BlogHer10 Recap: Part One

This time last week we were getting ready to return to Virginia. I can't believe it's been a week since blogher10, but the events are fresh in my mind. I had such a wonderful time in nyc, I'm not sure where to start.

We arrived in Times Square Thursday afternoon about an hour and a half before check-in. We spotted a Vietnamese restaurant on the same street as our hotel. Vietnamese is one of our favorite ethnic foods, Josh always gets pho bo and I always get grilled pork vermicelli with nuac chom sauce. So good. After eating we noticed that there was a hotel lobby joining the restaurant and thought for a second it might be our hotel, The Best Western Presidential Hotel. The lobby was modern, with giant lamps and fish tanks. Dark purple couches and and white lacquer tables. Straight out of clockwork orange. This couldn't be our hotel, it was too nice. We placed our reservation just the night before at about $135 a night and this hotel is not a $135 a night hotel. So we headed out. And just to make sure I asked the doorman "is this the best western?" and he replied "yes, of course."

What? Score!

We checked into the JFK room (equally as nice and quiet) and got ready for the OpenSky party in Union Square. Guess what? I have an OpenSky store opening this week. We arrived two hours too soon and decided to just walk around and check out all of the shops while we killed time. This included two visits to stationery shops and a look at the kittens at Pet Smart.

At 6pm we headed to the party which was located on 18th st. in a narrow building, housing what I assume, other start-ups and hip overachievers. We were checked off the list and ushered into what is a giant loft of an office. "They must be doing pretty well" the first thing Josh says. The office is made up of sectionals and open desk areas, glass offices, and drink stations were everywhere. Buckets filled with ice and beer, and two tables set up with bartenders for wine. Waiters serving mini lobster rolls, sliders, pizza, chicken satay and cookies.

Let me just say that this party was awkward with a capital A. I honestly thought it would be a sort of meet and greet.  Where the OpenSky team would chitchat with us about our blogs and OpenSky, or at least a speech, an introduction...something...anything! But in reality, it was a party for OpenSky and the rest of us were there to fend for ourselves. Thank goodness Josh was with me. We stood in a corner talking for about an hour. And then decided to move to another spot of the office to shake things up. This is where we met Nicole from Tea For Me Please, she was wondering around the office, looking just as lost as we did. So we bonded over free drinks and the same look of "what the heck is this all about?". We stayed, drinking, chatting and sitting on employee desks until the caterers left the party was down to just a handful of people. So we teetered back to the hotel.

Friday morning I got up just in time to walk to the Hilton and make it to the first session. A walk that should have been only 6 blocks, ended up being about 10-15 because Broadway was messing me up and I'm directionally challenged. When I finally arrived I was a sweaty mess, and ended up chatting with a Bonnie from Coachmup while catching my breath and drinking water.

I made my way to the kickoff ceremony and then feeling lost made may way to the expo hall for enough time to freak out by all the people and companies.  I was 15 minutes late to my first session, Passions: Gen Y Passionistas-Making your passion "work" for you hosted by Jenn Korducki and Jill Felska. Two twenty-something women with their own social networking start-up. The session was interesting, they spoke a lot about taking the leap from being an employee to being self-employed. One of them even said that she had about $29 dollars in the bank when she quit her job. I felt Suze Orman quivering.

I managed to ask a question of my own. I was extremely nervous and felt that I was going to burst right out of my seat when the microphone was handed to me. Who was this lady speaking out loud? Where did this confident voice come from? Before I had a chance to drop everything and run out I was saying "do you have any advice for someone with multiple business interests? I have individual names for all of my ventures and I'm wondering how to combine them into one entity or if I should just leave them separately" I may have mentioned everything from blogging, to catering, to graphic design to photography and maybe even, dare I say...writing. They gave me the best advice they could come up with, "do the one thing that makes you the happiest", "what if they all make me happy?" "then work on them at different times at the year".

That is when Roni got the microphone and said that she too has many interests and business ventures and she believes this makes her more marketable. A couldn't agree more.  Another lady suggest a book for me about renaissance women which I cannot for the life of me remember the title. Anyone know?

After the session ends I head for lunch where I have the pleasure I meeting Camille, Rachel and Zandria. I find it interesting how easy it is to talk to almost anyone at BlogHer. You can sit at a table with total strangers, yet it is like these women are your friends. You already have a common denominator which makes the process much easier.

Here I am with Camille:

I'm certain this is not the most flattering picture of me, but she looks cute so I had to share. Her blog is candid and hilarious. I envy her ability to portray stories with humor without "haha" or smiley faces unlike some lady we all know.

Here is Rachel:

Not sure which camera I'm looking. Rachel lives in Park Slope, she is energetic and is super creative. Once you get to her site, you'll see way.

After lunch I headed to the expo hall to collect so much stuff that I nearly break my shoulders carrying it all. I really should learn to say "no thank you", but even though I felt that I was being more selective than the year before I still ended up with so much swag that I had to leave a lot in the hotel to just get on the plane.  I stay at the expo hall until the afternoon break and head downstairs for a small sandwich and soda.

The final session was Writing Lab: Good Blog Design: The Role of Layout in Blog Design. Grace Bonnie was one of the session panelists and I couldn't have been more excited. Grace is behind designsponge.com a visually inspiring blog that I've been following for years. This session was so informative (www.cssstypeset.com who knew?) and inspired me to work on a new "look" for my blog, twitter and soon-to-be facebook page.

After the session ended I headed to the main ballroom for the keynote speakers and then attended the small concert to see Greyson Michael Chance perform. The 12 year old made famous by his cover of Lady GaGa's Papparazzi. He was so cute, one of the girls next to me said "this kid just ruined it for my future children" I had to laugh, because it was truly refreshing to see someone so young write music .

I have to admit feeling incredibly silly having my picture taken with him. When in reality I wanted to take him home and save him from LA and fame and all of these women closing in on him.

I ended the evening chatting with Zandria at the cocktail party. She is frank and intelligent, I enjoyed our chat about small town life (she lives in DC, but grew up in a rural Virginia), marriage and children. Josh met me in the lobby to help me carry everything back to the hotel before heading out for drinks with our friends Steve and Brooke who were in town from Austin.

Part two is coming tomorrow...