Hey all... just thought I would take a few moments to check in from Seattle and share some of the sights and sounds of my trip thus far. As most of you know, I'll be attending the first ever SMX conference this upcoming week and so my girlfriend and I decided to fly out a few days early and take in a much needed vacation.

Seattle is a great city, and I'm having a killer time. Aside from having a very early flight out of Chicago and staying at a... let's just say not-so appealing hotel, my time here has been great! A lot of the amenities that were said to be included with the hotel aren't and probably the most disappointing one being no in-room internet connection. It's been hard, but so far I've been able to survive just fine without it.

Jackie and I caught the Mariners vs. Rangers game at Seattle's Safeco Field on Friday... and what a great game it was. We had tremendous seats (only a few rows up from the backstop behind home plate), and were able to partake in the normal ballpark activities... hotdogs, peanuts, brews, and the 7th inning stretch. Even though the Rangers ended up winning 9-8, it was very cool to see such MLB stars as Inchiro Suzuki, Richie Sexson, and slugger Sammy Sosa.

On Saturday, we started our day early and headed on over to the city's most recognizable attraction... the Space Needle. There we rode a 41 second elevator to the observation deck (that space ship looking deal) and viewed the buildings, harbors, and mountain tops that is Seattle. A very beautiful sight.

Afterwards, we made our rounds through the city visiting several tourist attractions. We visited the Pacific Science Museum, Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium, and took an Argosy harbor cruise. All in all, we both had a very enjoyable time.

A little later, I'll heading up to the Bell Harbor convention center for a pre-conference SMX bash. The party is said to be sponsored by Microsoft, and so I'll be sure to snap a few pictures here and there and jot down a few comments a little later tonight or sometime tomorrow.