The biggest conference in the world in my field is happening every November in Seattle. I haven’t been to a conference since Microsoft stopped having their TechEd conferences in Europe, last for me was Amsterdam in 2012. I am in IT - using Microsoft technologies. This year my boss suggested that we try finding external support to send me to conference, because our budget only allows for travel within the Europe.
Well, just got the email that US government may be willing to pay for it - not confirmed yet, and will take some time to know for sure, but looks promising and I need to start with preparations - have to apply for visa, book conference, flights and hotel.
Conference will take place from 4-8 November in Washington State Convention Center.
I must tell you that except for few months that I lived in Angola in ‘96, I have never been outside of Europe. Never changed the time zone. Not really counting 1 hour difference when traveling to London
I need your collective wisdom on many points. When should I arrive to be able to fully function on Monday morning? What is the weather like in November, should I prolong my stay to the next weekend to do some sightseeing - don’t think will have lot of free time during the week of conference. Hotel recommendations? Should I stay close to the conference venue, is it nice area? How safe is the city for lone traveler? Is there a good public transport? Is it walking friendly city? Good places to eat alone? Can I use my debit and credit cards or would cash be better? How about phone - are roaming chargers acceptable? Anything else that is important that comes to mind for someone that has never been in US? Hope I don’t sound clueless, Packing questions will come later Most important thing at the moment is to figure out the dates for the hotel and flights.