Pre BlogHer DC Meetup & BlogHer Tips from a 2nd Timer

As a second timer, I’m not so stressed about what to wear but more concerned about how make it to all the amazing parties. I’m looking forward to the Silicon Valley Moms Night Before BlogHer party to reconnect with the many women whose messages I read on a daily basis and seeing the SmartyCard team who so generously is sponsoring my trip. I’m thrilled about the Blogalicious Lush party where I’ll meet my fellow Blogalicious Ambassadors who I’ll be working with as we plan a great conference that focuses on women bloggers of color this fall. (Click here if you want the 411 on how to get VIP access to the party!) I’m also hoping to run into some of my fellow Being Savvy City Editors!

Given the party schedule, I’m also wondering if I’ll actually be able to get up for that early 5K I signed up for after a night on the party circuit. Apologies to roommates Stimey and WhyMommy in advance! And no, I have no idea what session I’ll be attending or the strand I’ll be following. Unlike my recent trip to NECC, I haven’t even printed out the actual conference agenda yet.

I can’t wait to hunt down Amanda from Scholastic. We became instant friends at BlogHer last year. Amanda was a great person to hang out with at parties and also at an early morning yoga session. This year she’s going to stalked by many since she’ll be carrying a bag of Scholastic goodies for those find her. Hint: Follow Amanda on Twitter using #findamanda and look for her red bag!

I’m excited about working with Yahoo as member of their Yahoo MotherBoard. They just sent me a super cool Flip with a Yahoo face plate so don’t be surprised if I ask you to show me what technology you have brought to BlogHer! I’ll post a picture of what I’m bringing when I get it assembled in one place!

This year I have promised myself that I won’t just live on Luna bars and water between cocktail parties. I will actually eat real meals. I’m planning on dining at Rick Bayless’ Tompolobampo or Frontera Grill even if I have to eat by myself. For the rest of my meals, I’ve downloaded the special BlogHer Michelin guide to area restaurants and quizzed Andrea from Andrea’s Recipes about her favorite Chicago eats at our recent preBlogHer DC meetup.

Sunday’s Pre-BlogHer meetup was like a warmup for the main event. While there were many familiar faces, there were a few times where I had to introduce myself to complete stranger and not feel shy about it. I met up with some of my favorite local bloggers, many of whom also write for DC Metro Moms, and got to know some faces that I hope to spot in the crowd at BlogHer. We enjoyed the casual chic atmosphere at Jennifer Grinnell’s Scene Gallery, a fabulous new art gallery at the National Harbor, while noshing on food by Chef Deryl Shouf and enjoying wine and mojito lemonade. Thankfully Wife and Mommy was way more organized than I was and obviously a far better teacher since she remembered people’s names other than their Twitter handles and posted a list of attendees in her post.

Since the party was sponsored by Safety 1st, we got to check out their new car seat called the Complete Air and went home with some of the items from their new ProGrade line like the Secure View Mirror and Soft Solution Roller Shade. I’m hoping to keep an eye on the shenanigans that sometimes occur in the back seat and minimize complaints about it being too sunny.

Giant Food was also a sponsor and while I didn’t go home with a gift card to use on my frequent shopping trips to my neighborhood store, we can always use more reusable bags. I love using their hand held scanners and packing my groceries into reusable bags as I shop!

Huge thanks to Safety 1st and Giant Food for sponsoring our get together and also to the amazing Devra for planning another fabulous night out!

If you are traveling this summer, come back tomorrow to win a Summer Road Trip Safety basket courtesy of Safety 1st!

And if you are going to BlogHer, please come up and say hi or leave a comment letting me know that you would like to have real food at lunch or dinner one day!