Got to the airport Saturday morning well ahead of schedule. First two people we ran into were Dheevesh and Michael, both with the YSC group. They have been with us in previous ISEF's, so recognized them right away. Took about another hour or so for the whole group to assemble. BASEF and YSC (Youth Science Canada) group were all on the same flight. We wound up with a rather snarky Air Canada agent who went into a total panic when she thought she had to check all 30 of us in, but she calmed down a little when she realized it was just the six BASEF gang she was checking in. No issues with customs or immigration, and we all made it to the gate.
Were just sitting down and they were getting ready to close the door, when Vivian and Janelle from YSC realized they didn't have their poster with them, and suspected they had left it in the terminal. The flight attendant radioed back, the gate staff brought it on to the plane, we all breathed a huge sigh of relief, and we were off! An uneventful flight .. just the way we like it. Most of the students slept or did homework for the flight.
We were greeted in LA by a VERY enthusiastic volunteer. Bags were on the carousel as we came down the escalator, and before we knew it we had filled an entire bus, and were on our way to the hotel.
So. The hotel. Well .....
It's called the Figueroa. It was built in the 1920's as a YMCA. They would say it's been renovated, we would say that it has "character". Which in my words would mean that I think they started renovating sometime in the 1950's, and never quite finished!
As per usual, when Caroline (the lead YSC chaperone) and I went to check in, they had us spread over 9 different floors. We assured them that they really didn't want us on more than 4, as we wanted chaperones on each floor with the kids. An hour later, we all had room assignments.
The front desk comes straight from a movie set. They still have room reservations cards and keys. Yes, keys. 200 or so little cubbyholes, each one dymo-label taped (if you're under 30, ask your parents what that means!) with the room number. So when the manager was trying to find us rooms on the same floor, he really was pulling the actual room cards, switching the key and replacing the reservation card. The rooms have no clocks, and, to the chaperones chagrin, no coffee makers either. The "free internet" that was promised consists of one small netbook wired in to the front desk. Guests who want to use it, line up and wait.
We then head off in search of lunch/dinner. We find a restaurant called the Carvery just up the road. They serve sandwiches and wraps, along with salads .. but all the meat is cut off the roasts. Food was fabulous, and the kids really enjoyed it. Leanne (one of the other YSC chaperones) heads next door to an ice cream place and negotiates a half price deal on ice cream for us all.
We head back to the hotel lobby, where there is a Spanish wedding in full swing in a room just off the lobby. Kids are intrigued with the wandering mariachi band, and the colourful outfits of some of the wedding guests.
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