[Shinamura]

After attending Acen for these past years I noticed That I developed a small but nice tradition. Every year at the Hyatt I buy a chi-town burger. It's nice lil thing that I only do at Acen. But I would like to know the one thing that you do while at Acen. Doesn't matter how small or big. but share and enjoy the stories.

[Alkaren Hyralt]

I spend a significant amount of time on the smokers balcony.

[Rori]

My group always gets a Giordano's pizza one of the nights.

[STVO]

Pizza on Saturday, Mitsuwa to hype Acen for Thursday.

[Isamu]

We always hit up Mitsuwa, Portillo's, Paradise Pup, and Al's Italian beef. Then on Friday of the con is a nice steak dinner at Gibson's.

[SJAkarma22]

We always make sure to have one night where we all go back to the room and take at least one shot (not disorderly amounts) but then we usually either all go the dance/rave or split up. The point is we all make sure to go back and meet up together.

[MsLovelyCookie]

My friend and I would look around the convention Friday, shop for a bit, get pizza, and go to the Soap Bubble on Saturday and hang in the hotel room on Sunday. Over the years, we would be in and out of work.

Wish me luck in getting my vacation soon to pick this weekend!!! My bosses won't release it yet.

[Alkaren Hyralt]

Isamu, on 30 January 2012 - 02:51 PM, said:

We always hit up Mitsuwa, Portillo's, Paradise Pup, and Al's Italian beef. Then on Friday of the con is a nice steak dinner at Gibson's.

I've only managed to have Portillo's once in all the years, and it wasn't even during ACen ;-;

[GITS SAC Motoko]

I haven't been to enough ACENs to make tons of traditions, but my friends and I have all decided to go every Thursday, and do our annual walk to the gas station that's little distance away and pick up energy drinks for the heck of it, walk around the con that we can to remember the whole area again and then chill in our room. We usually go to the Masquerade, midnight madness and anime hell and any photoshoots we want to do. And of course go to the dealers room :3. And the rest is up in the air.

[Mock-Kappa]

Since 2007, officially I've bought a cheeseburger from the restraunt attached to the convention center every sunday of the con.
http://i321.photobuc...l%202011/59.jpg

In more recent years, I've also tried to make sure I don't get pulled over in Bartlet,IL. coming or going from the con.

[magishine]

Rosati's Pizza is my tradition.....unfortunately (or fortunately however you look at it) I will no longer be doing that

[Stormy-chan]

My friends and I drive in Thursday and settle into our room, and then hit the hot tub to relax for those who like that. Then we order a pizza and try to make it over to the meet and greet. After that back to the room and hang out and go over the weekend schedules to plan what everyone wants to try and attend before bed Friday night we also will be going to Gibson's Steakhouse for dinner!!

[Jeff]

Stay up all night on Saturday! Gaming all night in the basement! Free MTG booster draft and Apples to Apples! Yeah!

[dorkatlarge]

Ever since I got serious about attending ACen (around 2006), I've always bought something in the Artist Alley which I consider clever, offbeat, or personally interesting. And while I wander the dealers room searching for specific stuff, I make at least one purchase at Hendane per con. (Nobody else carries doujin fighting games, and I have found some decent import visual novels at their booth.)

One of my traditions has been to walk *everywhere*. I constantly went from exhibit hall to hotels and back... sometimes just hoping I would see some super-rare or super-awesome costume, but sometimes just because I had nothing planned for the next hour or so. That said, I think that I need to wander around a lot less. It's too tiring to spend half the con going from photoshoot to photoshoot.

[TaiyakiOni]

I always buy one or two things at the Artist Ally shop that did the art for Happy Japan, a store in Tennessee that actually just closed down recently due to the suffering economy. Hopefully I will continue to see the artist ally booth though for the artist.

I also always look for anything Slayers related in the manga areas, hoping to fill the few gaps left in my collection. This has gotten extremely hard to do as I only have 3 books missing from my collection and 1 might have never been officially published in English and the other two, volumes 3 and 5, were published in low quantities.

Another one of my traditions? Sleeping. I always get at least 4 hours of sleep, usually ranging at anytime between 3am to 9am.

[Isamu]

Alkaren Hyralt, on 30 January 2012 - 05:22 PM, said:

I've only managed to have Portillo's once in all the years, and it wasn't even during ACen ;-;

You should at least try to get a burger from paradise pup this year

[-JUNK-]

Well with my usual group we would stay at each others house on Wednesday night after classes and what not and wake up Thursday do last minute running and shopping and pack the crap out of the cars.

Thats what the tradition usually is each ACen I end up meeting new people and doing other things. Kinda like leaving ACen with a bang with that hail storm on the interstate..... >=(
But this year will be different since I will be rooming with my roommate and some people from St.Louis so it will be interesting.

[KirbyFanOne]

Stand in awkward places and stare at people.

Spoiler

[-JUNK-]

Im with you on that one Kirby.... though it makes me feel awkward so I move on and look for people.

[KirbyFanOne]

Actually i have no tradition. Every year I've been has been radically different so nothing has been set.

[Kaia Hatsune]

I always go to the Meet and Greet on Thursday nights and soon, my "anime" club will be continuing a club photoshoot that hopefully turns into a tradition. They loved it last year so...hopefully it'll continue when i graduate. =]

[i_like_kyos]

Drinking and Giordanos on Saturday!

[kenkendazo]

Thursday Meet N Greet

[Goldeneyeuro]

Only been to ACEN once, but one thing I do like to do whenever I drive out to Chicago is to stop and have at least 1 meal at Mitsuwa and buy a load of bread from their bakery. For ACEN, the stop allows me to buy breakfast for the next day, possibly lunch the next day as well.

Even though I've only gone to ACEN once, I still keep to one of my "general con" rules- have at least 1 day where I have a nice breakfast. Have at least 1 day where I have a good dinner price being less of an object.

[TaiyakiOni]

Best bakery is the Crescent Bakery next to Blackies which is across the residential street from Mitsuwa. It's next door to Mont Blanc and by Nikko Sushi.

[Alkaren Hyralt]

Isamu, on 31 January 2012 - 01:23 AM, said:

You should at least try to get a burger from paradise pup this year

I fail to see bacon as an option for their burgers D: D: D:

Suigetsu, on 31 January 2012 - 11:01 PM, said:

Thursday Meet N Greet

I seem to always run by the meet 'n greet every year (for those who have paid attention and know what I look like in general) does that count as a tradition? ._.;

[linlindesu]

Every year. My group goes on a quest. A Quest all great warriors at one time must go through. We pass many perils along the way and must waver off the temptation to fight against the enemies giving us glares of sworn. But we travel by foot, someone may not make it . But we cannot turn. We must pull forward leaving the wounded behind. We trek, for what seems like days only to find our quest halted by a huge line and lack of tables. But we'll send someone in to ward off the stragglers from our dirty corner booth as the others fetch the bounty. Finally, after waiting for 10 long minutes we get what we asked for, sit, and bask in our glory.

The McDonald's trip is never easy.

[FlyingElf]

Wow, kinda surprised and glad to see so many meet and greet responses in here. Didn't realize it meant so much to people. Thanks guys.

Btw, created a thread for this year's.

This post has been edited by FlyingElf: 02 February 2012 - 05:21 PM

[ATICE]

Hitting up Mitsuwa either the week before or the week after has been a tradition for me.

As for at the con, definitely ordering pizza on one of the night's. Giordano's is really good, but don't order a large if you have a small party. We learned that the hard way. haha.
P.S. Saturday night is definitely the best night for ordering pizza.

This post has been edited by ATICE: 11 February 2012 - 02:53 AM

[Jeff]

I need more people for 4 AM Sunday morning Apples to Apples.