54th AT Spring Meeting wrap-up

The AT Spring Meeting closed Friday with the Chair's Roundtable Conference with Enforcement Officials. We heard from FTC Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras; U.S. Department of Justice AAG of the Antitrust Division, Thomas Barnett; Chair of the NAAG Multistate Task Force, Robert Hubbard; and European Commission Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. This was the first time the EC Competition Commissioner participated in an ABA Antitrust meeting which drew a record number of attendees, especially for international practitioners and enforcement officials.

After their remarks, Michael Egge (Latham & Watkins), Debra Pearlstein (Weil Gotshal & Manges), and Allan Van Fleet (Greenberg Traurig) joined AT Chair Don Klawiter (Morgan Lewis & Bockius) in asking the officials about recent developments and likely emphasis of future enforcement activity. It was certainly interesting to hear the responses from the top antitrust enforcement officials in the world to questions from some of the top practitioners in the country.

On a personal note, I took advantage of being in D.C. during the Cherry Blossom festival and stayed for the weekend to take in the sights and sounds. It's a great way to end a busy week of sessions, learn more about D.C., and enjoy the great weather. Some things to keep in mind if you're new to D.C. and want to stay afterwards next year:

• METRO Rail is great for getting around town. Get a daily pass for only $6.50 and you'll have unlimited use of the system until closing. If your bags are manageable, you can take the train in from Reagan National airport, passing by the Pentagon and Arlington cemetery on the Blue line.
• If you're lucky, you can get an unbelievable deal from [an online travel site] at a certain 4-star hotel just across the street from the ABA DC office, a block away from McPherson Station on the Blue/Orange Metro Line, and just a couple blocks away from the White House Visitor Center (this saved us a lot of time getting tickets for the Spring Garden Tour first thing Saturday morning).
• Later closing hours for some attractions begin in April due to Daylight Savings, e.g., you can leave a Smithsonian museum at closing and still make it to the zoo to see the Pandas.
• Plan ahead for a White House tour by submitting your request well in advance
• You CAN see the fireworks on the waterfront from the Kennedy Center terrace
• Bring VERY comfortable walking shoes

Can you tell I'm already planning for next year's Spring meeting?