Surviving TechReady 14 in Seattle 2012: A few helpful tips and hints
Here's a link to my post with some helpful hints on Surviving TechReady in Seattle, from 2010. Many of the links and info points are still relevant…
Going to TechReady next week in Seattle? It seems from what I read on Twitter that we will have a number of people visiting the fair Emerald City for next week's geek festivities.
To aid in your visit to the fair city by the Sound, I've posted here a few hints along the lines of my notes from Surviving CES in Las Vegas and Surviving MGX. Using that post as a template, here are a couple of resources for you - I will add to the page later as I have time.
First off, a public service announcement.
I have to agree with LyalinDotCom: remember to watch what you say online when you talk about #tr14. What I said about tweeting (remember to be thoughtful) still stands,
Head over to this post for more general information.
First, an update with couple of things you should know.
Weather? Oh, yes. We haz plenty, so pack light and perhaps a light jacket. Keep in mind that it's winter in the Puget Sound area, and following our Snowpocalypse a week ago there is still a chill in the air. As opposed to TR in the summer when it's a lovely high 70s to low 80s, you can expect rainy, cool weather
Weather in Seattle via Bing Weather
| NOW | SAT | SUN | MON | TUE | WED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43° Cloudy °F | °C | 47° / 41° | 49° / 42° | 49° / 40° | 48° / 38° | 47° / 40° |
Weather Maps: Temperature · Doppler Radar · Precipitation · more (Data from AccuWeather on bing.com/weather)
A couple of quick tips...
General information. The City of Seattle has a great online online visitor's guide with lots of helpful information, complete with virtual tours, tips on staying safe, places to eat and shop and more.
What to wear. Weather will get down into the high 30's so bring an umbrella and a warm jacket... unless you're Canadian or Scandinavian, then bring shorts and t-shirts. ;)
Dress in comfortable clothes and wear great, comfortable shoes. And don't bring the stylish shoes, go for comfort as you will be standing and walking. A lot. My pick: your favourite sneakers (perhaps a cool new pair of Vans), anything from Ecco, Rockport or New Balance. And see also a few travel recommendations from Colin Cowie on packing.
Also, bring a shoulder bag (a messenger bag works well) for hauling around all the schwag you'll likely pick up and for toting your phone, mini notebook, digital camera, and other essentials: a bottle of water or juice, snack bars and fruit… oh, sorry, I mean Red Bull and Jolt, family sized Hershey's and a package of gummies.
Getting from the airport to anywhere: A great resource is available at the official Seattle visitor's travel page, with a special money-saving nod to the new Link Light Rail which will get you to and from SeaTac airport in comfort and high-tech style, in about 35 minutes for under $3 a ride. As the site notes, it's the best deal in town. You may still have a trek to your hotel, but likely it won't be far from one of the light rail stops.
A taxi ride will save you a few minutes but run you a little more, costing between $35-40, closer to $50 if you're staying in Bellevue (closer to Microsoft main campus and our offices in dowwntown Bellevue). If you decide to take a cab, pair up (or three or four) with folks going to the same hotel and split the taxi fare.
Getting a taxi at SeaTac is pretty easy - there are ususally plenty of taxis in the official queue. Please don't take an unlicensed cab: we want you to get to the event safe and sound!. .
Have anything to add? LMK in the comments.
For now, here are a couple of additional links:
https://www.seattlemag.com/ and https://www.seattlemet.com/ – Both online versions of these Seattle magazines are great resources for where to eat, what to see and where to go when in Seattle. SeattleMet has a calendar right on their home page of what to do in the city.
Tags: Microsoft, Seattle, Bellevue, TechReady, travel tips.
Also available via https://bit.ly/xgK9D1