Up @ 5.00 am having spent the night at my friend's house at NYMA. In her SUV I clutched fresh-brewed coffee, through downtown Cornwall on Hudson and along twisting country roads passing deer quietly grazing. In no time we were at Stewart airport where I made my way to the Delta desk but somehow joined the US Airways queue! I rectified my mistake before I missed my flight and tried out my basic Polish with the polite Delta ground staff who was from Poland.
On the first flight met a lovely young woman who works for Community Action and was also going to a conference. In Atlanta I shared my left over celery sticks with Mercedes, also on her way to SLA. Our flight was delayed about an hour for maintenance. I am always happier to have problems resolved before we board. I discovered the PAM chair boarding the New Orleans flight whom I first met at SLA Seattle in 1997 or so. We sat together and I cribbed from her PAM dance card.
I made my way to the hotel using the easy Airport Shuttle where I met a lovely NLM trainer who telecommutes from New England. The hotel is a charming converted coffee warehouse in the Warehouse District and very distinctive. One distinction is that the huge bedroom with 2 queen beds and hardwood, creaky floors, has no window to the outside! I decided I don't mind since blinds are always drawn here to keep out the heat.
The convention centre was a very hot few blocks away where I collected my badge and registered for the Katrina tour.
Back at the hotel even more wiped out from the heat I did wonder why the digital alarm clock was an hour earlier than my watch but since I was ready for dinner made my way to Liborio's Cuban Restaurant to join the PAM earlybird dinner. The restaurant was closed and no-one from PAM was in sight. Eventually the penny dropped. New Orleans is not in the same time zone as New York! Meanwhile a thunderstorm or 2 passed through but I stayed dry in the rain cape I'd borrowed that morning. I gently explored the nearby streets where I found that the Bar Association occupies the old Soule College building. Nearby was the Hale Boggs Federal building - a name which would make any Scot smile at the sound of it.
New Orleans rain is like a shower in a sauna but passes quickly as did the extra hour and I found PAM and Khue Duong who allowed me to join the dinner party last minute. I met Lance Utley whom I know from his free materials offering on PAM and sat near Kathleen Robertson from Hawaii whom I know from Calgary, Pete Banholzer from NASA Goddard and Judy Tripplehorn from Fairbanks. Next to me was July from AIP who tested her survey on me while we waited for dinner. The restaurant seemed overwhelmed by us, the paella was mediocre, but the caparhina was fine! It took ages for our bill to appear and then ages for people to reconcile their share. I was too tired. An unfortunate end to a fine gathering. Good job PAM and Khue for co-ordinating a good evening bar some minor glitches.
And so ended my first day. Later I heard PAM carried on to Bourbon St but I needed sleep.
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