Wi-Fi Fail.

Well this is going to be difficult. I'm finally in Minneapolis and I logged onto my computer in my hotel room, opened up Google Chrome and the screen asked me how I would like to pay for my internet access ($9.95/day). Wow, thank you lovely Minneapolis hotel for failing me on free wi-fi. How am I supposed to update my blog or stay connected with the outside world (ahem...facebook) with no internet access?

My new friend Juli and I found the answer: Starbucks/Barnes & Noble! Free Wi-fi!

...right?

Well, we parked ourselves with our trusty laptops perched on our laps in two seats facing windows overlooking the streets below (perfect positioning to spot other potential YAADs out exploring on our first night in the city) and clicked "connect to a network."

Fail. There's a teeny-tiny connection that goes really slow and keeps going out of range, but I guess this will have to do for now.

Apart from terrible wireless, I have had a great trip so far! I survived the Syracuse airport and, more importantly, O'Hare Airport in Chicago.

Despite warnings from my father, I paid too much for airport food and even bought a copy of Glamour to keep me entertained in my three hours of waiting for the next flight. After looking at pictures of jeans for five minutes (it was the denim issue), I gladly resorted back to my trusty Crime and Punishment for the wait.

Luckily I was able to find Janet after her flight arrived, and together we waited for our own flight to board. The trip went smoothly and I later discovered that the girl sitting two seats down from me (whom I had engaged in conversation regarding the colorful friendship bracelets she was creating!) happened to be a YAAD as well! We sat together on the shuttle running from the airport to the hotel along with loads of other Presbyterians, all eagerly discussing the topics which will provoke debate over the next week. I had the opportunity to meet the current GA moderator who was seated just across the aisle from me. He told us how his friends had bought him a shirt that read "Remember Me?" to wear the day after the new moderator is selected and his term of service has officially been completed.

After checking into my hotel, I went across the street to the Hyatt Hotel to check in for the YAAD registration. We got more packets and papers and a debit card with $219 on it to last us the week for meals and such ($219 for the 219th GA? Clever...). They encouraged us to go enjoy our first complimentary meal so I headed downtown with my new friend Juli to find some eats.

We decided on Chipotle and were treated very nicely by the staff (especially the drummer with an f clef tattooed on his forearm!) until our debit cards were declined. So we called customer service and they transferred us to another number and another number and finally to some mysterious woman named "Diane" who was sure to fix all our problems...that is, if she had picked up the phone. With a dead end on the debit card situation and burritos that were begging to get eaten, we gave up and paid with our own money. Apparently the cards don't start working until tomorrow...go figure.

Eating outside was a lovely opportunity to drink in the sights and sounds of downtown Minneapolis!

After dinner, Juli and I walked downtown and looked at all the nice stores, including the Target headquarters which we will be sure to frequent later on in our excursion.

We finally made our way back to the hotel in order to get our laptops and snag some Starbucks wi-fi from the joint down the street. It's about a five or ten minute walk from the hotel, but here we are! See what I go through to keep the public informed of my crazy adventures in the Midwest?

It's been a relaxing first evening, but I'm sure the days to come will be jam-packed and exhausting. More updates to come, assuming I can figure something out regarding my wireless situation!