There is so much that I want to write about BlogHer '13 that I just don't know where to start. The five days I spent in Chicago were amazing. Not one person made a negative comment about being a blogger or having a blog. Everyone wanted to talk blogs -- one of my favorite things to talk about. And everyone was obsessed with their phone.
These were my people. For real. I haven't felt that included in a long time. Ok, quick recap of my time:
Travel: My Amtrak train was super delayed on Wednesday, so I ended up having to take a charter bus to Chicago. It wasn't great, but it wasn't the worst. At least I made it to Chicago in time to hang out with Jayne and Drea before the conference madness started.
On the way home, Sunday, I actually got to take the train, and let me tell you, that's a classy way to travel. It was fun, roomy and smooth.
Hotel/Conference Center: We stayed at the Hyatt which was attached to the conference center, McCormick Place. Both were super nice. All the staff was so helpful and polite. Despite the fact that there were something like 5,000 bloggers, I never felt crowded or cramped and I really never stood in a line -- pretty impressive.
Parties: I went to several of BlogHer's official parties, and quite honestly, I was underwhelmed at some, had a great time at others. I think I was just expecting drunken wildness of Sparklecorn's past, but that really wasn't my experience. The events were smaller, low key, and kind of under-attended compared with the things going on during the day.
Sessions: These were kind of like the parties -- some were really good, others were really bad. And, its not that they were "bad" just that they were way to basic for me. This is not a HUGE blog, but I have been around for awhile and {thanks to my lovely and amazing readers} I have a following. I sort of felt stuck like the beginner track classes were too basic for me, but the advanced were maybe a little too advanced. I have another post soon about more specifics on the sessions.
Friends: My favorite part! The people! Again, I've "known" many of these people for years, and its crazy to actually have met them in real life.
Outfits: I changed more times during the conference than I would normally in two weeks. For real, it was amazing and ridiculous at the same time.
Swag: And because I always like to know...
Stay tuned for more BlogHer '13 specifics over the next few weeks!
