I had a great time at WWDC this year, and I felt the content had a lot more meat on it this time around, especially some of the APIs for things that weren’t directly announced to the public. Lots to chew on for a while.
Here are some takeaways
- For touting it’s green-leaning policies, San Francisco is one filthy, garbage-swirling city. Maybe it’s all the homeless, maybe it’s the amount of constant visitation by those who don’t live there, but it’s mighty dirty most of the time.
- Good food can be had nearly everywhere – except served in Moscone West. 🙂 If you have time to run out somewhere for a quick lunch instead of picking up the usual free stuff, you’ll be better off. Even some dive joints will serve up better.
- Odwalla galore – drink it up.
- Right before the band at the Bash ends, go to the edge of the stage near the bathrooms. I have the past two years & met Scott Forstall and Phil Schiller. It’s easy – and I even made the WWDC photo feed this year 🙂
- Stop taking notes during sessions. You won’t be able to keep up and you’ll have videos to watch again later. Some sessions were flinging API around and I was missing stuff just to try to keep up.
- Get your sleep. Making it through some sessions, especially towards the end of the day can be brutal.
- Get in line for the keynote before 4AM day of. We got there around that time and we were still probably 600th. Don’t buy a cheap chair from Walgreens like I did, a company will be out pouring coffee and handing out little fold-up chairs (with no back support). Mine was a little better, but free beats $9.99 – when you’re going to leave it next to a trash bin anyway.
- Tad’s on Powell serves a really decent breakfast. Coffee is good too.
- Hotel Abri is WAY better than Hotel Union Square. Way.