JGSLA 2010: Friday afternoon

The new JW Marriott at LA Live is a huge property.

Public area furnishings are spare; the lobby features couches with pillows set in alcoves along the far wall, while modern seating is near the check-in area.

Room

The guestrooms are large; our color scheme seems to be beige and turquoise. Lighting seems fine with wall lamps and goose neck reading lights. There's a full-length mirror on an interior closet door. The bathroom is spacious with excellent lighting. There's a huge flat TV monitor, and hook-ins for computers and other devices on the side of the desk.

Adequate closets, many more shelves and drawers than normal, and a room safe large enough for the largest laptop.

Surroundings

I haven't been in downtown Los Angeles for more than 20 years, and the change has been substantial. Back then, you wouldn't want to walk these streets after dark. Today, there are new buildings - commercial and residential - and restaurants featuring sidewalk seating.

People

The first genners I saw were Roni Seibel Liebowitz and her husband Jerry (New York). I've said hello to Stan Diamond and his wife (Montreal), Herb Huebscher and his wife (New York), actress Miriam Margolyes (UK, of "Harry Potter" fame), and saw Arthur Kurzweil - the genealogist-in-residence - entering the kosher Shabbat dinner down the hall.

One of my roommates, Jonina Duker (Washington DC area) is already here and we grabbed a quick dinner at a Persian cafe a few blocks away. She's been looking around the hotel and reported on the outdoor rooftop pool and tempting whirlpool.

My schedule already includes two meetings tomorrow (breakfast and late afternoon).

I'm trying to get more of the Seattle sessions into posts before this conference completely takes over my life for the rest of the week.

More tomorrow!