San Diego’s annual Comic-Con begins tomorrow (actually, preview night begins tonight but that’s for the über-IMPORTANT nerds), so over a hundred thousand fans will be flocking to the streets of downtown San Diego to catch sneak peeks of movies and video games, gawk at celebs, and attend panels for their favorite shows and movies. As a Comic-Con alumni and cocktail waitress at one of the many bars in the area (I’m not telling you which one, Murdery McRapistMoustache), I have seen three years of Comic-Con shenanigans, and consider myself to have enough experience to share some wisdom with potential visitors. Here are BCU’s top 5 tips for a fool-proof Comic-Con.

1) Pack water, light colored shirts, and sunscreen

The weather is set to be a comfortable 75 this weekend in San Diego (u jelly, Midwest?), but that doesn’t mean that temps couldn’t soar into the 80s during the day. For all you cave-dwellers (I mean that in the nicest sense), you’ll want to lather up in sunscreen to protect your fragile skin for the powerful rays of the sun. And as much as I know you love that Slayer shirt, I promise you that sticking to something white or at least light gray will keep you from accumulating sweat in the crease between your back and neck which is totally the grossest place to accumulate sweat. Oh, and bring water bottles. There is a CVS on the corner of 6th and Market where you can stock up so you can stay hydrated without getting price-gouged. The last thing we need is a 250 pound dude passing out like a swooning princess in a hotel lobby.

2) Time your day correctly

I know you guys are some of the most patient people in the world, seeing as you don’t mind waiting for hours just to sit for another hour in a panel for Game of Thrones. However, the restaurants, stores, and attractions nearby will have lines, and you will likely wait upwards of an hour to get a table at a restaurant, especially in the middle of the day. So make sure you plan accordingly. The last thing you want is to have to run to the convention center in the hot sun to see the new Dark Knight preview after cramming a burrito down your gullet because you waited too long for lunch. Plan ahead!

3) Transportation

Parking becomes a contact sport this weekend, with precious few spots valued at over $20 a day. So if you’re staying nearby, skip car rental altogether, stay downtown for the weekend, and walk. Or if you’re really lazy, take a cab. We also have a trolley that goes inland from downtown, but its reliability is akin to a heroin addict who swears he’ll show up for the intervention this time, seriously dude. No offense to San Diego MTS, but the trolley is a dump. Also, we have an ARMY of pedi-cabs in San Diego, mostly driven by beautiful men and women from Eastern Europe, but for the price and amount of time it will take their legs to get you anywhere, you might as well hail a good ol’ fashioned automobile.

4) Check out Happy Hours

If you’re over 21, San Diego hosts some of the greatest nightlife around. It can, however, get pricey, and I know you want to spend most of your money of Comic-Con swag. So check out KingOfHappyHour.com, or use an app like Yelp! to find the best Happy Hours in the area. Some of my favorites: La Puerta, Taste and Thirst, Rockin’ Baja, and The Local.

5) CLEAN UP.

This one goes out to all the men attending Comic-Con this year (and I suppose some ladies too). San Diego has some of the most beautiful eligible bachelorettes in the the world. They will likely be your servers, bartenders, cocktail waitresses, hostesses, hotel concierges and more. Assuming you are staying in a hotel and not in a cardboard box on the street, there is no reason for you not to hop in the shower at least once a day, put on a new shirt, and maybe brush your teeth. You never know if you’re gonna meet a hot lady while on vacation, but you definitely won’t if you’ve rolled out of bed and onto the street in the same gear everyday for three days with the taste of sleep and Mountain Dew on your mouth. Not cute.

With these tips in hand, you should be set to have a great weekend in the greatest city in the world. Oh, and if anyone sees a hot single male celebrity, feel free to send him my way and don’t you dare tell him about my Harry Potter, um… hobby.

Image via Kotaku