Yesterday morning I made my annual trip to Seatrade (my excuse for not blogging), heading to 17th Street instead of I-95. (The cruise/shipping conference has moved to Fort Lauderdale now that the Miami Beach Convention Center is under renovation.) Happily, the port authority moved the security checkpoint back in time for the meeting, so now to park conventioners no longer have to show IDs and declare that they are not carrying guns. By the time I arrived, a little after 10, all levels but the top of the garage were filled.
The press room (I was delighted to see that my badge said "press" and not "media") was on the second floor, with large windows overlooking the exhibition floor. The space downstairs was smaller than in Miami Beach, I was told, but it contained the usual motley of ports, countries, shipbuilders, engine makers, parts producers, and other entities that have a connection to cruising. And, of course, people from around the world doing business. This year I joined them, finding the countries mentioned favorably in my new book - Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Sweden - and giving their representatives a postcard of the cover.
