by hatfield13

Be forewarned.  This is my first time at ALA or any conference this size, and I am excited.  Therefore, I will be posting photos and blogging over the next few days at a rate that only my mother will likely appreciate. 

My family arrived in Chicago this morning and dropped luggage off at our bed & breakfast in Hyde Park.

It’s very close to the Obamas’ home and to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, which is featured in Blue Balliett’s THE WRIGHT THREE.  We’re planning a walking tour some time over the next day or two, but today it waas lunchtime. We ate at Valois Cafeteria, a neighborhood institution that was apparently a favorite of President Obama when he lived in Hyde Park. And they serve breakfast all day – yay!

Then it was off to the convention center, McCormick Place, which is pretty much the most enormous, confusing place I have ever seen in my life.  Eventually, we made it to the right building and found the registration area for ALA.  The exhibit hall doesn’t open until tomorrow morning, but when I discovered that I had an exhibitor’s badge, I accidentally ended up at the Bloomsbury/Walker booth a little early.  Look who was there to greet me on the banner!

Surreal doesn’t even begin to explain the feeling of working on a book for two years, searching for an agent and editor, revising it for another year, sending it off, and then flying halfway across the country and seeing the cover of that book larger than life on a banner.  I jumped up and down for a bit.  And almost got run over by a little forklift man who was still setting up an exhibit nearby. We decided at that point it was probably time to leave & come back tomorrow.

Then it was off to the Shedd Aquarium.  A friend on Twitter suggested it was a can’t-miss part of the Chicago experience, and I’m so glad.  The coral reef exhibit was beautiful.  We saw dolphins, too.  And beluga whales!

They’re beautiful creatures, and the sounds they make are amazing and otherworldly.  I wondered if they were sharing secret codes or passing on ancient legends, but when I asked the aquarium working about their vocalizations, he said they were likely begging for food, since their trainer was standing where he often stands to feed them. It sure sounded cool.  If I were in charge of the fish bucket, they would have been all set.

After the aquarium, my husband and son headed to the waterfront for the Styx & REO Speedwagon concert, while E and I met a delightful group of author friends for deep-dish pizza.  Yay!  (Also yum!)


From left to right, that’s me, Marybeth Kelsey, Robin Graf Prehn , Lisa Schroeder, Cindy Pon, and Julia Karr.  (E ducked off to the side to avoid the paparazzi.)

Blueboarders! Books! Banners! Breakfast!  Beluga whales!  Day One, and I love Chicago already.

44 Replies on “”

  4. Today was brought to you by the letter B and the number 1. *cue theme music*

    Sounds like a blast. Looking forward to tomorrow’s highlights.

  13. Styx and REO Speedwagon?!?

    Rock on, dudes!

    And keep the posts coming – I love them! I sooo wish I could’ve been sitting at that table with all of you.

  14. Gianna looks beautiful! I feel your excitement!

    Without looking I named all but one at the table. Cindy Pon looks different in her glasses.

    Keep the pictures coming. I so much wish I were there.

  15. I will enjoy these posts as much as your mother, since I will have to live this ALA vicariously through the Magic of the Internet!

  17. Oh, how much fun!! I’ll look forward to your blog posts and pics. Very nice company you’re keeping! And, hmmmm…my maiden name is Robie…I wonder if I’m somehow connected to FLW’s house 🙂 Have a blast!

  21. It must be so exciting to see your book on the banner! I’m enjoying reading all about ALA. I really want to go next year when it’s in DC.

  23. Squee!!! Love the poster of Gianna! 🙂

    And *what* a lovely, lovely picture. It is so wonderful seeing all of you LJrs together.

  24. Congratulations on seeing your cover on that banner! I got chills on your behalf. And the lunch photo is such fun; all those smiling faces.

    (We were living in Alaska when we had our first child and I wanted to name our son “Beluga” (kinda, sorta) but that got vetoed. Our son just learned that fact the other day and was all bummed he wasn’t named Beluga.) HA.

  37. Well, even though it’s an unusual name, I can tell you that those belugas were stunning. He could have worn the name with pride.