Nancy's New York Adventure, Part 3

Howdy!

Leslie and I are here, having a late, lazy morning. We're recovering, a little before heading out to sight see. It's a cloudy and (by my standards) cool day with a chance of some rain showers. As long as it doesn't rain too hard, I should be able to use the scooter to get places.

Last night, we went to dinner at an Irish pub. We had decided that the crowds of Blogher women were a little were a little overwhelming, and it was time for a quieter get away. Turns out, we couldn't go very far, as my scooter needed charging (my fault, I didn't do it the night before). We did cause some comment from one jerk as we entered. Seems not many red haired fat girls on red scooters come driving into the door.

It was wonderful! We had a Guinness (my first, not bad!) and ordered. When it arrived, a guy came over to ask what it was we were having. We invited him to join us, and started talking.

Turns out he was in town overnight, working for an Delta. We had a nice long chat and it was interesting to compare notes with him. He finished his dinner and we said our good-byes. We gave him our cards and he's promised to read our blogs.

After he left, we met some ladies, and discovered that they, too, were refugees from the crowds at Blogher. Comparing notes, it turned out that we had a lot in common. We were close in age and were having the same issues with the conference.

This was a good conference, all in all. The events were well done and the variety of classes and learning opportunities were great. Problem was, a lot of everything from the sponsors to the whole tenor of the events seemed to be geared towards one demographic: young Mommy Bloggers.

Now, understand. I admire Mommy Bloggers. They are funny, smart and doing a tough and vital thing, raising children is not for the faint of heart or easily frightened. I love reading their posts and love laughing and crying with them at the things kids can do.

It's just that, well... not all of us are Mommy Bloggers.

More about this, later.

New York Adventure, Part 2

So, we've done the Circle line tour (Thursday evening), walked across Broadway, enjoyed meeting new blog people and Oh, will I have some blog reading to do! The hotel is beautiful, and the meetings were informative.

I do have a complaint, however.

It's the exhibition hall. There are actually 2 of them, full of sponsors who want to give me lovely things. I got my make up done by Debra Masey last night, folks! And she asked me about butterflies.. and is going to tweet my answer... I looked MARVELOUS!

However. It's the 2nd level that is the problem. See, you have to get there by going up an escalator. I'm in a scooter this year, renting one because the wheel chair is a little hard to roll over carpeting, and I don't want to make Leslie's life any harder than it has to be. .. (ya'll, she's a fierce advocate to have on your side. And a master pathway opener. I can GET places with her in front of me...)

Anyway. We were looking for a way to get up to the 2nd level. We tried the main elevators, but it was a matter of "you can't get there from here, because there isn't really PART of here". (Complicated, I know, but it seems, technically, the exhibition hall is actually part of a second building. A different address...) We finally went down to the front desk to ask for help.

After explaining the problem to some blank faces... honestly...one of them kept repeating that all we had to do was go up the escalator, ignoring the fact that a scooter...doesn't do escalators well....after we got them to understand the problem, we had a nice gent volunteer to leave his post and show us a way to get there.

Thus began our trek.

Trek, you ask?

Yes, a trek.

We left the hotel.

We walked up the street for about half a block and went into a loading dock, and up a ramp. From there, we got into a freight elevator, with lots of other freight, junk, chairs, tables, a piano, and the garbage. Yes, the GARBAGE.

We went up a couple of levels and our intrepid guide indicated when we passed the first level of the exhibition hall..."You can come back to there from this elevator and then be in the rest of the hotel," he said.

"Ya huh," I thought, "If we can find someone to let us on..." The prospects didn't seem good. I began to worry a little about how we'd get back. Leslie was sure we'd manage. The look on her face promised that, if a way didn't NOW exist. It would by the time she was finished. I felt a lot more confident.

When the elevator lurched to a stop, and the huge door slid back, our guide had to stop the other hotel personnel from throwing...errr... loading.... more of the garbage that had been collected from the exhibition hall onto the elevator. They had to clear a small pathway to let me drive the scooter out and into the hall.

We didn't get to spend long in the hall, as our journey had taken some time to accomplish and we wanted to attend the next class session. Also, we were pretty sure there was a good chance getting downstairs might be a little...complicated.

We first had to try to find someone who would admit to the existence of the freight lift. It was, it seems a secret passage, known to only the hotel personnel, and to be protected from the untrustworthy eyes of guests...who were to assume, I suppose, that the garbage, furniture and other amenities sprang to and from the hall by magical means.

When we did, we got a somewhat pleasant surprise. It seems there is a SECOND secret passage way! And it is accomplished by going down one level on an older elevator, one that is obviously used by the hotel personnel to transport more savory items than the garbage. It was a step up...figuratively speaking....

We're going to go back up to the 2nd level, later today. The swag possibilities are a seductive draw....

Besides... we've found two of the secret passages, who knows? There might be more.

Nancy's New York Adventure.. Part 1

I'm here in New York, New York! Pinch me!

OUCH... dang, y'all are literal.

Fausta and Mamacita. I got to meet and visit with these lovely ladies last year and am thrilled to have a chance to hang out again with them. I met some new people as well.

Just for the record, the internet here is supposed to be free wireless.. so far everyone has had a dickens of a time getting online at all, and the speed is a little slow. I however, have not had that problem. Why? Well, see, my wireless card in my computer is not working right now. I am using my Verizon wireless connection. Verizon, I love you. (No, I wasn't paid for that opinion.)

What service do you use and how would you review it?