As mentioned in my previous post, I am attending the Conference for College Composition and Communication in St. Louis this week. I’m actually blogging this from a boring session – sorry!
Because of this conference, and the hashtag 4c12, I now “get” Twitter! Yay!
I’ve had a Twitter account for my blog for over a year. I previously thought Twitter was good for following people whose blogs I liked, so I could see when they made a new post. As far as hashtags go, I was perplexed. Most tweets look like gibberish at best, and at worst perhaps the fall of the English language.
When I arrived at the conference, I somehow worked out that tweets about it fell under the hashtag 4c12. I stumbled on a way to see that feed, and that’s when the light bulb went off! I see, in real time, what is going on here at this huge conference. People live tweet sessions, talk about the best speakers, tell you where to go to get good food, what’s happening at which party, and how badly the wi-fi in the hotel stinks (ha! As if I needed Twitter to tell me that!).
I found myself addicted to the feed. On one hand, I learned quite a bit about different goings-on, and for a first timer, that was invaluable. On the other hand, I was constantly informed of what I was missing – such as the Bedford party – and that just made me feel like crap. Ha!
I realize most of my tweeps probably chuckle at my naivete and that’s ok. I’m writing this post not to out myself as a painfully behind the times neophyte, but to show the people I know in real life (most of whom do not use Twitter), that there is a purpose to the mysterious language known as hashtag!
In other news, I didn’t get to visit as many restaurants as I would have liked during my stay. Exhaustion, lack of inspiration, and my solo status drove me to the Renaissance Grand Bar for lunch and dinner on more than one occasion. I’m pleased to report that I enjoyed every meal there! Most hotel bars lack creativity and nuance in their dishes, but this one hit the spot every time. Among my better finds were wings, chicken and black bean quesadilla (with fresh guac!), BBQ brisket sandwich (haven’t had meat that tender EVER in Phoenix), and the hummus plate.
The wings were perfect – large, moist, and meaty, with that perfect crunch on the outside. I opted for the chipotle honey sauce, which was a bit too much on the honey side for my taste, but I enjoyed the wings just the same. The hummus plate did what it needed to do – it was hummus topped with a generous portion of feta, surrounded not only with pita triangles, but fresh (and tasty) carrot, celery, and slightly steamed broccoli.
I was very surprised by the quesedilla. This was my dinner choice last night, and I only picked it because it would be easy to eat without getting messy (unlike the wings and BBQ!). To my satisfaction, it was delicious! The chicken meat was fresh and spicy, the cheese was melty in just the right amount, and the tortilla grilled to perfection. The best part – it didn’t tall apart when you tried to eat it!
All in all, I wish I could have tried more local dives and cafes, but most of the places were so packed with conference cliques and NCAA basketball fans, and I didn’t have the energy to drag myself out after long, long days attending panels and sessions.
I did, fortunately, get introduced to Park Avenue Coffee and Gooey Butter Cakes (Yum!) by a local whom I met for coffee yesterday morning. Thanks, Kella! The cake, a local treat, was to-die-for, and the cafe au lait was the best coffee I’ve had since I’ve been here. No, it was really excellent coffee. To say it was the best I’ve had while here is not saying enough, because that only compares it to my sub-par room coffee and Starbucks. It was better coffee than I’ve had from a cafe in perhaps the last year or so.
Later today, I’m off to meet with my second cousin Jamie for another culinary adventure and some sightseeing. More (with pictures next time) to come!
Pop Sizzle Eat: Life, Love and Food 