Meeting of the minds

I’m off to San Francisco for the weekend to catch the Citizens Media Summit. I’m really excited to get to meet some of the folks I’ve been corresponding with and trackbacking(?), lo these many months. We’ve gotten so into the nuts and bolts here that I’m sorely needing another shot of mind/concept expansion.

For those who haven’t seen an online travel site comparison in a long time, I’ve got to give a shout out to Expedia. Late yesterday, I got round trip nonstop airfare on American; two nights in a king bed at the Hotel Nikko; a Supershuttle into town; $20 off a dinner at the hotel; and a subscription to Men’s Journal for $570. (The MJ sub was free. No, nobody’s artificially propping up circ figures these days.)

I also tried Orbitz (my usual travel site), Sidestep and Priceline. Next cheapest deal was pushing $900, had a layover both ways, lodging at a far lesser hotel and no free magazine subscription.

Props also to the gullible smart folks at American Express Small Business for issuing us a credit card.

I’m hoping it’s a great weekend — especially since I got offered a totally free $5,000 junket (private jet, suite, the works) to Vega$ by some exceptionally kind and well-heeled friends not an hour after I booked the SF trip.

Mike Orren is the Chief Product Officer of The Dallas Morning News; President of Belo Business Intelligence; husband to Crystal Orren; and a Mungarian at Munger Place Church in Dallas, TX. All opinions herein are mine alone.