Update on Boston!

Hi everyone! I wanted to update last night but I didn't get in until 11:00 and for some reason the more expensive hotels charge for internet acess when you can get it for free at the ho-hum cheap hotels. I didn't want to pay for it for two days. Anyhow, things are going well.

The only problem I seem to be having is static in my hair! It's terrible, I think it must be because of wearing a beanie and taking it off and putting it on over and over again.

My flight was fine. We flew into Minneapolis/St. Paul and had a short layover and then flew into Boston last night around 5:00pm. It was cool to see the snow covered fields and half frozen lakes in Minnesota. It really is the land of 10,000 lakes!

When I got settled in the hotel a very old friend of mine came and picked me up and we promptly got lost in Boston. We went back to her neighborhood and had a great dinner at a seafood place and I had lobster mac and cheese, shrimp and broccoli, it was super tasty! I stupidly didn't take any pictures of the two of us. We haven't seen each other for over 11 years but it was as comfortable as could be.

This morning I was up and adam and at the conference center by just before 7. I got checked in, got my free swag and headed down for breakfast and the introductory speaker to kick off Greenbuild. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the guest speaker. He was so dynamic and spunky!

After the opening plenary I had several hours to kill and I didn't want to go down to the floor yet. I had been hoping to get over to Harvard just to see it so I did! I got on the "T" and made my way to Haaavad. I got myself a Harvard t-shirt, hit up the Starbucks and walked around the campus. There is a really old cemetary across the street so I walked through there a bit. There are some really really old gravestones and from all kinds of people.

It's so so cold here, even colder than when I went to New York in January. But I loved walking through piles of leaves in the cold weather, it really made me feel like I was in New England the week before Thanksgiving.

When I got back on the train I headed back to the conferece. I went to two educational seminars this afternoon. The first one had great potential but ended up being a bit of a dissapointment. The second one was fascinating and you will definitely be hearing more from me on the subject. The topic was Biophilic Design and Sustainability in the Urban Context.

Then tonight I went to the welcome gala that was put on by the city of Boston. It was at the Boston Children's museum which is LEED certified Gold. I had some tasty food which I have pictures of.

I'll upload my pics when I get some time but I need to go to sleep right now.