Myth 1: Natives need not apply.

Not true. Most hostels cater to all nationalities, even the *ahem*
Americans ( I am an American BTW). So don't worry about getting
turned away. Sure you may recieve a big frown from some of the
people running the hostel (got one from the German guy and the prideful
black lady), but the Americans who were also on duty didn't mind too
much. In fact there was only one foriegner on duty during my stay.

Note: Please Americans, DO NOT FUCK THIS UP. You'll know
what I mean later.

Myth 2: Hostels are only in Europe (or specifically Germany).

Not true. All though there are hostels all over the world, they are most
frequent in Germany and Eastern France (any /Int/ can feel free to correct
me).

Myth 3: Hostels are places of torture...

You've been watching too many Eli Roth movies dude.

Myth 4: Hostels are unclean places...

Partially true. Even though place I stayed had an old
foundation (that looked like it could go through some
more renovation then it already had), it was kept pretty
well clean. Mind you it wasn't sparkling and shiny, but
it was very well cleaned.

However when I did look for hostels on the net, I was met
with some unfavorable reviews of dirty ones. And when they
are dirty, they are absolutely god awful dirty. Stay away
from such. Of course, I'm talking of American hostels.

Myth 5: Hostels are just like hotels.

umm...

NOOO!

I think it time to cover some Pros/Cons now.

Cons and Pros: Hostel Versus Hotel...

Ok so we've gotten through the myths of Hostel. Now
Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Get to meet people from around the world (Met an African,
some germans, brits, and a Asian Chica although I couldn't
tell if see was being an immigrant to America). There's also
a sense of commradery you'll get that won't happen in a hotel.

Cheap!

Nice Facilities, Free Cable (and that's almost every channel),
Internet access. You may even get some PS3/Wii/Xbox Ect.
and they charge for that shit at hotels!

May get free food if the you pick a good place.

People running the place are trustworthy and you will not have
to watch your back unless you screw up royally.

Staff are helpful and can provide better/cheaper recommendations
to local fare. Also they can help you with Public Transportation.

Usually in locations near Grocery Stores.


Cons:
Curfew! (Expect it to be midnight!)

You will not to be able to go and come as you please
becuase of that curfew (I'll explain how to avoid this later)

You will have rules and assigned shower times (Oh joy...)

You may not have anywhere to put your stuff except to
your assigned bed because people hog the dressers. This
means you may have to reorganize every time you need
to dig in the bag you brought with you.

You will have to share the entertainment. (But that was
ok. Me and the African guy watched World Cup. Good
times!)

In short...

It's like visting your strict Parents house for the weekend.
(Please treat it as such).

Hotels:

Room to yourself or any buddies you may brought with you.

You may come and go as you please (Mind you do not cause
trouble).

You can unpack and relax.

Free internet access and maybe very basic cable.

Cons:

Expensive!

If they offer video games, expect to pay to play.

Cable may only offer up to 30 channels and maybe even HBO
if your lucky (They had the full package where I was staying.)

You won't get free food (unless you went to Best Western or
equivalent and get free breakfast)

Security will watch your ass like white on rice because they
know you're a con goer.

You may have to put up with that "party" next door. (This shit won't fly at a hostel.)

LA has quite a bit of hostels, its all good cost, if your not aiming to impress anyone and most of us going are probably going for the actual convention, so hotel/hostel jsut to sleep.

So is it a good idea to use a Hostel?

Ok so you're thinking and contemplating the things a Hostel
entails. Well, if you think you can stay out of trouble and
wouldn't mind engaging people (which I loved!), then you
should go for the hostel. However we need to go some rules
before you even say, "Yes I will go to a Hostel".

1) Curfew.

Curfew at my Hostel was Midnight. During Friday and Saturday,
it got moved up to 1 AM, which was very good (I still managed to
fuck that up though). I've heard that hostels will also have a 11
PM curfew. Keep this in mind, because it will have the biggest
input on your decision.

If you break curfew, you probably will have the following happen:

A) You are stuck outside till the hostel reopens. (6 am for my stay).
B) You may get inside, but don't expect to sleep (See rule 3).
C) Worst case scenerio: You are kicked out (fortunately I did not
receive that).

2) Shower Times and Bathroom rules

Assigned shower times at my hostel were in the morning. The times
for this may very hostel to hostel, but keep in mind it will most
likely be morning. Also, my Hostel did not have a sign up sheet.
However this may happen at your place of stay. Try to stay mindful
of whose in the bathroom and when to jump in. DO NOT BE
DISRESPECTFUL!

You also cannot leave your toiletries in the bathroom. If the workers
see it, they may throw it out.

Well it's not really a hostel, but I lived in a similar place for about 6 months when I made my big move to LA.
It's in Little Tokyo, but I am too afraid to mention it to friends looking for a place with the idea that they might spoil it.

Single rooms, $35- shared bathroom, kitchen, and laundry on each floor. I got pretty tight with the owner and was even allowed to buy a dog while living there.

Drinks and card/domino games every night on the main floor-- but no visitors allowed. It was a amazing. (Also, I was the only American there, until my friend moved in. There are tourists from time to time, but I've never seen con goers there thank god.)

3) NO SLEEPING ON FURNITURE!

I hated this rule at my hostel and I wouldn't know if other Hostels
use it, but if the hostel does have this rule, prepare to be miserable
if you didn't get sleep by the third con day.

4) You will be assigned cubby for your food and you will have to
follow kitchen rules.

Unless you are slob, this will not be a big deal. Basically, all your
food is to be marked with your name and in a container. You are
to clean up after yourself and make sure you have no leaks in any
food in the dry cubby.

Be careful about the fridge if you do get to store food. I brought
some pesto to last me a couple days and it got thrown out because
one of the staff thought I left (I didn't). The rule was if you don't
mark it with your name and date it gets thrown out. I followed
that rule and the result was not fun...

Alcohol may be allowed in the hostel. Please check before bringing
any.

So those are the basics. Still want to go to a hostel for con? Ok let's
Prep!

Picking a Hostel.

Note: Any Hostels listed are in reference to LA\Anime Expo. It will
be up to you to find one.

Although there are hostels in America, they are not easy to find
even with a search on the net. The first stop to finding one is Craigslist.
This is how I found my first choice, Gramacy Place (I recommend
this if you have a car and it's 100% American run. It's very nice one
too. http://www.1310gramercy.com/). Under Housing, search Sublets
and Temporary. Start a search in the price range of $5 to $100. After
looking at the results, keep going down from 100 until you find a good
place and Price range. You may even find something better then both
a hotel and hostel!

Of course I only came up with two findings. One was a private property
owner and Gramacy. Unhappy, I wanted other options.

I searched Gramacy to find out about it's location in relevance to the
Anime Expo. It was too far for a carless guy like me. Staring at the
google results, I saw a webpage (which I can't find now) that listed
Hostels. I was intrigued. I knew about hostels in the US, but I didn't
know if it was viable. I knew I couldn't afford a hotel for a 4 day run,
so I clicked on it.

My response:

O_O
^_^

Seeing how many hostels were in LA, I knew I could find one close to
con. Not only that, but if the prices were comparable to Gramacy, it
wouldn't be a problem to do a 4 day stay. I found Hosanna House.
It was nice, but I wasn't sure about the location and if it was near a
bus stop. I found another one that was cheap, but the distance was
twice as far as Hosanna. Since I hadn't been to LA in my life (and I
live next dorr for the love god...), I wasn't risking getting lost in a big
place. Finally I found (Not mentioned becuase this IS MINE! ALL
MINE) Loveshack (Name I will call my place of stay). It was next to
a stop, not far from Anime Expo and cheap. It was as perfect as I could
get.

Of course, the prices listed wouldn't do. I figured there must be a site
for US hostels and provided discount bookings.

I found a site called Hostelworld.com. It had the cheapest bookings,
reliable opinions (so I thought), and more listings then any other site.
So I booked a mixed-sex dorm (Not a good idea... you'll find out why
later). I almost got cold feet, but decided I was going to Anime Expo
2010 come hell or high water. My reservation cost: 7 and change
US dollars. Now it was time for planning.

I would like to note that finding hostels in now easier on the net then
it was year ago. Just searching LA hostel brought up more relevent
results then when I last looked. Of course you have to thank the
hipsters for that. When you find a results suggesting Hostels for
a U2 concert and a visit to Japantown, you know who's idea that was.

Planning... Or
HOW I FUCKED UP...

Before I begin, may I suggest bringing a car to hostel if possible. (Fuck
parking, it'll be worth it. Just don't bring a jackable POS). You'll figure
out why when I explain below.

Ok so bookings done and 4 day pass to AX is paid. Now what? It's time
to gather supplys.

So the first thing I did was to make a full container of Pesto. This was a
good idea. Next I went to the stores and bought the following...

3 boxes of 10 single serve packets of instant juice.
(Why?)
Snacks (Candy, cookies, Hell I don't remember!)
A 12 pack of Pepsi
Two footlong deli Sandwiches.

I also brought the following:
Bottle of the finest brandy I know.

Now I packed a lot and thought this was good idea. From hearing about
what was said in con guides, bringing lots of food was good. I bought
3 packets of drink mixes to sell at con for 50 cents a piece (4 dollar
profit potential). It was a bad idea. In fact the whole thing was a bad
idea.

I packed extra clothes just in case something went wrong. It turned out
to be a good idea. Now I just had to get to my hostel. That meant
taking a train and riding a bus even if it was only for a block or two (Rural
Nor Cal boy in big city make for very tight buttcheeks). So I found a
way to get the train station using the local bus system and cut a couple
dollars of the trip by jumping onto a train further toward LA. This would
influence a future mistake.

The cool thing is I used Google Maps to get to the hostel via the Public
Transportation option. Of course this also influenced another future
mistake.

So I was ready to go. I was confident in the public transit since I had been
using the bus system since about after high school and I was well prepared.

Getting there... or...
HOLY SHIT

You know when your doing something no one has done before and there's
no guide for it, you have to wing it. Of course I knew how to use Public
Transportation. Of course I decided not to try and spring for the disabled
discount (OCD plus other shit) in fear of ruining my big event. Looking
back on it now, I could have done that since the ticket guys don't care
too much about that shit. If you pull this and not disabled or not have your
papers and get caught, it's your fault. I'm just saying I could have gotten
away with it.

Now I should have gotten plenty of rest, but I was too restless and didn't.

So I left early and packed up my things. I did forget a sub sandwich and,
more importantly, the address to the place (OH FUCK and A BIG ONE!).
However you can't expect to be perfect.

I left from Simi to Chatsworth to catch the train there. It went smoothly
although I did have to layover because the Bus Driver ran late. I bought
my ticket and later hopped on. I brought a scooter to pull my heavy gym
bag. I was told to fold it up and move it on the train. No Problems.

I arrived at the junction station and looked for the train I needed to be on.
Since Amtrack covered this trip, no problem. It's kinda a strange riding on
a subway, but I didn't feel threatened. After departing, I looked for my bus.
Now your going to learn some things that normally don't appear the con
guides. One is how fucking cramped it can get. I mean people standing
everywhere. This made it difficult to find my stop, so I missed it. However,
I was able deduce where I should have stopped. You probably will miss
your first stop. That's ok, because if you leave early you won't worry about
time.

Getting off, I was told where to get on to hit my stop. This is the second
thing you learn if you use Public Transportation on a regular basis like
I do. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE BIG CITY IS FUCKED
UP! Ok maybe I'm over reacting, but finding out that the bus system in
LA doesn't do loops like smaller bus systems and throws you for a loop.
Not only that, realizing you have to wait for another bus doesn't bode
well. However my Amtrack pass was still good. I wasn't worried of
being charged.

So the bus arrived. Now I would cut to the chase here, but this story
is too funny to pass up. It's also the third thing you learn. Some people
are assholes and will fuck up your gameplan on Massive transit. While
I waited to get off, an old guy boarded. While some people left their seats,
some other assholes jumped on and sat thier fat butts down. Of course
I was sitting down also. The guy looked confortable standing in the
cramped bus, so I thought he was ok. Then my stop came. Since you can't
leave the way you came in, you have to leave the way toward the back of
the bus. I was in hurry to get of since the bus driver seemed to be on a
schedule.

"Excuse me sir I'd like to get off," I asked the old man.
He only moved a little and still had some wiggle room.
It seemed he wan't making much effort to let me out.
"Either get off or I'm driving," shouted the bus driver.
"Excuse me sir I'd like to get off."
"I can't move."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm disabled."
The bus started moving and I was unable to hear his last comment.
"Uh? I don't get it. I mean you still have some..."
He abruptly cuts me off mid sentance and says,
"Look! I can't move. Do you understand that?"
"Um, no. I'm sorry sir, but I need to get off the bus."
"Look, I'm Disabled and I can' move!"
Realzing what he had just said and spoken earlier, I looked for
signs of incapcitation. The tirade was about to begin. Before
I could open mouth, his spoke.
"Why should I move? You didn't!"
I hadn't fully comprehended or figured out the situation.
"I'm sorry sir. All I wanted to do was get off the bus."
"You see this cane? I'm disabled and you should have gotten
up! There is no reason I should have had to stand! You should
have moved!"

"I'm sorry sir, but if I had seen the cane, I would have moved plus
I'm not the only one on this bus who had a seat."
Again, he cuts me off before I could complete my statement.
"Look! I'm disabled you should have moved and let me have
your seat!"
"But I didn't see the cane!"
He mutters on about how old he is and disabled.
"Look sir! I'm sorry I didn't see the cane. I just want to get
off the bus."
"It doesn't matter! You should have gotten up!"
I am at this point fully flustered, angry, and ready to say
something stupid like "I'm disabled too!" because I was.
However I decide to interrupt him as he's continuing in
his tirade and say something more appropriate.
"Sir if you're that upset about it, maybe you should have asked!"
The minute I utter those words, the bus puts all eyes on me and
looks with dismay and shock. The black lady next to me drops
her mouth as if to say, "OH NO HE DID NOT!" Of course
old folgery will have none of that and flares up his temper.
"WELL WHO THE HELL SHOULD I HAVE ASKED?"
"Anyone..." I say casually.

"Anyone! ANYONE! Like anyone would have given up thier seat!
You think that young guy over there would have gotten up me?"
"HEY!"
Apparently the young guy was not so young. His appearence fooled
even me and I was dumbfounded!
"Who are you calling young," exclaimed this new old guy who was
being all boss.
"Well YOU!"
"Well for your information I'm OLD and you are being rude!"
"Well it's not like your disabled and your younger then me!"
"Do YOU WANT SOME OF THIS!"
Boss old guy gets up and is ready to throw down with old folgey.
"Oh lawrdz!" I exclaim.
"Well you started it..." mouthed the black lady.
"I know, but I had no idea this would happen."
"It's your fault. You have no right to complain."
"Well, yes I am and I will whoop your ass with this cane even if
my leg hurts!"
"You couldn't whoop my ass even if I was older then you!"
"Oh yeah! Well how old are you!"
"How old are you!?"
"47!"
"Well guess what! I'm 54!"
"Bullshit and your not even disabled! You shouldn't even be sitting
there liar!"
"You WANNA BET!?"
Suddenly boss old guy whips out a cane and says,
"I'm disabled too asshole! You wanna see my ID? I can prove I'm
older!"

At this point I'm laughing, but trying to refrain from a full outburst
becuase I'm in between Old folgey who certainly wants to kick my
ass now and Boss old guy who might try to defend himself if anything
comes to blows. Boss Old guy shows him ID and Old folgery is now
scared shitless because he knows that now the bus wants to kill him
because they clapped when boss old guy whipped out his cane.

So that was lesson number three, although you probably knew about
that. I got off a stop later and that put me behind schedule.

Even though I had left the direction at home, I still knew what street
the Loveshack was on. I figured there'd be a sign to tell me how to find
it. This is where packing too much becomes a very bad idea. I spent two
hours up and down that street hoping to find it. Unfortunately I passsed
the house 4 times because the sign was made of cardboard and blended
into the decour. So after much ado, I decided to make a phone call.
Problem: My phone died in between the time of 6 am and 10:30. Great,
Now what? I made my way toward the KFC I saw ahead. I had my
charger, so I knew what to do.

Hoping to find a power outlet, I ordered some Pepsi. While I waited for
my POS phone to charge, I jacked in my laptop to see if I had left an
address just in case so I could find the Shack. Unfortunately it wasn't
there. Ultimately, I called my stepmom to find the place. This is mistake
one. Not having the address.

Mistake two was overpacking. After the 4th pass of looking for this
place and calling a cab to take me up the hill ($10), my mistake came
to fruition. First, the gym bag was being worn out by dragging it on the
curb. I missed this detail because i thought the scooter helped. It didn't.
Second, the pepsi 12 pack exploded, causing a mess. Luckily I caught it
in time to keep it from soaking up the clothes.

Arrival or
What did I get myself into?

I finally arrived and found the place at 12:30 pm. Tired, frusterated, and
still a little pissed at the bus incident, I check in. We go over payment
(about $55) and then I am given the rules. Now I know to expect the
rules since I saw that there was going to be some in the hostel
accomadations. The real surprise upon opening the rules document:
CURFEW! Had I known about this, I would have planned a lot better.
I would have made an effort to get the AX schedule. That's why I'm
going to say the following: ZERO DAY IS MANDATORY! Not
only would zero day have made things easier, but it would have
given a traveler like me some rest.

The advantage of Zero day is this. You check in to your hostel. You've
got some rules to follow. Not following these rules will make things
difficult. You also have to unpack immediately. That means you'll be
using two hours to get oriented. Not only do the staff have to explain
things to you and show you your accomadations, but it means putting
away food and trying to find space to store your shit if you can find any.

During this process, I realize how bad of mistake number two is.
Although I overpacked, I had trouble fitting shit into my cubbie. I also
had to bag and tag my snacks to prevent waste. This took a lot of time.
Not only that, but when you have a grocery store three blocks away,
does it make sense to pack all that shit? No it doesn't, especially
when most hostels are near shopping areas.

In the bedroom, I unpack and sort through the mess created by leaking
Pepsi. On an adjacent bunk, I notice string panties lying around. I smile
and think naughty thoughts, hoping something comes of it. It never does.

After finishing the unpacking, I start wondering about Curfew. How
long will I be at con? How long will it take to get back? How do I
even get back now that I know the bus system is different? And what
happens if I miss curfew? I look up google maps and use the public
transit option thinking it'll help.

I get something to eat and see this chica at the table. It's obvious she
thinks I'm cute. However I'm too shy and tired to make an effort.
After that I head off to the con.

The next 3 days...
or This is what happens when you have no idea of what you're doing...

So it was time to go register at the con. I get there at 4 something. I'm
not happy I arrived to the party late. I'm also not happy with how things
are looking. The curfew thing threw a wrench into my plans. I got there
no problem seeing as my ride to the shack on the train provided me a
clue on how to get to the convention center.

So on Thursday, I find I had screwed up. All the cool stuff I wanted to go
to was over. Not only that, but getting the schedule as I got there sucked
(my only computer was a shitty P3 laptop running linux. I couldn't
download the PDF. Oh joy). I went to the dance thing they have every
year that night because I was bored. This is where I should have thought
about leaving. Not only would I have not made a fool of my self (I'll never
dance again), I could have gotten some much needed sleep and still made it
home by 12:00 curfew.

After the dance thing, I noticed that the game room was going to be open
after 12. It sounded like a good idea. However the Convention center was
locked and like a bunch of other gamers, I found myself out the cold.
Bored, I looked for a way in with some other people. We found that one of
the freight elevators was unlocked and went in. Going down, it was...
interesting. We found ourselves in the basement of the convetion center.
Afraid of security cameras we retreated above. Eventually I was left alone.

*Memory from this point on will be fuzzy*

Not knowing what to do next, I decide to sit in the Hyatt Hotel lobby.
Fighing sleep for two hours, I'm eventually told to leave. I head for the
train at 5:30 am on Friday.

Since I arrived after 6. I am let in with no problem. The staff member
running the place thinks nothing of it. At the first sign of life in the mixed
dorm, I jump in bed quitely. I wake 10 and lightly doze till 10:30. This
is where I here the Germans complaining about being woken up. They're
not happy, so they leave. However they come back on Sunday.

At 10:30, I bathe and eat. I see Asian chica at the table and eat with her. I
never see her again after that. Tired I watch some World cup with the African
guy. Me and him manage to get along well and talk the sport. I look up
google maps and map a way back home. Things look like they will go well
now that I have a schedule. At 2, I head off.

Of course I'm late to the bus stop. Deciding to get something more then
just Pesto, I head down the stretch toward the grocery store. I'm happy with
all the cute asian girls in this part of LA. Seeing a McDonald's, I waltz in
and grab some soda in the grocery. I head over to McDonald's and get some
food and a ice cup. I overspend, thinking I won't buy fast food again.

Even though I miss the next bus, I know the schedule and am not missing out
on anything. I help some Asian girl whose working the Tokyopop display crush
some boxes (I should've asked for a number). So I head to the dealers room to
look for some deals and more importantly, buy a Vuvuzela. After much
trolling in the DR I head to that glowstick lighshow because I'm bored. I'm at
a distance smoking a cheap cigar. I don't bother to jump in because I'm shy
and last nights tomfoolery still embarressed me.

So I wait for the Last Comic Standing hoping to get in. Of course I didn't read
the schedule properly, so I missed registration. I watch the show and head off
early to catch the bus and get back before curfew.

Now I arrive at the bustop, but something's wrong. It's late. I know I looked up
the right time on google maps. I even have the right place. 30 minutes passed
the schedule according to google, a bus arrives. I think it's the right number.
I get on.

The bus seems to be going in the right direction. I'm like "This is okay.
Hopefully, I'll make curfew." Suddenly the bus takes a freak turn into a different
tangent. I'm not happy. The closest way to rectify the situation was to get off
at the last stop and get on a bus that could take me close to the shack.

After waiting an hour, getting on a bus, missing the right stop, waiting again,
and then getting on a new bus to get off the right stop, I arrive near the
shack. It's sometime after 3:30 and not close to the 6:00. I needed food and a
drink. I discover a 7/11 and get a slurpee plus something to munch on.
It was still too early for to waltz in the door. I decide I better walk to the shack
to avoid arrest and possible mugging. After, sneaking into the front gate and
sitting on the patio for about 30 minutes, I'm let in. It's about 4:30 on
Saturday. The person on duty is not happy and lectures a co-worker, possibly
about letting me stay and whether or not I should have been even let in.

I head to bed at the first sign of life. It's 7:00 and I wake at 10:00 saturday.

I decide to be a little more daring and map a route to the convention center
using only the bus to save some money. I get on the right bus and think,
"Last night was fluke. It was my fault and I got on the wrong bus." How
wrong I was. At first, it seemed like everything was going according to plan.
Then the bus goes onto a different street. "Hey no problem I should be able to
hit the convention center." It passes the convention center and goes straight
into one of the shittiest parts of LA. I am pissed and scared shitless.

This is mistake three. Trusting Google Maps for Public Transit was stupid.
You see I know how to use the bus system. Problem is that Google maps
gave me faulty data and shitty outdated directions. And now for this....

FUCK YOU GOOGLE MAPS! FUCK YOU! I LOST SLEEP BECUASE
OF YOUR SHITTY ASS EXCUSE OF TOOL THAT'S SUPPOSED TO
GIVE PROPER DIRECTIONS TO USE A FUCKING BUS SYSTEM.
FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!

Never use Google Maps for Public Transportation directions.

So after a messed up detour, I arrive at Con. I'm pissed because I missed the
events I wanted to go to again. I eat the food I bought at a McD's from the
shitty part of LA. I buy some Aricini from the Italian food truck becuase I
hadn't had that in years. Some Asian Chica sees me and my Aricini and asks
me in some asian language not resemnbling Japanese, if that's such and such.
I say yes, if that's rice balls in your language. This clearly pisses her off. I
notice this and realize I inadvertantly offended her (oh joy...). I try to make
up for it and tell her about Italian riceballs and they are called Aricini.
Obviously, see looks at me and thinks I'm bullshitting (oh fuck you and
your weaboo Riceballs...). I tell her, no really it's Italian and it's been
around for while. She walks a way toward the Italian saying "I'll try some".
Of course she has that look that says "Your still an Asshole".

I see Asian Tokyopop girl and she asked if I liked my cigar I had the previous
day. I said I didn't get a chance to smoke it. Yeah should've asked her out.

After that it's pretty uneventful. I go to Last Comic Standing and give my
email to an Asian girl at the Ghibli film. However, I still had to get my
stuff.

This is mistake 4. So after deciding there was no way in hell I was going to
make curfew this time, I decided to hang out at the Convention Center. Of
course I could've just signed out and hit the next train in the morning. Nope,
just had to be stubborn and leave later. So when I got back, I found myself
dozing on thier furniture. It'd became obvious I had overstayed my welcome.
Leaving on 11:30 on Sunday, I head home.

Aftermath or...
What did we learn....

1) Day Zero is mandatory for hostel stays. You'll be able to shop for
supplies and not overspend on junkfood. Also rest will not be a problem.
2) Light Load recommended.
3) When planning bus routes, keep it simple and safe stupid.
4) Check out on Day 3, stay up till day 4.
5) GET THE RULBOOK! If possible get it ahead of time. Without it,
you're fucked.
6) Plan Curfew and Con Schedule carefully - Looking at my fuck ups, you
know this went bad quick.
7) Car recommended if availible - A seccondary crash spot wouldn't hurt.
8) Make use of adjacent shopping centers.
9) Expect assholes on the bus system (but I didn't need to tell you that...)
10) Get the con schedule.
11) You will not get fucked in the Mixed Sex Dorm. - In fact I recommend
against it. If your male you have an advantage to male dorms, you will not
be with a great number of people in Male dorms. Also there maybe an option
to get a single person room. If you can afford the extra 10 a night, take it.
12) Google maps sucks for public transportation - It's either hit of miss and
when it's miss, it's miss bad.
13) If you can miss it, skip it - So the dance was real fun huh? You get any sleep?
14) Try not to piss off the locals - Even little things like curfew breaking can
make them angry. I wouldn't want you to be thrown out...
15) Con goers will not buy powdered lemonade - They just won't.

Picking a Hostel
Ok so now you know the story. It's time to pick a hostel. Try to find one
as laidback as possible. Even though mine was, I still tested the boundries
inadvertantly. Also pick one in a good location. Next find one at good price.
Keep in mind that you may have to wait until six months before to register
a reservation. Also you won't get laid in a mixed sex dorm.

And now for an important Public Service Announcement...

Now that I've typed this up, I know there are going to be some fuckheads
who will screw this up for everybody. Please don't. We don't need Americans
banned from hostels for dumbassery, recklessness, and plain troublemaking.
Not only is this guide to help you in your stay at a hostel, it will also keep you
out of trouble. Would I do it over again? Yes I would, because even though
things didn't go quite as planned, it turned out to be an amazing adventure even
when away from the con. I sort of wished I spent a little more time at the hostel
meeting the people there. I'll probably go to AX next year (2012) and spend
another 4 days at the same hostel. It's just that next time I'll be little more
informed on how to go about it.

Again please don't fuck this up. We don't need these guys banning us.

This story is making me so thankful for hotels.

>>4646234
Pretty much. My mom and sister are in Europe right now, hosteling and backpacking. I turned down a month-long Europe trip because I refuse to stay in a situation like this. Christ, I feel like I need a shower after reading this, even though I was madly F5ing the whole time. ><

This pretty much confirms I will never stay in a hostel.

I think they're amazing. This place sounds like shit, though. A curfew?

This sounds like a really cool experience. I don't know if I would want to do it for a con because my cosplay stuff can get a bit messy but I think I will try it for sight seeing.

Fantastic story bro!
I myself could probably not stay at a hostel (I only ever go to cons near me so I can justify driving there each day), buuuuut if I ever were so inclined this would be very helpful. c:

I don't think I could even possibly take this, man...
Also, fellow simifag?

I will field any questions later you have cause it's way passed bedtime. If it's still here I'll answer.em.

>>4646346
You bet.

i've been meaning to check out hostels in LA. Mainly cause I know people in the area and that way I can spread out my time with seeing them instead of playing by the clock.

So pretty much OP's advice: If you're a beta male don't stay at a hostel

OP's story: Beta male stays at a hostel

Lesson learned.

Boy am I glad I can afford going to cons like a boss.