Manhattan in 3.6 hours

There I was right in the backyard of the New York Times but unable to clock in the "36 Hours in New York City" ~ as their travel writers would have it.

Even if I had a few days, some nasty, wintry weather wouldn't have made for walking the Big Apple.

My limited time was spent at the Marriott ~~ or was it the Hilton? ~~ along with participants from 12 other conferences. It took a few minutes to read the electronic bulletin board in the main lobby. Amazing what they can squeeze into all those banqueting rooms.

There was the Stem Cell Research Group and a gathering of the American Luxury Leather Association. All the noise was coming from the Scandinavian 2008 exposition for New York City travel agents. Way at the end of the hallway was the annual meeting of the A.C.O.A.C. I never did figure out who they were (all women each of whom seemed to have perfume samplers).

Our little gathering of 25 people was shunted away in Gramercy A. From the top of the UP escalator to the Gramercy room was 4 minutes or 419 steps ~ I counted. The bathrooms were another 42 steps. You had to be careful with the morning coffee ~ if you get my drift.

A couple of travel victories: Hotels.com saved several hundred $$$ off the conference rate at a similar hotel two blocks away on 57th Street. And JET-BLUE is becoming my favorite domestic airline ~ free 36 channel TV ~ ample (very) leg room ~ and no change fee this morning when I switched to an earlier flight.

Nice going, everyone.