SETC Road Trip, Day One

For the first time in SETC history, the staff (as opposed to the Executive Board) is going for a pre-con visit, where we'll meet the hotel and Convention Center folks we'll be working closely with in March. More importantly we will get to see the specific sites for our 61st Annual Spring Convention.

This morning April, Hardy, Chris and I piled into a 6-person van destined for Lexington, Kentucky. (Betsey and Quiana were already there.)We had a very pleasant trip through NC and VA. We stopped at Bob Evans in Beckley, WV for lunch and discussed with our waitress the corporate policy change of biscuits to the table before the yeast rolls. I had the new Border Scramble Biscuit Bowl, which wasn't as appetizing as it sounded. Back on the road we hit some rain and snow patches; the latter resulting in some minor tense driving. We finally arrived in Lexington a bit after 5pm.

Hardy, Chris and I chose to check into our Hilton rooms before our 6p meeting. (April, Betsey and Quiana were at the Hyatt.) Now, I love my job for many reasons - getting to stay in nice hotels is one. My room is awesome! I have a king sized sleep bed (my sleep number, by the way, is 35) with 5 fluffy pillows. The bathroom looked like one you'd find at a spa. The towels were big, fluffy and absorbent. I love the big screen TV (though it took me a bit to figure out how to access the local channels).

The Hilton, Hyatt, Lexington Convention Center and some downtown areas are connected by a pedway. So, if it should rain (or snow) during our Convention, with little exception, you won't have to step one foot outside. Most of you who know me are aware of my concern with bridges, and that concern now apparently extends to pedways. The only pedway I had a problem with was the one from the Hyatt to the Hilton. While enclosed (except for the side openings along the floor that were covered with the thinnest of chicken wires) it was directly over a high trafficked street. Seeing the cracks in the concreted walkway and hearing the cars pass underneath - well, it was all I could do not to run screaming for my life from one end to the other.

We used the pedways to meet Larry Snipes, the Producing Director for the Lexington Children's Theatre. (Sidenote: Lexington Children's Theatre was a finalist in the Chase Community Giving contest on Facebook. They did not get the $1MM, but they were the top theatre in the contest.) LCT is one of our festival sites and will host Titus Burgess Midnight Concert. Larry is an absolute joy, and I've no doubt everything will run smoothly under his watchful and experienced eye.

Around 7:45p we all piled in the van and headed to dinner at Ramsey's Diner. Quiana went to UK and used to work at this American soul food restaurant. I had a hamburger which was meh. I did get to try, for the first time in my life, fried green tomatoes. Those were delish! For dessert I had a slice of Mayday pie from Missy's Pie Shop. The quarter sized slice was full of pecans and chocolate chips. It was sheer Heaven!