Pennies for Philcon - an ongoing blog series.

[Patty Cryan]

PART ONE

The argument: How to get Patty to Philcon 2009, and what will it cost her?

The costs [all figures quoted as of today's information and subject to change]:

1] Hotel - If I reserve a room today, the current rate for three nights at The Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, NJ is $180.00 per night, plus tax. That rate will hopefully decrease when Philcon's Hotel Liason negotiates a convention rate. With a minimum two-night stay and a maximum four-night stay [see travel costs for why four nights], Patty should budget $400.00 and $800.00 for the hotel.

2] Travel - If I buy a Greyhound ticket today, round-trip to Philadelphia, PA from Worcester, MA is $66.00. I am taking into account that it is cheaper to travel on a Thursday and return on a Monday than it is to travel on Friday and return on Sunday, based on my my 2006 adventure with Alex Jay. This bus fare will only increase if I wait even another month to purchase tickets, due to the flaky costs of fuel. Then there is the problem of how to get to Cherry Hill from Philadelphia, which I'm still trying to figure out. There seems to be no direct way to get to Cherry Hill from New York City. Let us overestimate connection costs, and call Patty's travel budget for today $100.00.

3] Admission to the convention - If I register today, the cost is $45.00. This, too, will only increase if I delay.

4] Food & Drink - Again, it will depend if I am three days or five days away from home, but I'm going to overestimate and say $150.00 for sustenance.

5] Dealer room swag - I have no set amount budgeted for swag. I have yet to spend more than $50.00 in a dealer room on items for MYSELF. Items for Mike's Comics are a different matter, and a subject for a different "Pennies for Philcon" post.

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So, at the absolute outside, I need to have $1145.00 to attend Philcon 2009.

There are forty-three weeks between now and Philcon 2009.

Thus, I need to put away $26.63 per week for Philcon expenses, or $3.81 per day.

Who wants to count pennies with me?

[Rachelle Lerner]

If you volunteer the required number of hours, you can earn roll-over registration for the next convention. I know they are always looking for help. My husband and I have not paid for a long time because we volunteer.

[Suzanne]

Info can always use the help. The more bodies the better. I also have candy and toys up there to play with. Chocolate is my friend.

[Rachelle Lerner]

If you want to reduce expenses for future Philcons, I suggest volunteering the required hours for a rollover. I am sure there are places where one can sit and still help as registration desk.

[Patty Cryan]

Emily, thank you very much for this information.

[Emily]

NJ TRANSIT has lift-equipped and kneeling buses and accessible rail stations. Check bus timetables for trips marked “W” to see which trips use lift-equipped buses. For commuter routes call NJ TRANSIT (at least 24 hours in advance) to schedule a lift-equipped bus, which permits a wheelchair to be brought on board. Kneeling buses enable the front steps to be lowered for people who have difficulty negotiating steps.
http://www.gmtma.org/acctrans.htm

[DJ Thorn]

Can't really answer in terms of accessibility. Probably has something about it on the NJ Transit site, or at least some contact info.

[Patty Cryan]

Raquel:

I will certainly keep you tops on my list for roomies! It will really depend if I travel down alone or if my Michael comes with me.

Partying is hit-or-miss with me due to health and sleep-dep concerns... I'm more likely to seek out other people's parties than to host one myself.

We'll figure it out as it gets closer.

[Patty Cryan]

DJ Thorn:

Re: hotel... that makes it closer to $150.00-160.00 per night. Will recalculate that.

Re: Greyhound... the fact that they're not trying to gouge for weekend travel any more is a positive sign. When I went to Philcon in 2006, I bought my bus ticket in August.

Re: the NJ Transit bus... do you know if they're handicapped-accessible? I use a cane when traveling.

[raequel aka systris]

if you do need a roomie, i'd be more than happy to share..plus if you are a partier, i can definately manage that if you are willing to be part of the SysTris Shindig extravaganza?!

[DJ Thorn]

Typically, when we stay in one venue, the room rates only increase slightly year-to-year. (Usually only a few dollars/year.) Last year's rates were: Single/Double - $119, Triple - $139, Quad - $159, plus 15% tax. I would expect similar this year, though I haven't seen the contract. Hopefully we'll get that information out soon, but we may be holding off till the hotel is ready to take reservations at the group rate.

Looking at Greyhound site, there isn't a price difference right now between Fri-Sun and Thurs-Mon, so it's $66 at the moment, no matter how long you stay. You just need to purchase tickets 14 days in advance. (I realize fuel costs could change this.) Our directions page from last year has instructions on how to take the Rt 406 NJ Transit bus from Philly. The fare is currently $3.10 each way.

Hopefully some of this info can help better estimate the cost. Wish I knew more right now.