Location

Conference activities will be at the University of Washington, in Room A102 of the Physics Astronomy Building. A campus map can be found HERE, and a PDF can be found here: UW Campus Map.pdf.

Accommodations

Participants will be staying at the Silver Cloud Inn at 5036 25th Avenue Northeast, Seattle, WA. Directions to the hotel can be found HERE.

Directions from the Hotel to the Conference

The Silver Cloud has a van that seats about 15, and we will arrange for them to make 1-3 runs in the morning and evening.  We'll probably also arrange for a UW van.  If you would rather travel on your own:

A map showing driving directions from the hotel to the Physics Astronomy Building is shown above. A map showing walking directions from the garage to the PAB, and from PAB to dinner, can be found HERE.

To walk or take your bike:  The Burke-Gilman bicycle trail runs past both the hotel and physics building.  It is about 1.5 miles.  You will know you are at the Physics building when there is a large sundial on the building to your right, and a traffic light in front of you for crossing 15th Avenue.  Don't cross the street.  Rather, turn right up the stairs.  You should see the "physics peanut" sculpture in front of you.  The auditorium wing will be on your right, and room A102 is the auditorium furthest from you.  It is somewhat shorter to follow the roads and cut across campus, but you'll need to climb a steep hill.  NOTE:  Don't plan to walk or bike on the Burke-Gilman back to the hotel after dinner, since the trail passes through a patch of dark and secluded woods at one point. 

To drive to the Central Parking Garage from the Silver Cloud:  It is difficult, if not impossible, to turn left out of the Silver Cloud.  Thus, turn right, and then take the first right (Blakely).  Follow Blakely around behind University Village Shopping Center, and then turn right when you reach the light at NE 45th Street (a 5-way intersection).  Stay in the right lane on NE 45th St and go up the hill.  You will pass the north entrance to campus at 17th Ave NE, at which point you should be in the left lane.  Turn left at the light at 15th Ave NE.  Go south 5 blocks and turn left at 40th Street into the Central Parking Garage. When you arrive at the garage, tell the parking attendant “I have arranged parking with the Women in Physics conference” to have your parking pass charged directly to the conference. If your department will pay for your parking, it will cost $10 before noon on Saturday; parking is free after noon on Saturday, and all day Sunday.

Getting to PAB from the Garage:  On Sunday, or if you plan to return to PAB after dinner, go all the way down to level C5 on the west end of the garage (go down the ramp at the entrance, and bear right and then left to go down another ramp to the C5 level).  There is another driveway entrance to the garage here.  Park on that level, and exit by walking out that entrance.  Turn left (east), walk up the hill, and turn right (south) at the stop sign.  Walk past two buildings (Architecture and Psychology), and you should soon see the “peanut” and McDermott plaza on your right.

If you will be leaving campus right after dinner Saturday, you should park on level C1, C3 or C5 close to the east end of the garage.  The stairwell labeled “Kane Hall” leads to the Walker-Ames room where we will have dinner.  Park near there, but exit to the south, through the stairwell labeled “Gerberding Hall.”  Take the stairs to the surface, and if you are lucky you will have a wonderful view of Mt. Rainier to the south.  Head down the stairs towards the mountain (or towards the fountain/pond, if you can’t see the mountain).  Turn right (west) just before the fountain, and head west past Chemistry and Chemical Engineering until you reach Stevens Way – you will need to jog to the left to get around the Chem Library Building.  The “peanut” and McDermott Plaza will then be across the street.

To take a bus to Physics/Astronomy from the Silver Cloud: Unfortunately, most of the bus routes don't run at the times you would want to take them.  The most direct is the 68, but its first run only gets to campus at 9:38 am on Saturday, the last bus leaves campus at 5:54 pm, and it doesn't run at all on Sunday.  Route 30 is your best bet for the times the conference starts and stops.  You would need to walk north about 5 blocks from the hotel to 55th St, and then get off the bus at 15th and 41st and then walk about 4 blocks south to the physics building.  See http://metro.kingcounty.gov/ and type "30" or "68" into the "get a timetable" box for a schedule and route map.  You can also go to http://metro.kingcounty.gov/ridertools/ and click on Metro's Trip Planner to enter where you want to go and when.  Enter "15th Ave NE and NE 40th St" for your destination.

How to Dress

The dress at a professional conference is “Business Casual” - you should wear neither faded jeans nor a low-cut blouse and miniskirt. Typical attire is dress slacks or a skirt and a blouse. You will be walking across campus a bit, and (depending on your plans) to and from the hotel, so choose your shoes accordingly. Tennis shoes are not appropriate, but dark or neutral colored flats would be fine. A warm coat and umbrella are also a good idea.

Logistics

You will find a PDF with all the logistics HERE.