We know you’re busy with planning your NYCC schedule, so here’s your need-to-know guide to what’s changed in and around the Javits Center.
Expanded transit service to the west side
The biggest news in NYC mass transit in decades is the best news Comic Con-goers will hear: There’s now subway service to the west side of Manhattan. The7 train has been extendedto 34th Street-Hudson Yards, getting you all the way to 11th Avenue and putting the Javits Center an easy hop from Times Square or Grand Central. The stop is climate-controlled (a welcome respite after sweating at the Javits all day) and ADA compliant, making it the easiest way to get around. If you’re heading in another direction, yellow cabs can now be hailed through theWay2Rideapp.
Food options have gotten a serious upgrade
You can’t run on enthusiasm alone, so at some point, you gotta eat. Luckily for you, the food options right outside the convention center are getting a serious upgrade with a fleet of trucks. Get “Thaietnamese” food from Sweet Chili , next-level mac ‘n’ cheese from Mac Truck , Mexican bites from Camion , New York’s classic hot dogs from Papaya King and cheesesteaks from Phil’s Steaks . Pro tip: After a long day, take the crew a few blocks south for a classy nightcap at Porchlight (271 11th Ave.)
Saw the brand new #hudsonyards subway stop (ht @mrjabba) pic.twitter.com/7n1gjO6DyZ
— Rich (@rich311) September 15, 2015
Con-goers get some green space
The Javits just finished its massive green roof project – alas, it’s not open to visitors. But you can still take a green microbreak in Hudson Park. The new green space stretches (for now) from 33rd Street to 36th between 10th and 11th avenues, with lots of seating, fountains and other feel-like-you’re-not-even-in-NYC-anymore-Toto features. Taking your lunch out across the street from the convention center is a great way to recharge yourself – and beats the heck out of sitting on the downstairs cafeteria’s floor because all the tables are full. There’s fun beyond the Javits
If the bustle of Comic Con gets to be overwhelming (or you just have to have more), there are plenty of gems around the city to fill your fannish heart. Catch the acclaimed exhibit of the late Mike Kelley’s sculptures and illustrations recreating Superman’s home city of Kandor and exploring what it meant to him. Just in time for the con, the New-York Historical Society’s “Superheroes in Gotham” opens Oct. 9 to revisit the birth of the comic book superhero genre in our city and its influence on art today. There’s “Boomstick Ballet,” a rock opera in three acts all starring (the character) Bruce Campbell, “the Cary Grant of cult classic horror flicks” (Oct. 10, 8 p.m.) Fringe Fest holdover “EverScape” raises the virtual world’s stakes to affect the real world when players of an online game get the chance to play their way to become a game developer (Oct. 8, 9 p.m.). And in Escape from the Cursed Forest , teams of six will have to solve a fairy tale-themed mystery to get out of a locked room.
Hammerstein Ballroom gets a promotion
In years past the Hammerstein Ballroom has hosted the odd Super Week event, but this year it’s been promoted to a full-fledged extension of the con, hosting many of the major TV panels including USA Network’s hot new show “Mr. Robot” (and lead actor Rami Malek was just added to the guest list) and Starz’s upcoming “Ash vs. Evil Dead” series, so be sure to check your schedules.
You. Us. Thursday. ❤️ #NYCC pic.twitter.com/qA7PzKFfTe
— New York Comic Con (@NY_Comic_Con) October 6, 2015
