The 45th annual Comic-Con in San Diego, Comic-Con International, is about to begin, and as you walk through the convention center lobbies and hallways you can hear the low roar of conversation as strangers become friends in line, as friends get one another even more excited about this annual five day marathon event of fandom, and as parents share their love of creativity,  imagination and the popular arts with their children.

The exhibit hall doors have not yet opened,  yet thousands of people are in lines, patiently waiting for their time among the vendors.  For some these few hours during preview night will be their only time spent in halls A through G.  Not for lack of interesting booths and vendors, in past years I’ve rarely gone more than 30 feet without wanting  to stop and see/discover more.

No, for most, the problem is the vast array of interesting panels that will begin Thursday morning and run well into the evening.  Tonight is, for many, their one chance to explore the exhibit hall without worrying about how soon they need to change focus and go line up for a panel.

Additionally,  as I explored the blocks around the convention center this morning I saw Gotham being built, heard God zillion roar at noon at Godzillacon, saw a Homer Simpson exhibit going up — and then I ventured beyond the area between the Hilton Bayfront hotel and the Convention Center.

The PetCo Park parking lot had a Sleepy Hollow covered bridge being built, with an awesome looking water way beside it.  (From the pedestrian bridge between PetCo Park and the Hilton Bayfront you can get a great birds eye view.)  PetCo Park is also where  Hello Kitty, Angry Bird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,  Adult Swim, Amazon Lockers and a variety of others will have booths, activities and “experiences” set up.

In short, finding things to do before preview night was simple!  As always San Diego’s Comic-Con International seems to always have something waiting around the corner — even people starting the long weekend off with foam chainsaws and warnings about sharks for Sharknado 2.