I stayed in Austin for 12 days including SXSW Edu and Interactive. For the first six days I booked to stay at Melissa's place because of her amazing reviews and because her place is affordable and close to Downtown Austin.

This was an excellent decision partly because the house is comfortable and peaceful and mostly because Mellisa is such a welcoming and thoughtful host and a colleague in the world of educational technology. I am on quite a radical vegan diet so I really appreciated the ride to Wholefoods Market to grab some supplies and the quick tour of Downtown Austin the evening I arrived. Thanks to Melissa for making some time for mostly profound (and often very funny) conversation despite her crazy busy schedule. If I lived in Austin I would want her right in the middle of my circle of friends.