Munich High End 2011

Connecting to the Internet in my small room at the Park Inn&#151nothing fancy, but a perfect place to work.

As I opened the door to my little room, I was greeted by the distinct buzz of television electricity. I wondered if someone was inside, waiting for me.

No such luck, but I found something similarly delightful: A friendly greeting from the hotel, in charming, 8-bit glory.

As we climbed the stairs into the sunlight and ventured out onto Frankfurter Ring, we were happily surprised to find that our hotel was right next door to a curious place called Eroticland. Somehow, this seemed appropriate.

Would this turn out to be a sexy hi-fi show?

As we raced to catch the bus that would take us from Manhattan to Newark Liberty Airport, Rosemarie Torcivia and I were caught in an incredible downpour&#151rain like we rarely see it in New York City. Our trip to Germany for the 2011 High End Show had gotten off to a soggy start. Was this a sign of things to come?