IND, certainly, BUT -- rental cars are another problem. Are you under 25? Most rental car companies will NOT rent to anyone under 25. There are other restrictions, also. Rental cars are not cheap, and gas over here is getting more and more expensive.

Anyway, this is probably very depressing. At least it will give you an idea of what's in store. Good luck!

 

Wow!
what a great help, thats excellent!
It's little details like that that will make this so much easier to plan.
The next thing I was wondering about is the weather, it will be Summer right?
Do you have stinking hot summers or are they warm and pleasent?
I want to be taking the nessecities only in the way of clothes.
I'll probably end up buying a stack of coll t shirts there anyway....

 

April is Spring time here. Moderate temperatures, probably breezy and a better than average chance for rain. It's unlikely that in that later part of April we'll get a cold day, but a hot one can sneak in there, and is usually more than welcome at that point in the year. So pack a jacket, jeans, and a couple pairs of shorts just in case....maybe a hooded sweatshirt just in case it's particularly nasty out. The Convention Center is air conditioned, so you're really only planning your wardrobe to take care of you while you're in line waiting to get in and after hours...speaking of which, night time in April is always cooler (both in temperature & in the Fonzie sense), so plan accordingly.

 

Speaking as another Aussie, it got cold a bit at night in Indy, but nothing too bad. Pack a good hoodie and you should be okay.

I only have two bits of advice to give:

1. Whatever you do, don't joke with any airport staff. They'll probably put you in jail.

2. Don't plan on posting any extra merchandise home. It's hideously expensive. Make sure you have enough room in your bag.

 

yeah our airport people are jerks.

 

It's not even post 9-11 that's made them unfunny...I remember coming back from Mexico and someone intentionally joked within ear shot of the Customs agent thinking he was cute saying something to the effect of "I hope they don't find any of my drugs" (or may have been Cuban cigars...I've slept since then) and that guy had a nice long wait in the private search room whilst they went thru every single article in the guy's bags. Part of me says it serves the moron right, another part thinks it's a stupid abuse of power.

Anyway, no matter how irritating things get, your best bet is to just shut your mouth and stare longingly at your shoelaces...think of it as ordering lunch from the Soup Nazi, and you'll get thru just fine. On your return trip home, you'll want to check in at least, 1.5 hours before your flight leaves, but I'd be there 2 hours ahead.

And yeah, packing a bag/suitcase or two within your suitcase is a smart thing to do.

As far as non-C3 things to do, give this thread a gander.

 

Heya Dsource,
I'm an Aussie making the trip too, so if you wanna chat logistics, catch me on msn. I've added you already.

I'm currently having a freak out about accommodation, as Indianpolis for some reason has only expensive hotels. I need someone or someones to share with, so get in touch if you're interested in any of the above.
See ya

 

Thanks again for the great feedback.
It looks like we may finally meet Sil, even if it is the other side of the planet.
US Airports just sound plain scary o_0
After doing some research it looks like it may be cheaper to get an around the world ticket and I get to choose 5 places to stop.
Granted, it's not meant to be used in all the one country but they cant stop you from doing that.
I think..
Cat that sorta sounds like a plan.
I know i'm hooking up with some friends from Maryland at some point of C3
While we had agreed to stay together about a month ago I havent had an update for a bit. Maybe you can crash on the floor with the rest of us?

 

You'd also want to head over to the Grand Canyon. That's a cool place, or so I've heard. New York City or Washington DC are also good places to visit.

 

Forgive my ignorance,
Where is Teh Grand Canyon?

 

Arizona

 

Okay this could work pretty good. I'm also looking at a world ticket, but only if another plan doesn't work out, that being working in the US until April under a CCUSA work scheme. This is part of my theory for getting some cash togther too.

I may see friends in Toronto, family in Wisconson and will hopefully spend the rest of the time traveling or working in LA or San Fransisco. If anyone has any ideas of who may be good to approach for work, particularly in the art sector, please let me know here, by email or msn me, I'd appreciate any help.

Dsource, I am quite happy on a floor, don't even need bedding really. So if we can work someting out, BRILLIANT. I'd idealy love to stay at one of the main convention centre hotels, and am hanging out for when the official site lets the rooms loose. I suggest getting in contact before them, eh Chopping up the costs would be a great thing indeed.
See ya.