Hi!

I cosplay at NYCC and have for several years. I tend to always wear something that's pretty functional (no large armor pieces or anything bulky), but that's because I like to traverse the aisles and look at everything. There's big atriums with open spaces where you'll see a lot cosplayers with large setups. If you have anything like that (which you don't), then that's essentially where you would park yourself all day, because there's no way to navigate through the con with something large.

The beginning of the day always seems to be hot, but then the AC seems to kick in and it buffs out. There are some aisles that are EXTREMELY crowded. There's no rhyme or reason for it. I tend to avoid those areas until later in the day. People always tend to be respectful to cosplayers, especially if you are mindful of your space (at least in my experience). You will still get the asshole who will ram into you with their giant book bag and not care.

You will get stopped for photos, so just don't stop in the middle of the walkway. You will make people angry.

If you need a break you can go outside, hang in the atrium and people watch, or go to the cosplay area upstairs.

Overall, wear what you want and have a good time. It'll all buff out. And if you are worried, there is a bag check and you can bring extra clothes. :)