by Jan Lisa Huttner
A Suite Story from Seattle
by Jan Lisa Huttner
Seattle is a wonderful city, so I was happy for the opportunity to visit,
and of course the NFPW conference sessions were all quite rewarding, but my
favorite memories of Seattle will all center around sharing a room with Suzanne
Hanney. Short of cash, like many of you, I decided to use bonus points. When
I made a reservation at the "nearest Hilton property," instead of
staying at the conference hotel, I had no idea where the Homewood Suites were
actually located, but a little Mapquesting assured me that I'd only be a cab
ride away from the main action. Once I arrived, I saw that my suite was located
right next to the headquarters of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; the
big spinning globe atop their building became my fulcrum.
Suzanne was late in making her plans, so I invited her to stay with me, and we had a blast. She flew in early for a President's meeting, and by the time I arrived late Thursday night, she'd filled our little fridge with lots of little Chinese food containers, remnants of her big dinner with colleagues, both old and new. By Friday night we were pooped, so we stole away from the group and indulged in the History Channel's special on the "Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome". While I won't claim any of this was "just like college," I do know that bonding moments like these lead to deep and enduring friendships.