2009 asla annual meeting

The 2009 ASLA Annual Meeting was held in Chicago September 18-21. I had never attended an annual meeting so I was very grateful when both Confluence and Kappa Alpha Theta offered to help fund my registration and travel expenses! Chicago is one of my favorite cities and a great setting for a conference themed "Beyond Sustainability: Regenerating Places and People". There were some great educational sessions with topics including urban agriculture and 'driving cars out of the park: ways to reduce autos in city parks' and a panel including Herbert Dreiseitl discussing innovative stormwater management. Mayor Richard Daley was the keynote speaker and I got to experience Northerly Island (the old Miegs field where the mayor had the landing strip torn out in the middle of the night) on a great early morning run. Other highlights included the LAF 'Millenium Magic' Fundraiser on the Pritzker Pavillion stage, a women in landscape architecture tour of the Lurie Garden and reconnecting with old friends.