Craftboston Booth 2013 Cindy Grisdela
The opening of Craftboston has been delayed today due to the intense manhunt going on in Boston for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings earlier this week. It’s possible that the show will be able to open later this afternoon, maybe from 2-6 PM, but nothing is clear at this point. UPDATE: The show has been cancelled for Friday due to the circumstances.
Meanwhile, I was having my own personal drama, which is nothing compared to what’s happening elsewhere in the city, but might provide some comic relief. I’m staying in a small hotel in a town about 15 minutes away from the show venue with no internet access. Last night my iPhone charger quit working and I had virtually no battery left. I tossed and turned all night trying to figure out how I was going to get another charger in time to charge my phone for the show. I depend on the Square adapter on my phone to accept credit card payments, as do many other artists.
Since I didn’t have either a phone or internet access, I had no idea what was going on in Boston. I got on the road about 7:30 AM to come into town and try to find a charger. My first stop was the show venue, because the show staff has been incredibly helpful, but there was no one there. So I went across the street to the Seaport Hotel, where I stayed during the show last year, walking right past a TV without seeing it. The concierge staff was helpful, but told me there was no way to get a phone charger in Boston today because the city is on lockdown. This was the first I’d heard of anything happening, even though I noticed on the way in that traffic seemed light for a Friday morning. Further, she advised me not to leave the hotel, as all Boston residents are being advised to “shelter in place” until the fugitive is found. No subway or cab service, heavy police presence, almost no traffic on the streets, and long lines to get into Logan Airport as each vehicle is searched.
The kind concierge lent me a phone charger so I could get some life back in my phone battery, and although my movement is restricted, I’m sitting in a comfortable hotel lobby with my phone on the charger and internet access to write this post.
It’s been quite a morning! My son just checked in that his friends who live in the Boston area, nearer where the search is going on, are all safe, so that’s a relief. Boston is one of my favorite cities, and I fervently hope that the authorities find the man they are looking for without anyone else getting hurt, so the city can begin to heal.
Stay tuned for updates on the show. I’ll post when I know something.