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Noreascon day -1
Sep. 1st, 2004 05:44 pmSo in the middle of the day before the con for us.
Where said day has been going on for about 48 hours.
Suffice it to say that Monday and Tuesday were pretty rough work- and personal-wise so there wasn't a lot of sleep there. At 9:00 pm yesterday![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kproche and I hopped on an airport shuttle to catch the 10:50 PM to Boston. Boarding was about to start when the gate agent announced
We've got some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that this plane is being taken out of service. The good news is that we've got another plane at gate 15 which will be your flight to Boston. The bad news is that if you were planning to depart from gate 15 to Las Vegas, your flight has been canceled, and you will be rebooked on the next available flight. Minor delays, but only minor.
The red-eye to the east coast is no worse than staying up until 4:00 AM packing and catching a shuttle at 6:00 AM to get to the airport. Better, in that we got to the hotel by 8:30 AM, tho our room wasn't available until 2:30-ish.
The Marriott, btw, is most excellent. Rooms aren't big, but the staff is great. We've got a 36th floor room with a view of the Charles River and Cambridge. Broadband isn't free ($10/day) but when you buy it your room also gets unlimited local and (US) long-distance telephone service. Lobby is comfortable and welcoming, and has a nice lounge area. Much better than the Sheraton lobby (which looks like a very nice old train-station ticketing area; dark wood, efficient for checking in, but no classy lounge and not too cozy). Restaurants are pricey, but good and varied. Hotel bar looks nice.
Our FedEx crates are not in yet, and according to FedEx may not be in until Friday. I'm hoping that this is a conservative estimate rather than a precise one; the tracking hasn't been updated since our packages left Sacto on Saturday. We can make it to Friday without them, but it'll be a hassle. Among other things, one crate is costumes for the exhibit hall, and it would be nice to get them up tomorrow.
It's a short walk through the Prudential Center Mall to get to the Hynes, not as short a distance as MilPhil or ChiCon2k, but buckets less than ConJose or TorCon 2.
As for Noreascon itself?
The Hynes Convention Center is doing its best to look like it's not open, but it is. Registration was open in Hall A when we came by at 10:00 AM, and other than a shortage of restaurant guides (not the absence, just a shortage) was smooth as glass. Program participant check-in wasn't open 'til noon-ish, but it did open, and was ready to hand out packets. Member services/help desk/troubleshooting table was up and doing its job. Information table was up and doing its job. The space is a bit messy, but it's fully operational and has been for a while.
We've already run into numerous friends Bay Area, Boston and worldwide, and finally got some naptime in. It may be time to head out and be social soon.
Where said day has been going on for about 48 hours.
Suffice it to say that Monday and Tuesday were pretty rough work- and personal-wise so there wasn't a lot of sleep there. At 9:00 pm yesterday
kproche and I hopped on an airport shuttle to catch the 10:50 PM to Boston. Boarding was about to start when the gate agent announcedWe've got some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that this plane is being taken out of service. The good news is that we've got another plane at gate 15 which will be your flight to Boston. The bad news is that if you were planning to depart from gate 15 to Las Vegas, your flight has been canceled, and you will be rebooked on the next available flight. Minor delays, but only minor.
The red-eye to the east coast is no worse than staying up until 4:00 AM packing and catching a shuttle at 6:00 AM to get to the airport. Better, in that we got to the hotel by 8:30 AM, tho our room wasn't available until 2:30-ish.
The Marriott, btw, is most excellent. Rooms aren't big, but the staff is great. We've got a 36th floor room with a view of the Charles River and Cambridge. Broadband isn't free ($10/day) but when you buy it your room also gets unlimited local and (US) long-distance telephone service. Lobby is comfortable and welcoming, and has a nice lounge area. Much better than the Sheraton lobby (which looks like a very nice old train-station ticketing area; dark wood, efficient for checking in, but no classy lounge and not too cozy). Restaurants are pricey, but good and varied. Hotel bar looks nice.
Our FedEx crates are not in yet, and according to FedEx may not be in until Friday. I'm hoping that this is a conservative estimate rather than a precise one; the tracking hasn't been updated since our packages left Sacto on Saturday. We can make it to Friday without them, but it'll be a hassle. Among other things, one crate is costumes for the exhibit hall, and it would be nice to get them up tomorrow.
It's a short walk through the Prudential Center Mall to get to the Hynes, not as short a distance as MilPhil or ChiCon2k, but buckets less than ConJose or TorCon 2.
As for Noreascon itself?
The Hynes Convention Center is doing its best to look like it's not open, but it is. Registration was open in Hall A when we came by at 10:00 AM, and other than a shortage of restaurant guides (not the absence, just a shortage) was smooth as glass. Program participant check-in wasn't open 'til noon-ish, but it did open, and was ready to hand out packets. Member services/help desk/troubleshooting table was up and doing its job. Information table was up and doing its job. The space is a bit messy, but it's fully operational and has been for a while.
We've already run into numerous friends Bay Area, Boston and worldwide, and finally got some naptime in. It may be time to head out and be social soon.
