I arrived in ROC early yesterday evening where I conveniently ran into my colleague, Tam, at the airport. We rode together on the hotel shuttle where, just like last year, everyone aboard was attending the conference. All were friendly and in good spirits, as is custom for the folk that attend HighEdWebDev.
The view from the hotel is nice (I’m up high on the 24th floor) and you can see the green trees already peppered with yellow. So far the sky has remained a solid grey and the temps are firmly situated in the high 40s-50s.
Tam and I ventured out last night to The Olive Tree, which I give a 2.5 out of 5 for food and a 4 for ambiance. RocWiki’s claim that it boasts the best Greek in Rochester was surely a disappointment. (Though I can see how the ambiance might make for a glowy review.) I spent the rest of the night making tweaks to my presentation and trying to stay awake until the end of the Red Socks/Indians game. (I didn’t make it.)
My idea for a nice walk + healthy breakfast this morning was thwarted by cold rain and the ease of room service. After breakfast, I’ll head on down to registration and the festivities of the conference will officially begin. Slated for today: Registration, Speaker’s Lunch, Pre-Conference workshop on User-Centered Design: A Hands-On Exploration of Collaborative Techniques by Julie Strothman of Landmark College, and then food and drink with a few hundred web geeks in higher ed.
I’m totally looking forward to it.