As a member of the N-Sider LA team for this year's E3 coverage (and, subsequently, a member of the "I took my finals a week early and lived to tell the tale" team), I was able to visit both the LACC and Kodak Theatre to do a little behind-the-scenes research. What did I discover? Keep reading to find out.

First of all, let me just say that pictures and video of the venue don't really do it justice -- this thing is huge. If a Walmart Supercenter and Tamba Bay Stadium had a baby (yup... I just assigned natural functions of the living to inanimate objects), it'd probably look alot like the Los Angeles Convention Center. That said, it was a bit intimidating to see the sun eclipsed by its massive front before I was even on the same block.

As I approached the front entrance I was met by a group of contracters. My first thought was that they'd seen me taking pictures and had decided to use their lunch break pounding my camera into the concrete.

C'mon, guys; first one to split the CCD gets a slice of pizza on me!

But that wasn't the case at all. In fact, they were very nice people, and just happened to be the team solely responsible for setting up Nintendo's show-floor equipment -- this covered everything from posters to kiosks, according to their lead guy. Unfortunatly, they were pretty tight-lipped regarding the specifics of said units.

I managed to get inside and see how work was progressing for the show -- pretty exciting. G4 TV's micro-studio on the left... okay, that's cool -- why are there 5 or 6 manikins just chillin' outside their booth? Your guess is as good as mine. At least they're wearing clothes.

A stack of flight-cases with the words "NEC 50-INCH PLASMA" stenciled on the sides... that's always cool. They could show a 72-hour marathon of Con Air on those things and I'd be happy to watch it.

Ah, here we go; there's a... no, wait -- that's just someone coming to kick me out. I won't have my press-badge until the rest of our team arrives on Monday. Rats.

After getting an advance taste of E3 at the convention center, I figured I'd cruise over to the Kodak Theatre and see what was cooking there.

Yet, much to my surprise, one wouldn't know anything was happening at all on May 9th if they didn't follow the biz -- the information office denied any knowledge of Nintendo having a press conference on Tuesday.

"Something like that would probably be happening in the Renaissance hotel, actually; you might wanna' check there", they said.

Wow.

I walked outside after grabbing a few pamphlets and continued down the street toward the Chinese Theater -- I'd always wanted to see the star's handprints, after all -- when I saw something interesting:

Keep in mind: this is written on a sign directly across the street from the Kodak Theatre. Coincidence? Viral marketing scheme? A simple gesture to the many fans and professionals who've followed this system from conception to product? I aimed to find out.

It was almost completely dark in the Roosevelt hotel. This is a very upper-class establishment, you see -- everyone's dressed like they're going to the Academy Awards -- and if you're caught so much as looking like you'd have a problem pulling out Ben Franklins to tip the concierge, they'll likely lynch you in the piano bar for the sake of entertaining wealthier guests. I had a camera around my neck; that was probably my only escape.

After finding my way to the front desk and speaking with a "customer service professional" about the message on their sign (among other things), I was able to confirm that Nintendo would indeed have a "strong executive presence at the hotel throughout next week".

Interesting.

I guess it's worth noting that after digging a bit further, I was able to uncover the fact that this particular hotel (as well as partnering Thompson hotels in Soho, New York City and Seattle) offers a Nintendo game service in every room.

Stay tuned to N-Sider for all E3-related news as it breaks.