I was so busy focusing on the prospect of getting all peopled out, that I didn’t think about where I was going! I think that is for the best, because I got to enjoy pleasant surprises on my whole trip.
The minute I got to the New Orleans airport I remembered it just opened yesterday! It had that sorta plasticky “new airport” smell, and it was all shiny. There were zillions of windows everywhere (including the women’s room, which needed more stalls).
And of all things, the baggage claim was pleasant as heck! I loved the mosaics on the walls and the lovely planters with benches all around them.
I waited an hour for a colleague to arrive, and it was really fun. Sadly, the taxi/Uber situation is not so good, and as the day wore on it got harder and harder for people to get transportation out. Luckily, we only had to wait ten or fifteen minutes.
Where I Am
Once I got to the hotel where we are staying, I got more architecture excitement. This Astor Crown Plaza Hotel turns out to have all sorts of twists and turns, including a really cool old part with lots of exposed and painted brick. My friend’s room has a brick wall (ours has a purple wall).
And looking out those windows you can see in the interior rooms the brick that formed old buildings. Lovely.
It’s nicer than I feared it would be, anyway. And I can hear parades and such going by, but we are high enough that we can’t see the street from our room.
We Ate Dinner!
So, our conference started, and our first meal was at Deany’s, which had this lovely private room for us. We had fun decorating for the attendees, and it was a nice dinner. Yeah, I got a bit peopled out, but I lived. All the folks seem to know each other really well, but hey, I know some.
And I already booked myself yet another boat tour of a swamp. That will be #3 for this year.
The Hermits' Rest 