Adventures at ALA Annual 2008 (Anaheim)

Those who read the blog from the web itself have seen the posting of my Flickr photos which show up in a bar at the top of the blog. The rest may or may not be aware that I spent an exciting week in Anaheim at ALA Annual. [My Facebook friends know about both, but I do not remember at the moment if I put all my ALA photos on Facebook.]

Some of you remember that last year there was the adventure of 96 hours to travel from DC to Minneapolis. I blogged it here and here. Well this year, the return was uneventful. The adventure happened in Anaheim!

On Monday when I had just left Membership Meeting II to attend the PLA Board, I received a call from the hotel. We knew that they had been working on the room above us, because we had heard the hammering, drilling, and (for me) the unmistakable sound of "BX-cable" being pulled through concrete floors and metal studs.

Well, it seems that they hit a pipe and water poured into our closet....all over the clothes!!! My roommate had purchased an outfit just to wear on Monday night at a special event. It had never been worn, and was 85% silk!

The hotel staff were great, however, they could not touch our belongings without one of us being present. And since the roommate had a shattered an ankle less than a week before, I got to go supervise. My suits were soaked (of course I went casual on Monday!), and my shoes were soaked, as well as all my dirty clothes which were on the closet floor.

Well, they packed all the clothes in plastic, took the shoes (and my suitcase, on the shelf) and promised to return them by 6 pm -- in time for our evening!

The room smelled damp. I asked for a new room. They gave us one on the same floor. [Of course, the next morning, we heard the unmistakable sounds of construction above us....] We drank a little and they did deliver our clothes at about 6:15. My shoes looked good -- then. One pair, however, has been ruined, I believe.

At about 5:30, we got a call saying "We have an 'amenity' to deliver, but you have a 'Do Not Disturb' sign. May we deliver?" I said, yes, and we got a food basket. About 15 mintues later, we got another, similar call, and received a bottle of wine (in an ice bucket, with glasses and a corkscrew!).

Afterwards, there must have been a note on the record, because almost every hotel staff member apologized.

When the clothes arrived, I was amazed. I had segregated the "dry clean" from the "launder." But my shirts (which I usually have folded) came back on hangers, as did my socks, and even my underwear!! Have you ever seen underwear on hangers? Well here is a look!

Content about ALA in Anaheim will follow!


Title edited 7/8 when I found an extra space. Added year and place.