Ahhh, the nerd mecca of the US, if not the world. ;) I am planning on attending this year, for the First Time Ever, and I'm really excited!
There seems to be a little bit of pre-planning 'drama' around this convention, as the hotels in the area cannot accommodate the massive influx of fans (and each year it attracts more), as well as the limit that the con places on attendee passes, so that the convention center isn't TOO stuffed. In fact, the 4-day passes sold out a little over a week before hotel registration even opened!
Fortunately for me, I qualify for a professional pass, although those are extremely limited as well. I sent my paperwork off the day after pro-reg opened up, so here's to hoping that it gets there in time.
My friends and I also booked hotel rooms ahead of time, and at a really good rate. Which is lucky, because when we tried to book closer rooms, the system was so slow that by the time I got through, everything we'd wanted was gone... which is sort of amazing.
I have never been to San Diego before... any recommendations for restaurants, or stuff to do/see in the downtown area? After the exhibition hall closes in the evening, I can't imagine there's too much to do at the convention itself...