So we flew in to San Francisco on Virgin America. My first time ever flying this airline, and I have to say it was the best domestic airline I have ever flown. Sure, to save on costs / maximize on profits, they and many other airlines now charge for meals even on a flight like this from one coast to the other. On the other hand, this is the first time I was able to order free beverages using the touch screen at my seat. It was also the first time I sat in an airplane cabin with purple mood lighting and the first time I was able to chat with another passenger using a chat application in the said console.
But perhaps the best, and most unexpected perk: regular power outlets at every seat. I bought the airline power adapter for my Macbook Pro just in case one day by some crazy chance I would find a power outlet in the main cabin of an airplane, but now I feel like that was a waste. Every seat in the main cabin of Virgin America has a full size power outlet that works without having to pay for anything. There is also USB and some type of network port, but the USB didn’t seem to have any power so I’m not sure what you’d use it for; perhaps its there for future use.
We arrived Friday night and our hotel is next door to Moscone West so we passed by and noticed that much of the signage and other preparations for MAX were already complete. I wanted to take some pics of it that night but we were exhausted from the flight. The next morning I came by, snapped some images on the outside and then noticed that the doors seemed not to be locked so wandered in and was about to start shooting away when the guy in charge asked me to leave, saying it was ‘private’ and no photos or anything could be taken. Hmm…so I came by again tonight and got plenty of pictures of the inside through the glass. For some reason the Moscone seems quite similar in architecture to me to the newer half of the McCormick place where MAX was held last year.
Here’s the Lightroom gallery of my MAX preview exposures.
Some things to note:
- there is a designated area for the free Unconferences. I have heard about them here and there on folks blogs but don’t really know anything about it. I suppose there will be more info available upon registration tomorrow or on Monday.
- There seems to be a booth that is a big multisided chalk board for folks to put share ideas on. Hmm…
- Level 2 of Moscone West has: Adobe Support Lab, MAX Playground, MAX Store, Sessions, Unconferences
- Level 3 of Moscone West has: General Session
- Ground level of Moscone West has: registration, Community Pavillion, and that showcase area they had last year, what’s it called???
- They had been working on hoisting up a huge MAX sign onto the side of the Moscone since early Saturday morning. I guess they finally got it up. I overheard some MAX staffers as they were exiting the building Saturday night and apparently its a big deal they are really proud of.
A few other observations I had so far:
- people seem really friendly around here. It’s kind of like, the further you get from New York, NY, the better the temperament of people are…and this is just about as far as you can get. Well, maybe that’s not always true – I found the temperament of folks in Kentucky to be amazing and that’s only half way across the country from NYC. But really, strangers in the elevator told me to have a nice day…how often does that happen on the East coast?
- There are a few homeless folks who seem to actually live along the Howard street side of Moscone West. If you’re feeling charitable maybe you can help one out by giving him some bottled water or buying him a meal.
- if you have time while you are here in SF, go visit Muir Woods. The redwood trees are awe inspiring and help you to realize your place in this vast universe by putting things in perspective. There is one tree there they dated at 1,021 years old.
