Due to commuting problems, I didn’t arrive to the the Javits Center for Anime NYC until afternoon. Even though the convention itself opened its doors at 10am, that’s only for the building itself and for registration. Panels, events, the exhibit hall, and the artist alley didn’t open until 1pm. I arrived just shortly after the opening time when things were actually happening at the convention, so I was surprised to see the convention floor was already so crowded. There were lots of people everywhere I looked! Con attendance has definitely grown since last year!
The lower level areas and the outdoor areas seemed to be the hub for photoshoots of all sorts: fandom meetups, scheduled photoshoots, hall shots, and video shoots.
I had some back-to-back photoshoots on Friday afternoon, both on the lower level areas by the glass windows, as well as outside right by the tunnel where the food trucks are located. It was cold outside, so I definitely preferred the indoor areas. In the indoor areas, some photographers set up their lighting equipment as well so they were like mini studios.
After photoshoots, my friend and I checked out the Exhibit Hall and it was humongous! We didn’t see that much on Friday but we did go through the Fate/Grand Order USA Tour 2019 area. This area itself was huge and with multiple sections and different interactive displays. I loved the Fate photo booth where you could be in your own Saber card, and choose a sword you wanted to wield!
For Friday night food, my friend and I opted for non-convention food. When there’s a convention in NYC, the great thing is you have all of NYC at your fingertips! Koreatown was a short Lyft ride away, so we had delicious Korean barbecue and lychee soju at Miss Korea.
Written by Pearl Peony | IG: @pearlpeony | Tumblr: @xiaorawr | Twitter: @treizemacarons