It’s the Wednesday after my first Dragon*Con, and my poor tootsies are still on fire. I had a wonderful time, but I wasn’t at all prepared for the crowds, the noise or the sheer craziness that dominated the weekend. I knew all three would show up in abundance, but I’d forgotten what 40,000 people squeezed into four blocks looks like.

I headed to Peachtree Center fairly early Saturday morning, thinking I had a little time to set up and get comfy before the deluge hit. The steampunk horde I rode MARTA with should’ve been my first hint that I’d thought wrong. By the time I’d joined the throngs at the Hyatt Regency, one of this year’s four official convention hotels, I realized that what I didn’t know about Dragon*Con could probably fill the Hyatt. So, along with my newbie confessions, I’ll share the five things I wish I’d known about Dragon*Con before I stepped into the fray.