Prolouge
I have been working with my manager on changing my job role at Snowbound. Where I've been focused on the MarCom, and especially writing, side of marketing I will be moving now towards Web Analytics and using our marketing data to determine where our most efficient campaigns are. About a 2 weeks ago I found out about a conference in DC on Web Analytics and pitched it to my manager and CEO.
Chapter 1 - Airplanes
I had planned to leave around Ethan's nap time because he's not been napping lately. He goes down in the car sometimes. So, Mia drove to the airport and Ethan was very cute saying good-bye. He gave me a kiss, then made sure that I gave Mia a kiss.
Then, I found out that United had actually sub-contracted my flight out to US Airways. I was in Terminal C. US Airways flies out of Terminal B. I saw corridors in the Logan Airport that I didn't know existed. The most interesting was a long hallway with artwork along the wall and windows as the other wall, with white, wooden rocking chairs along the entire way. It was a longer walk to the terminal than I expected.
Once in the right terminal, I had to keep walking to a small, little, teensy counter for the 'shuttle' service. After which, security was another joy. I asked the man working the metal detector if it was mandatory that I remove my shoes. I hate doing that in airports. He said "Pretty much" which I take to mean that he didn't want to go through any hassle on his end to do the special test for my shoes.
Finally, I was at my gate, eating Mike & Ike's and waiting for my flight.
Chapter 2 - Nation's Capitol OF FUN!
I landed early in D.C. I called Tyler. He didn't show up until after I was supposed to have landed and would expect him to arrive. Fortunately, when they did arrive they recognized me because I wasn't expecting them to be driving a new car. As I learned when they arrived, they were late because Tyler and Mags had been in a bike accident. Or, more specifically, Maggie's trailer tipped over and she got scraped up by the restraints and a black eye from hitting something (maybe the tire?). Mags was doing alright but she was a little shy.
We drove back to their new apartment. Any by 'new' I mean they haven't been living there for that long. It's smaller than their place in Boston (upstairs) and more expensive. But... at least it's got hard wood floors? And, they're going to try and buy a house in the next year or two so they'll be getting out of there in as short a time as possible.
But, we didn't stay in the house for long because we had an entire city of culture waiting for us. So, Beth and Tyler pooled their collective knowledge of the city to give me a driving tour. (And by collaboration, I mean that Tyler drove and Beth gave directions.) I got to see most of the important buildings (White House... I'm not looking at you) like the Capitol, Washington Monument, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, office building that Beth worked in, and the up-scale McDonald's that doesn't have the arches out front.
Then we parked along the side of the Potomac. I was very impressed with how beautiful the scenery around the city is. After parking, we walked over to the FDR monument (memorial?). It was quite an interesting one. It was more like the FDR experience. They had waterfalls spread throughout with his terms of presidency demarcating the different sections. Then included quotes from him during the term of the time.At one point, there was also a park ranger giving a very, very impassioned presentation about how great a president FDR was, even if you didn't agree with his political views. We had to move on because it was a little overwhelming for us.
Next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. I know that I've been there before. Probably about 15 years ago when my own parents took us to D.C. The Memorial is pretty incredible. I didn't realize how high from the ground the actual monument is. You have to climb up two flights of stairs before you are face to face with the giant statue of the president that kept our country together. On the left side was the Gettysburg Address. On the right side was the inaugural address for his second term. Yes, I know that I didn't link either to Wikipedia, that was intentional.
I have to say that standing at the top of the memorial looking outward over the mall towards the Washington Monument and the Capitol behind that was pretty impressive.We didn't walk all the way up the mall but we did walk along the Vietnam Wall and then over to the Korean War memorial as well. I've been by the Vietnam Wall before but felt inadequate this time as we walked past people that were looking for, or at, specific names on the Wall. I can't even imagine how intimate that must make the thousands of names that are listed there. I'm pretty divorced from the losses of the war but seeing people who were feeling it so closely was sobering.
Chapter 3 - Dinner
Yes, dinner gets it's own chapter. I hadn't really eaten anything since the lunch I had before leaving for the airport. I was hungry and Tyler mentioned that there were plenty of ethnic restaurants in the area. He called his brother to get some recommendations. We decided on Korean BBQ. After driving down there, we discovered that it was in an area with a number of Korean restaurants and suddenly we didn't know which one we were looking for.
Finally deciding on the biggest one with English on the sign (yes, that was a factor) we went inside. The menu only listed noodles and dumplings. That's not what we wanted so we got up to head back out and find the right place. Now, one thing about Korean culture that saved us (foreshadowing) from ourselves was that the waitress didn't just let us go. She saw us through the window and came out to ask why we were leaving.
We told her that we were looking for a place for Korean BBQ. She told us they did have it, just not on their menu. With my (limited) knowledge of Korean food: Pulgogi, Kalbi, Kimch'i, Pibimpap, and Mondoo. We got ourselves an order of Pulgogi and Mondoo.
It was amazing.
This was authentic Korean food (as was evidenced by every other guest in the place was a Korean. It came with Kimch'i, Radish kimch'i, pickled radish, a spicy greens plate, rice, spicy red bean paste, and the lettuce leaves to wrap it all in. And a big plate of beef. It actually took 3 rounds to cook all the meat. Tyler and I didn't think we'd be able to eat it all... but then we did. We wrapped the meat, rice, greens, paste, and garlic in the lettuce and just couldn't stop. When everything was gone, I felt full. Full but not sick, not like when you eat a big meal at an American restaurant.
I even, finally, got up the courage to say "kamsamnida" which means "Thank you." Any of you that know Korean transliteration will have to forgive me if I misspelled that.
Chapter 4 - Triangulating
The next phase of our journey that night was to get some cheesecake to take home to Beth. She looked up a Cheesecake Factory and gave us the directions. Now, normally, I'm pretty useless when it comes to directions. However, 4 years in Boston must be rubbing off on me. We found the Cheesecake Factory through a process of triangulating (read: trial and error). After we realized that the way we were going on a particular road was not inline with the direction we would head back the other way and see if that was any better. After doing this... a few times, we found it. One Key Lime and Chocolate Raspberry Truffle slice later (packed up to go) we headed back out and triangulated our way home. It was an easier process this time.
But, the moral of the story is that having been lost so many times around Boston, I'm no longer afraid of being in an unknown city with no clue about where I am. I was able to participate in the process of getting Tyler back on track. (More foreshadowing.) This is a new skill that I'm going to have to hone.
Chapter 5 - Respecting Triangulation in the Morning
Now, I've known my friend Tyler for a few years now. We lived right next to each other and did quite a bit together. We know each others strengths and weaknesses. With this in mind, when Beth woke up feeling terrible again Sunday morning and said she wasn't coming with us to drop me off at my conference, I expected that we would be doing some more triangulating.
You can see where this is heading. We missed the bridge we were supposed to take into the city because it wasn't named on the signs like it was on Google Maps. We pulled off the highway we were on and broke out the maps. The big map book (which I got lost immediately after opening) went to Tyler and I took the little travel guide with the cartoonish map that didn't label all the street names.
Ironically, I was able to find exactly where we were on that map (or, mostly exact I didn't know if we should turn left or right to get going) and it showed enough of the city to follow the route we needed to get on the street that would take us to the road the hotel was on. We didn't have to triangulate nearly as much this time. Mostly because our turns were through round-abouts so it was fairly easy to keep on track.
Chapter 6 - The Conference
Trust me, this chapter would bore you guys. Let's just say: I came, I learned, I networked.
Chapter 7 - You Can Go Home Again
Ah, home. The dream of weary business travelers everywhere. Alas, my journey to the airport was only the beginning of yet another chapter (pun intended) in my weekend narrative (am I taking this too far?).
Once again I did the ticket counter shuffle down to a tiny little space for the US Airways Shuttle. Fortunately, it was right across the aisle from Legal Seafoods. Not having paid for a meal yet, I decided to use some of my per diem on a good meal before I headed home. In I went and took a seat. Not a seat at the bar, being raised Mormon even sitting at a bar makes me feel awkward, but at a raised table with stools next to the bar. It's a subtle difference, I know.
I sat in the middle to watch the Patriots game and give other people room to sit along the table without pushing past me. I ended up sitting across from a woman who was just coming from Boston (but still traveling before going home). She asked me what was good at Legal and I recommended the Crab Cakes. I had thought about getting them as my meal but coming in at nearly $30 seemed a bit over the top. Since she didn't have any problem with spending her per diem, she ordered a crab cake appetizer and we split it.
Now, for those of you who have not been to the East Coast, there is a split. Further south is crab country. Maryland is famous for its crab. I lived there for a year. Further north is lobster country. Maine is famous for its lobster. I've lived in Boston for 4 years.
But, when it comes to which shellfish I prefer to boil, crack open, and pick the tender flesh from, I will choose crab every time. And the crab cakes at Legal Seafood are excellent.
My flight out of DC ended up being a little late. But not late enough to make me miss my flight to Boston. Good thing too, I was on the last shuttle flight from NY to Boston. And, finally, I wasn't sitting at the window of a full row. I was on the aisle and there was a woman by the window. We were both reading during the delay (yep, again) before take-off and then as we climbed to our cruising height, for our 35 minute flight.
After getting into the air, she put her book away and I asked what she had been reading, highlighting, and writing notes on the blank pages at the front/back. It was "Becoming a Confident Woman through Christ." I on the other hand had been reading "Marketing to the Social Web." We started talking about religion, she was middle-eastern racially but raised Baptist. She had a bunch of questions about Mormons, why we believe in scripture and prophets beyond the Bible and if we believe in Christ. We had a good conversation, I think we both learned some interesting things. She was only 23 but for the last 3 or 4 years had been spending a week each year doing some religious service. I think it's great that other religions get their youth involved in those activities.
Unfortunately, I had given out all my business cards already so didn't have anything on-hand that I could give her. Well, maybe it's a seed anyway.
And then, finally, I arrived home and went to bed.
Epilogue
:'-(
