Figured it might be fun to make a thread about things from older Gen Cons people miss or reminisce about. For me:
I miss the old TSR castle from Milwaukee. For those who don't know, TSR's booth at Gen Con would be a large fake castle in the center of the exhibit hall. It was a nice centerpiece and easy to orient against, as it was usually visible from basically everywhere. WotC used it for a couple years but it didn't make the move to Indy.
There was a spy-themed restaurant in Milwaukee called Safehouse that was fun to go to. Other dinner options, however, tended to be less good/extant.
Lots of good restaurants in Indy have disappeared over the years- there was a chili place we used to go to every Wednesday before the con, the site of which became Noodles & Company, which is now nothing, I think. Obviously miss the Ram.
I remember when True Dungeon had wooden nickel tokens, and if you spent a certain amount the game creator would dress up like a squire from Monty Python and come on the adventure with you banging coconuts.
I somewhat miss when the exhibit hall was in halls A-E - it was so convenient if you were staying at the Marriot. Just pop across from the skywalk and you're there.
I really miss early exhibit hall access - used to be that press, VIGs, and Trade day people got into the exhibit hall an hour early. It was so convenient to avoid some of the super long lines, and wandering around a much more empty hall had a certain Zen quality.
We used to get media guests of honor - basically an actor sponsored by the con who would sign autographs for an hour or two at no extra cost to the attendees. Used to be some long lines for these people.
Not sure I actually miss swag bags - we used to get a bag full of ads and promos at check in, but honestly most of it ended up in the trash after the con. It was nice getting free stuff, but you'd spend 10 minutes glancing at flyers and opening random boosters from obscure CCGs and that was that.
I still love Gen Con and I have a great time every year. Just thought I'd share some things of days gone by that I miss, and invite others to do the same.