TRAVEL NEWS
At the bottom of the page is a list IMs who have responded so far. This list has been sent to Rio Grande Travel, so you should start making travel arrangements. Your travel days should be August 2 and August 5, 2007.
As usual, the Network Office will cover costs for Information Managers (one person per site) to attend the meeting. Covered costs include airfare, hotel (3 nights), per diem. At the 2007 meeting, we are also hosting three guests from the GIS community, and these instructions will also apply to them. As some of you may know, Pam Griego-Madrid is no longer with the LTER. Our contact for logistics there is now Celina Gomez.
CONTACT INFO
Logistics for this meeting are being handled by Margaret O'Brien. She can answer questions about travel, hotel, ground transportation, food, meeting venue, etc.
Margaret O'Brien, SBC
mob@icess.ucsb.edu
805-893-2071
http://search.lternet.edu/directory_view.php?personid=13223
Our contact for logistics at LNO is Celina Gomez. She's the one to ask about billing and reimbursements, and she will also have rooming and travel lists.
Celina Gomez, LNO
celinas@unm.edu
505-277-2597
http://search.lternet.edu/directory_view.php?personid=14660
AIR TRAVEL INFORMATION
For those Information Managers whose costs are covered by the LNO, please contact Rio Grande Travel as soon as possible and ask for a UNM Representative (below). Tell the agent that the LTER Network Office at UNM is paying for your ticket (contact: Celina Gomez). Once you have made and approved your reservation, Rio Grande will forward the itinerary to the Network Office, which will pay for the ticket.
Rio Grande Travel:
Rita: ritao@rgtravel.com
Kimberly: kimberlyw@rgtravel.com
Judie: judiew@rgtravel.com
Sindy: sindyc@rgtravel.com
1-800-778-6861
1-505-768-7979
Problems only: Contact the manager, Doris Phillips, dorisp@rgtravel.com, cc celinas@unm.edu.
If you wish to purchase the airline ticket yourself:
Contact Celina Gomez (celinas@unm.edu). LNO policy is to cover the cost or your travel from your home or from some other location, whichever is less. Price quotes for a RT from your home will be supplied by Rio Grande. Reimbursement for the ticket will be made after the meeting.
NOTE: Any airline reservations made within 21 days of the initiation of travel will have to be paid for by the traveler and will be reimbursed at the APEX 21-day advance purchase rate. Failure to make reservations in a timely fashion may therefore have serious personal financial implications.
NOTE: Rio Grande Travel will be happy to make travel arrangements for those who are supported by their sites.
HOTEL and ACCOMODATIONS
HOTEL and ACCOMODATIONS:
We will be holding our meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in downtown San Jose. See http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/sjcpc?_requestid=192793. This hotel is also being used by ESA.
Local address and phone:
282 Almaden Blvd
San Jose, CA 95113
408-998-0400
INFORMATION MANAGERS and GIS GUESTS: The rooming lists for Information Managers, LNO staff and GIS guests covered by the budget has been sent to the hotel. If you dont know who your roommate is, contact Margaret. The list of names is at the bottom of the page.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PEOPLE MAKING THEIR OWN ARRANGEMENTS (guests and extra site reps):
These people should contact the Crowne Plaza directly and make arrangements for booking a room under the "LTER Information managers" block. Call 1-800-2-CROWNE (1-800-227-6963) by July 12. 2007. After July 12, rooms will be booked at the prevailing rate if available.
IF YOU ARE STAYING FOR ESA:
ESA has a block of rooms at the Crowne Plaza. If you would like to keep your room while you attend ESA, you should make reservations for both events as instructed on their individual logistics pages. When you check in for the first event, tell them that you are staying for the second, and they will "do everything in their power to let you keep the same room for the whole stay".
The two events have different contracts and the hotel is using different methods of booking. Even if you can keep the same room, the hotel staff will probably ask you close out one bill (for the LTER days) and open another for the ESA days.
GROUND TRAVEL:
Ground Transporation:
The airport is about 3 miles from downtown and the Crowne Plaza. You have 2 choices, public transportation, or taxi.
Using Public Transportation (airport shuttle, light rail to downtown, walk 1/2 block):
1. Airport to Light Rail:
fare: none
"Route 10 Airport Flyer" to the Light Rail (Metro/Airport Station). The ride is about 5min, and the bus comes every 10min.
2. Light Rail to Convention Center (downtown)
fare: $1.75
You'll get on at Airport/Metro station, off at Convention Center station. The ride is about 15 min, and the train runs every 10-15 min.
http://www.vta.org/schedules/lr_interactive_map/lrBusMap.html
3. Walk to Crowne Plaza
1/2 block
The hotel is located on the corner of Almaden Blvd and E. San Carlos. The Convention Center Light rail station is on E. San Carlos between Almaden Blvd and Market Street.
Directions:
turn southwest (away from Plaza de Cesar Chavez), walk 1/2 block
http://maps.google.com/maps/...
Your alternative is taxicab:
fare $15-20
We know that there are several of you arriving on the same flight. No one is going to try to tell you who you could be sharing a cab with, but if you run into each other, you could probably share the ride.
Here is a link to the offical airport shuttle/bus/cab/information:
http://www.sjc.org/travelers/ground_trans.html
USEFUL VISITOR INFO
Crown Plaza Menus (.doc)
San Jose Dining Guide (.pdf)
Information Managers and GIS guests whose air travel is covered by the budget are listed here (as of 2007-06-11). Let Margaret know if you see any errors. See the meeting website for the full list of participants.
Information managers:
Dave Balsinger
Kristen Vanderbilt
Eda Melendez-Colom
Karen Baker
Sabine Grabner
Linda Powell
Corinna Gries
Margaret O'Brien
Mason Kortz
Nicole Kaplan
Suzanne Remillard
Jonathan Walsh
Dan Bahauddin
Wade Sheldon
Todd Ackerman
Emery Boose
Ken Ramsey
Hap Garrett
John Porter
John Campbell
Barrie Collins
Chris Gardner
Jincheng Gao
Sven Bohm
Jamie Hollingworth
Taylor Heyl
GIS guests
Mike Goodchild, UCSB
Barbara Nolen, JRN
Theresa Valentine, AND
