NERGC Report - Getting There and Back

Sitting in construction-related traffic for the better part of an hour on I-91 just south of Hartford notwithstanding, our first day of the New England Regional Genealogical Conference was great.  Like old home week, we ran into Leslie Huber in the parking garage, was behind our local professional genealogist Harlan Jessup at the registration desk, and continued to meet many friends and colleagues during the sessions we attended.

The conference was scheduled in two hotels, across the street from each other, with an above the street walkway between.  Unfortunately, it was a long twisty voyage from the Sheraton meeting rooms to the meetings scheduled at the Marriott.  After navigating this distance, I had the unpleasant realization that all the meetings in the Marriott were on the sixth floor with the only access being an elevator.  I do not like elevators, especially crowded ones. So I went back to the Sheraton and reworked my session schedule for those meetings in that venue.  Overhearing other participants, I realized I wasn’t the only one disturbed by the meeting location at the Marriott.  I did find it quite strange to have the grand ballroom and meeting rooms located on the sixth floor.

The absolute best session we attended was by Craig Roberts Scott on The Impact of Bounty Land on Migration within and out of New England.  I will write more on this topic in another post.

We, as well as many others, encountered a minor glitch as we tried to leave Sheraton’s overflow parking lot. Upon entry we were given a token that we were asked to have validated, which we did. Upon leaving, however, there were no attendants to be found, and the only way to pay once your token was put in the slot was with credit card. Unfortunately, several of the machines didn’t work and cars were stuck with lots of cars back upped behind them. Finally a kind gentleman assessed the situation and physically raised the bar so that the cars could exit.  A detail the Sheraton needs to work out.