As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m in full prep mode for the RWA National Conference in NYC June 27 – July 1, 2011. I’m gonna be rooming with my chapter mate, YA author Micki Gibson, at the beautiful Le Marquis Marriott, overlooking Times Square.
Now, kids, I am as Southern as they come. Atlanta and New Orleans are pretty much all the big city I need. But I have raised two teenage GLEEKs who are crazy mad for drama and musical theatre. My girls have been to NYC lots of times, with Dear Hubs, their godfather, drama troupes, and anyone else who offered them a plane ticket. I have spent a grand total of eight hours in the city, back when I was a college student, on my way to and from Israel. The highlight of my visit was when the Air Traffic Controllers strike rerouted me from JFK to Newark, and I had to find my way unassisted to the wilds of New Jersey. Needless to say, there was little in the way of sightseeing that trip!
So my girls are eagerly giving me advice about the things one absolutely must do on a trip to NYC, while I am looking at the RWA calendar and seeing no free time at all. I want to attend two or three sessions simultaneously every day of the conference. If you hear a news report about a woman whose head explodes in the middle of the Marquis meeting rooms, you’ll know it was me! There’s just more to do than can ever be done, to quote The Lion King.
I’ve been rabidly following the RWA – PRO loops, which have been chock full of advice about everything from perfect pitches to travel arrangements, but I’m sure I’m missing something. I found out I should take prepaid USPS boxes to ship my new books home, pack a power strip so we can recharge all our electronics, build in some down time (yeah, right!) and wear comfortable shoes.
What else? As a double virgin (first real trip to NYC, first RWA National), I have no clue what I’m doing here. What’s your best advice to a nervous newbie?
Arabella Stokes 