Well, it’s Friday at Bouchercon in San Francisco. One full day of panels and schmoozing under the belt, with two to go.

It got off to a shaky start. Maya and I checked into our room at the Hyatt Regency downtown to discover that the connecting door to the next room was about as thin as a piece of rice paper. The conversation of our neighbors sounded as though it were on the TV in our room. They talked, albeit in normal tones, on and on into the night, preventing us from getting much sleep. On top of that, the cable car rolled by right outside our fourth floor window, sounding like the housekeeping cart rumbling down the concrete walkway of a Motel 6.

Thankfully, the front desk was sympathetic when I told them of our problem in the morning. Amid many apologies, they gave us a free upgrade to a 12th floor balcony room overlooking the bay, and with no connecting door.

Score one for the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.

The conference, like last year’s in Indianapolis, is very well-attended, and the panels are many and diverse. They’re spread out a little too far, though, and some of the rooms were not easy to find. Hyatt personnel were stationed at each escalator, ready to direct confused conference-goers to the proper room. A very nice little touch, I thought.

Score two for the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.

Last night’s reception included a cash bar, at which a glass of wine cost eleven dollars. I was about to subtract one point from the Hyatt’s score, until I realized I could go up to the lobby bar and indulge my wine jones for $5.50.

So the Hyatt stays two up.

A highlight yesterday was meeting Eddie Muller, one of the world’s leading authorities on film noir. He’s the kind of guy you could talk to all day and neither one of you would be tired at the end.

Seen some old acquaintances, met some new ones, it’s all shaping up pretty well. Except I don’t see anyone with flowers in their hair.