Yep. That's right. Playing "Pokémon GO" at Comic-Con may be better than playing in New York City.
That's saying something because if you live in or around New York City, you know it looks like this on a daily basis:
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
Pokéstops for days. (Forgive me. This image is back from when I was a wee level 13.)
And no matter what day or time of the week, you can always count on hundreds of people gathering together outside the southeast entrance to Central Park where five Pokéstops are conveniently located atop one another. There's always a lure module attached to each and it's quite the Poké haven.
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
Kirsten Acuna/Tech Insider
This picture doesn't do the scene justice. But imagine hundreds of people hanging around. Every. Waking. Moment.
You may even get Justin Bieber (the self-proclaimed rarest Pokémon of them all) or John Mayer show up to try and catch 'em all too. The only time you have to leave is for sleep, to recharge your phone and external battery pack, or for work.
And while I've begun to exhaust the selection of Pokémon up for grabs around Central Park and New York City - I'm currently at level 19 and have caught 83 different types of Pokémon - I figured it couldn't get any better than that.
Oh how I was wrong.
Welcome to San Diego where the Pokéstops are plentiful and the lure modules go on as far as the eye can see.
I'm visiting this week with my colleague Melia Robinson for the annual pop culture and comic book convention and in between snapping photos, running around from panel to panel, and scooping up some swag, we've been trying to fit in some "Pokémon GO." (It comes in hand when you're waiting in line!)
While the Pokéstop situation is a gold mine in New York City as well, the real plus to playing "Pokémon GO" at the Con is the selection of Pokémon themselves.
Here's a look at what I've caught since I've been here Wednesday afternoon:
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
An Onyx, guys. An Onyx! (Don't mind the Pidgey.)
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
I'm pretty sure Growlithe run this town.
And here are some Pokémon we've been coming across.
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
Sure, Pidgey are still plentiful, but there are more uncommon Pokémon - or uncommon to NYC from my experience - in the mix.
After chatting with some fellow Pokémon trainers from across the nation at the convention, the consensus is that San Diego has some pretty uncommon Pokémon.
Cubone, Machop, Clefairy, Ryhorn, Sandshrew, and Growlithe are all pretty common to see in downtown San Diego. Vulpix has been floating around but has evaded me. I scooped up my first Onyx Thursday afternoon along with a Graveler. A Charmeleon (the evolution of Charmander) even popped up on my radar at one point, but because of that three-step glitch I had no idea how far, or in what direction, he was.
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
Just a typical day in downtown San Diego.
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
We haven't found any big Pokémon gatherings like the one in NYC I've grown accustomed to yet; however, we still have a few days left to go (and we're also on a tight schedule that makes playing "Pokémon GO" a little more challenging).
Niantic/The Pokémon Company
Look at all those lure mods just waiting for us.
By the time Monday rolls around and lure mods pack up and disappear along with the over 135,000 or so people at the convention hall, Pokémon'ing may not be as fun. But for now, in between panels and capturing cosplay photos, we're going to try and catch 'em all.