New York City and Podcamp NYC

One of the coolest things by far that I have done this year is go to Podcamp NYC.

It was an amazing experience for a myriad of reason. For one, I absolutely love New York City. I got the opportunity to catch up with my great friend Lisa who now lives in Maryland because she came up to NYC and spent the weekend with me, and even attended Podcamp. God Bless her for putting up with my nerdy ways. I also got the opportunity to meet some of my favorite podcasters : Cliff and Steph from GSPN.tv , CC Chapman from the Advance Guard, and our amazing New York City tour Guide Chef MarkCulinary Media Network.
(Thanks to Mark for being such a great host!) from the

Thursday was amazing, even from the madness that ensued early on. Upon checking into the hotel I left to grab a quick bite to eat. An older lady got run over right in front of the hotel. After all that, I finished unpacking and headed for Times Square. The lights where calling my name. I could not be in New York City and not see a Broadway play. I saw my favorite, RENT. I had third row seats, and thanks to the little lottery thing, I got a pretty sweet deal on them! I'm very glad I got to see it again before it goes off broadway. Nothing like Rent on Broadway. After that I went to the coolest Apple Store EVER, the fifth avenue store. Gah! It was mind blowing to see it at night. It has got to be the coolest glass box anywhere.

Woke up early Friday to head over to Podcamp. As I headed for the crosswalk with Lisa, in the middle of all the city commotion, I heard a familiar voice. It was Mark, I turned around and screamed "Mark!!" and two seconds later Cliff and Steph came up right behind him. It was hilarious that I would find them not by spotting them in the crowd, but by recognizing Mark's voice. It made me realize just how much these podcasters have transcended my ipod and become bona fide friends. After this we became like the 5 musketeers and did podcamp and our evenings out together. We ate lunch at Chipotle, because we all love it, and after an afternoon of sessions we went to the the official podcamp party at ReBar, which makes a mean Pineapple and Malibu, after that we headed to Super Fine right across the street in Dumbo, for one of many more amazing meals with the group. What made it interesting was to be in a place with such like minded people. People who love to produce content, reach their audience, and just carve their spot in the new media playground. The coolest thing was coming back to the Hotel to find Matthew Ebel, my favorite safe artist playing the piano in the lobby, and taking song requests. He was so down to earth and sweet, and was the icing on the cake of a pretty great night!

Saturday we got a little bit of a later start as the sessions began at 10. The first highlight of the day was to meet Sharon and Christine, who are also part of the wonderful GSPN community AND listen to my show! It was delightful to meet them at the first session, and to get to spend time with them throughout the weekend. Later that afternoon, I headed to a session about politics, and the plus was that I got to meet CC Chapman! Politics and podcasting, now that's my sweet spot. CC was super nice and friendly and very charming for putting up with my excitement in meeting him. After reconvening at the hotel, we decided to go Les Halles, Anthony Bourdain's former restaurant. After dinner, we headed to a very moving experience at Ground Zero. It was moving to the see the fire house right across the street, and to see not only the big hole in the ground, but the big gap in the NYC skyline.

Sunday was relaxed, checked out, and headed to the gspn.tv meetup. But before brunch I had to make one last stop at the Apple Store, I just had to get that Apple TV! I had brunch and had to part ways with the musketeers rather early because I had to head back to reality, back to Miami. At least my flight was amazing, and not delayed. It has been hectic since my return home, but I wouldn't change a minute of my New York and Podcamp experience for anything in the world!

I want to again thank Chef Mark for being such an amazing guide to the city, for finding such great places to eat, and just overall taking care of us all. I want to thank Cliff and Steph for sharing your New York experience with me, thanks for spending most of your time in NYC with me. It was my pleasure to meet you guys in person. I also want to thank Lisa for making the long drive into the city, and for putting up with widgets, rss feeds, and twitter talk all weekend.
I also want to say how great it was to meet Sharon and Christine at Podcamp. I look forward to interacting with you guys online!

New York City is always amazing, and this particular trip was spectacular for several reasons. Not only did I get to catch up with an old friend, but I also met some of the friends I have made through podcasting and new media. It was a much different trip to New York than any I have ever taken before. Podcamp was very cool, largely in part to its unconference style. It was a perfect balance of organization and spontaneity. The sessions where inspirational, educational, and well balanced. I think everyone that went got something out of them, and learned something new. The new media spirit, the constant flash of cameras and clicks of keys made the perfect soundtrack to the wonderful spirit of an amazing conference. I encourage everyone to attend a Podcamp close by, it will make you think of all the wonderful things that you can do possibly do with the content you make. Let the podcamps be your bridge to new media!!!

I'll be posting my pictures from my trip to flickr and facebook ... so keep an eye out for those!