(APS 2009) Pittsburgh is an interesting place. The most striking part of downtown is the series of yellow steel bridges crossing the river; Pittsburgh steel. One is named the Andy Warhol bridge, although it was built at the start of the 20th century, but now leads across towards the Andy Warhol museum; the latter being a highlight of a trip to the city.
The massive convention centre was well able to handle the 7000 strong crowd of physicists, even if the local restaurants had a tough time keeping up. One server remarked that she may be able to pay off her car loan thanks to the crowds this week. Judging from the number of closed premises around downtown, the conference was a welcomed boost.
I doubt I’ll bother coming back to the APS often when I leave the US. It is not very well organized at all. There are far too many talks, too many sessions and too few posters. This year especially felt like a cattle show. If you keep up with recent publications in PRL and PRB, many of the talks, consisting of brief ten minute snapshots, offer nothing new. It’s sad that clashing egos end up becoming the centre of attention, and not new science. I think the MRS has the right idea of providing selective, focused sessions while still catering to a broad audience.