The conference was here in Atlanta at the Hilton. As soon as I learned about the location, I wondered, "Gee, where will all the bicycles park?" An event like this attracts an unusually large number of bicycle, pedestrian, and transit fans. And the downtown Hilton is totally car-oriented - two giant driveways, lots of underground parking, and maybe two good bicycle parking spots. There is a bike rack about a block away from the main entrance, near the loading dock but carefully hidden away in a corner - making it way too easy for bicycle thieves to do their thing. Other than that, there is one usable signpost, seen here in use.
Fortunately, the conference organizers had made an arrangement with the bell hop station to park bicycles inside, back where they store luggage and stuff. It was weird, but kind of cool, to roll my bike inside and watch the looks on everyone's faces. I also got some enthusiastic comments, including one guy who swore he was going to start cycling to work. And one of the bellhops asked if he could ride my bike into the storeroom. Sure, why not?
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I too attended CNU, thanks to the volunteer discount. I found a bike rack right inside the parking deck across the street from the south corner of the Hilton. Every day I saw the same yellow road bike and beach cruiser chained to it as well. The yellow bike and I would compete for the outside spot every morning and after lunch. It was cute.
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