I just returned from Washington, DC after attending a Technology in Education conference. It was a great time. I had the opportunity to meet people, network, and go exploring. The only thing I lost was myself-momentarily. I was surprisingly calm, unfrazzled, and relaxed. I made the conscious decision not to try to do everything and be everywhere. I gave myself permission to take time off, to clear my head, and to take risks. It was well worth it.
Here are some observations about the Capitol city itself, however, as compared to other places I've been.
The Cross Walk Game- alternating between pedestrian lights, walkers criss-cross their way throughout the city without missing a beat. Unlike New York, where people walk out into traffic, and different from NH where drivers are legally obliged to stop for pedestrians on the crosswalk-here in DC, you better get out of the way-especially for drivers turning right!
Power Dressing: Yep, I can never figure out why anyone would want to bring business suits and heels to a summer conference-but I was in the minority in my pedal pushers and cardigan. I guess the J Crew look is fine for the shore, but not for the power meeting. I will give a shout out for my birkies- I walked for miles without a foot ache or a back ache.
iphone Madness- I know it's very cool-but not everyone owns an iphone...yet. If it wasn't tied up with AT&T alot more people would have one..but it was annoying for technology presenters to make the assumption that we all had the toy. This conference was all about the iphone.
On Getting lost: 2 friends, 2 iphones, 2 friends lost-they used their app-they just couldn't read the map. iphone app vs. phone call or text or asking a stranger on the sidewalk?
Doubledecker Tour: A group of guy got on board and came up with a great idea! Serve beer! The tour guide recommended Georgetown, so they got off for a pint and caught the next tour bus that went by.
Record Number of Potties: Seriously-in preparation of July 4th? Or does the Mall always have hundreds of portable toilets lined up ready for action. I counted 2 sets of fifty. I could see several more. Yipes!
The year of the Tweet: It was all about twitter-I missed the tweet-ups where tweeters could meet each other face to face. I almost met a follower, but my tour was running late, so never happened. There were a die hard group of conference tweeters, and it was quite interesting to follow. 36 more followers during the conference...
Capitol Hill Luck: I met people I kind knew, before you knew it, we were off to Capitol Hill in a cab headed for the Library of Congress open house. There we met up with a couple of folks from Manitoba, and upon leaving (in the rain)we decided to grab a bite to eat. We wandered up the hill, and a lovely young teacher approached us and asked if we were looking for a place to eat! How fortuitous! We ended up at the Good Stuff Eatery where Michelle Obama likes her burger. What were the chances of us happening upon a personal restaurant guide on the streets of Capitol Hill at 9:00pm on a rainy Tuesday night!!
Presentation Supplies Needed: Kinkos across from the convention center was completely wiped out-my recommendation? Kinkos should stock up on presentation supplies whenever conferneces are scheduled. Who does the ordering there? You can't sell what you don't have. I woud have died for colored sticky tabs for my conference book.
Crackberry passes the test: I brought my laptop only to find that I, along with thousands of conference attendees could not connect due to a lack of IP addresses. So I ditched the laptop and used my Blackberry to connect, take notes, text and tweet. The only place it didn't work was the blogger's cafe in a world of Apple and iphones-could At & T have had something to do with that? I will continue to hold out for an iphone that does not come bundled with an AT & T contract...
So, Dc was a combination of Boston, Philly and NYC : Historical, metropolitan, multicultural, and artistic-and surprisingly inexpensive. I will go back again-but next time I will take the train and be sure to catch the Red Sox.
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