My first business trip!

I've been a working professional for over ten years, and I finally got to take my first business trip! I work at a software company large enough to have offices all over the world, so I've grown used to having relationships based solely on e-mail, video chat, and telephone. Back in November, I mentioned to my boss, Judy, that I'd like someday to meet everyone face-to-face. I'm the only writer in Salt Lake; sometimes it gets lonely. Judy's response was that she wanted the same thing and was planning a workshop/conference to accomplish just that!

I flew to New York City first some fun with friends and to see the Broadway shows. I'm glad I did the fun part first, 'cause I was exhausted by the end. I was almost disappointed I couldn't go home...

...The day I spent travelling from New York City to Washington D.C. did NOT get me pumped up for the business part of the trip. I packed the night before so I could get up early and have plenty of time to find Pennsylvania Station and board the train to D.C. I was sad to say good-bye to Kristen and Theresa. Kristen reviewed the subway map with me to help me figure out how to get there. That didn't keep me from getting my suitcase stuck in the turnstile (I'd managed to keep my purse and computer bag free), forcing me to back out and buy another ticket because the machine wouldn't let me use my unlimited pass again (it was trying to keep me from letting multiple people in with one pass). Then I got on the wrong train and ended up in Queens. Then I walked a block on the wrong direction looking for my connecting train. Then I had to ask a bunch of people where the Amtrak trains were. I made it safely to the train, and panicked when they started listing a bunch of stops that didn't include D.C. I asked the lady next to me where we were headed, and burst into tears when she said "Newport, Virginia." Turns out, it was a commuter train that made a lot of stops, including Washington D.C. What can I say? I was tired! Next time I take a train I'll have a better idea of what I'm doing and hopefully enjoy it more.

Isn't Union Station lovely? It was so grand and spacious!

I decided to forgo the underground in D.C. since I just wanted to get to my hotel, so I hailed a taxi to take me to the suburb where my hotel was located. Of course I got a driver who wasn't familiar with the suburb. We tried to use my GPS to find it, but I kept losing the signal. After an hour and $80 we finally made it.

At least I got a lovely drive-by of the Washington Memorial!

The Lincoln Memorial

I wasn't prepared for my accommodations in Virginia. I'd claimed the rollaway bed in our tiny room in NYC. My room in Virginia was definitely a suite, complete with couch and a t.v. that swiveled to face either the couch or the king-sized bed. Hooray! More hotel rooms like this, please!

The hotel was in the middle of a green, leafy nowhere, so I had to walk at least a mile to find some food (tired and hungry is a bad combo for me). Thank goodness for Pei Wei. I ate there on Monday AND Tuesday night because I couldn't find anything else. It was pretty cool to watch t.v. again. I haven't had cable in several years, and I forgot how nice it is to watch programs in real time!

I'd planned my New York trip before Judy confirmed the final dates for the workshop, so I arrived a day early. On Tuesday, I worked from my hotel room and ate french toast for breakfast and lunch. It's my favorite! I very much appreciate my company for my extra night in the hotel.

Wednesday and Thursday were the main event: the workshop that gave all of the writers in the company (except the four in India and the one in England) an excuse to all meet each other. My office is the furthest west; except for one writer in Mexico, everyone else is on the East coast. It was so great to meet everyone in person! I've been with the company for four years, and we merged with another two years ago, but I'd never met any of them -- not even my boss -- face-to-face (the man who hired me was in the Salt Lake office, but he was let go a few years ago). It was great to see their faces and hear their voices and feel like I actually know them, rather than being some creepy voyeur who gets e-mails about their work and personal lives but otherwise isn't involved in their lives.

The workshop was great. We learned techniques for improving our documentation so that it's more useful to the clients. My boss was kind of amazed at how eager we all were at the end to go home and apply all we'd learned. We were excited to chop up the doc and delete as many screenshots as possible!

One of the exercises involved us splitting in to groups and using
a set of instructions to put together a Lego tow truck.
I posted this photo on Instagram. My favorite response was:
"Oh, wow. That looks like a terrible accident. Is that guy ok?"
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

We had dinner together Wednesday night at Ozzie's, an Italian place my boss likes. I thought it a little funny that I was one of a handful to not order an alcoholic beverage, but I got a lecture because I ordered a Diet Coke :P I know aspartame is bad, but I was on vacation!

Yes, I ate two donuts.
I am ashamed.

Thursday morning, we invited some of the other local employees for a party my boss called "Doc 'n' Donuts": a chance for them to meet some of the writers they work with. The people working on my current projects are all based in Salt Lake City, like me, but my boss did introduce me to someone I might need to know for a future project. It's always nice to be included!

I admit that I spent about half of the meet and greet catching up on e-mails from
my SLC co-workers. Thankfully, my trip East didn't put me too far behind.

By Thursday night, we were all stuffed to the gills with food*, and those who lived close enough to drive home were ready to leave. The plan for the handful of us out-of-towners who weren't going home until Friday or later was for Judy to drive us into Washington D.C. and see the monuments on The Mall at night. Judy had some work to finish up, so the rest of us dropped our stuff off at our rooms and took a shuttle to a local strip mall to find some dinner. My companions were really nice and let me pick the vendor because I really, really wanted a sandwich from Potbelly. I didn't care that I'd had one in New York the week before. I don't have Potbelly in my hometown so I was going to take advantage while I could! The local ahead of me in line was adamant that I get the "Wreck" sandwich. I love the Italian, but I took a chance on the Wreck anyway. It was delicious. So, now I'm going to conclude that everything there is delicious. My coworkers liked their choices, too, thank goodness. I always worry when I recommend something or someplace that the other folks won't like it. Lucked out this time!

  

About that time, Judy called to let us know that she had at least an hour of work to do and then would need dinner, and with the traffic in the city we wouldn't get to the Mall until a ridiculously late hour. We told her not to worry about it. The hotel shuttle was no longer running, so we wandered around the strip mall for a little bit, and then walked the 2.5 miles back to our hotel. As I said, the area was gorgeous and green, and fairly warm. The highways all had sidewalks, and I was in good company. It was a nice, peaceful way to spend the evening. We arrived back at the hotel just as the sky officially became dark, then sat around and chatted for a bit before calling it a night.

Elizabeth, Elias, Tina, and me.
I am sad that I didn't get a photo with Judy, or one of the entire group at the conference,
but these three folks were awfully nice!

I slept in a tiny bit on Friday morning, but still was up in time to finish packing and eat the fancy hotel buffet breakfast before my taxi whisked me away to the airport.

Just as I was boarding the plane and starting to feel sad that the adventure was over, I spotted this guy's hat:

"God is Good all the Time"

I have to say that I agree!

So, there you have it: my big event in May. For a long time, I thought in terms of "before my East coast trip" and "after my East coast trip." Now that it's after, I'm going to have to start planning something else to look forward to!

*They brought out new food for every break, and a huge lunch both days. I didn't notice the effects of the rich food on my body while in NYC because I walked all day, but eating and sitting in meetings in Virginia about did me in. I gained several pounds :P