Tuesday, June 26

This blog should probably be called PAEMST 2011 even though this event is taking place in 2012.  Oh well, I can't figure out how to edit the title, so here goes! 

We left Madison early this morning and had an uneventful plane ride to Washington, D.C. Took the Metro way ! A 40 lb suitcase on wheels is easier to handle than without wheels, but things were getting a little tense between me and Ron.

We eventually saw the error of our ways and headed back the other direction.  The Willard Intercontinental is a beautiful hotel.  I remember walking past this hotel when I was in DC about 5 years ago for a Chemistry Olympiad meeting.

I unpacked and then we hit the town to do some geocaching and to eventually find some food.  We wandered down Pennsylvania Ave - first towards the White House where we saw the White House Garden and the now non-existent National Christmas Tree. 

We continued our walk in the other direction and I noticed a familiar building in the distance and had to pay homage to my favorite TV series of all time - The X-Files.  Too bad we couldn't take a tour!

After finding a few more caches - including actual, signable ones, we found a restaurant for dinner.  La Tasca serves authentic Spanish tapas.  We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but took the plunge.  (I kept forgetting to take pictures of the food before we started eating!)

A couple more geocaches on the way back to the hotel allowed us to work off some of the delicious food. 

Now I have to do some ironing to get my "business traditional" outfit ready for tomorrow.  What to wear has actually been the most stressful part of planning for this event!  I'm by no means someone a clothes hound! 

Tomorrow - orientation, meet and greet, and professional development session during the day followed by the keynote address in the evening.  I can't wait to get started!