Location
Northwestern has two campuses. One is located in downtown Chicago. The other, main campus is
located in Evanston, Illinois, about 20 minutes North of downtown Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan (This is the nice "North Shore" area
of Chicago suburbs).
The Evanston campus is where the meeting will be taking place. If you are not familiar with
Northwestern or the Chicago area, you may want to read the main "About
Northwestern" page and the campus information page. You can find a lot
of useful campus information online, including maps, directions, and information on where to park.
If you are flying to Chicago, make sure to arrive at O'Hare International Airport (ORD), which has
nonstop flights to and from most major airports around the world, and is only about 30 mins from Evanston by taxi.
After you have retrieved your bags, call American Taxi at 1-847-255-9600 for a pick-up. This
company has a low flat rate to Evanston ($24). You could also just grab a Chicago taxi but they
will charge a lot more (by the meter) and they
may get lost in the suburbs. If you are going to spend some time in the Chicago area and have fun (see "entertainment" below), you should consider renting a car at the airport.
Lodging
The most convenient hotel to be walking distance (5 mins) to campus is the recently re-opened (and
renovated) Hotel Orrington. We have reserved a block of rooms at this hotel
for conference participants at the special group rate of $119/night (single or double, plus tax).
You must make your own reservation by calling the hotel at +1-847-866-8700 or 1-888-677-4648 (toll-free in the US) and requesting
the group rate for the "Northwestern Physics and Astronomy" conference.
The deadline for making a reservation was May 20th, 2005, but rooms at this rate may continue to be available until early summer.
A slightly cheaper but still very nice hotel a bit further from campus is the Hilton Garden Inn ($109/night).
Also worth checking is the Best Western University Plaza ($99/ night).
There are of course many more options within driving distance of campus. If you intend to
drive to campus every day, make sure to read about visitor's parking permits (below). Whichever hotel you
call in the
area, make sure to ask for a special "Northwestern University" rate. The full list of hotels that offer special rates to Northwestern can be
found online: NU Hotel List.
You can also find special Northwestern rates at downtown hotels. See the same page above but follow the link to "Chicago
hotels." If you are coming with family/SOs, that may be the better option (for them at least).
Some students asked about cheaper accommodations on campus. While all
dorms are closed during the summer break, Garrett Seminary (on campus
but not part of Northwestern) does have a few dorm-style rooms available.
The rates are lower than for hotels in the area: for rooms with shared bath,
the price is $52/night for a single room, or $73/night for a double
room; for rooms with private baths, the price is $68/night for a single, or
$89/night for a double.
For reservations please contact Ms. Sue
Fowler at Garrett Housing (Email: Susan.Fowler@garrett.edu; Tel: +1-847-866-3950),
and make sure to mention the "MODEST conference in the Physics and Astronomy Department."
Registration
Registration will take place in the main entrance lobby of the
Technological Institute Building (aka "Tech"), which is located at 2145
Sheridan Road in Evanston. This is at the S-E corner of the intersection
between Sheridan Road (the main N-S street through campus) and Noyes
Street. All hotels should be able to provide you with a good Evanston
map.
An online interactive map is available at NU Evanston Campus.
The registration desk will be open from 8:00 AM until 11:00 AM on
Monday, Aug 29. After that please see one of the organizers.
The main talk sessions will take place in Room L211 of the Tech
building.
Info about coffee breaks, rooms for parallel sessions, etc., will be in
your registration folder.
Directions from the Orrington Hotel to the Tech building: walk North
on Orrington (turn left when exiting the hotel) and then turn right
on Clark. When you arrive at Chicago Ave, make a left (turn North).
After one block, Chicago merges with Sheridan Rd (you will see the
main entrance gate to campus on your right). Walk North on Sheridan
Rd for a few minutes until you reach the Tech building, a large stone
building with a flat roof, on the right (East) side of Sheridan Rd.
It is now connected by a 2nd-floor bridge to the new "Ford
Engineering Design Center" to the South, a striking glass building
that you will easily recognize.
Lunch Package
We can offer you a heavily subsidized lunch package that will cover your
lunches for all 3 days of the meeting. Lunches will be at the Allen
Conference Center right on campus. It is extremely convenient and the food is
very nice (all you can eat buffet with great variety of food). The normal cost
is $15 per person, or $45 for the 3 days, but with our subsidy the cost to
you is only $20.
We ask that you:
(1) tell us by Friday, Aug 19, if you want to
purchase this lunch package (lunch tickets will then be placed in your registration
envelope);
(2) if at all possible, pay in advance by credit card by returning
to us the
Payment Form. If you really
cannot pay by credit card you will also
be able to pay by cash or check at registration.
If you are on a very tight budget and prefer something cheaper your only
other option on campus is at the Student
Center, but to make it cheaper than $20 for 3 days you will probably have to stick to pizza.
Going off-campus will be difficult as we are on a tight schedule with
just an hour in our current schedule for lunch breaks.
Parking
Campus parking permits are available but must be purchased in
advance. They cost $6/day. If you need parking permits please pay for them in
advance with your lunch package (print the lunch/parking payment
form). Simply
add the amount and write on the form the number of parking permits you need and for which days.
The permits will be placed in your registration envelope or we can bring them to the
reception Sunday evening.
See the online Campus Parking Map for Visitors.
Sunday Evening Reception
On Sunday evening, August 28th, from 5:30 - 7:00 PM, we are hosting a
welcoming reception for all conference participants. This will take
place in the den area (North side) of the Globe Bar at the Orrington Hotel in
Evanston. Free hors-d'oeuvres, beer and wine will be served.
Excursion to Lake Geneva and Visit of Yerkes Observatory
On Thursday, September 1, we are organizing a special group visit to Yerkes Observatory, near Lake Geneva in South-East Wisconsin.
Vans will depart from the Orrington Hotel around 8:30 AM, and be back in Evanston
around 4:00 PM. There will be plenty of time to visit the observatory
and tour the area. This excursion is free to all participants. You may also
bring your friends and family.
Please email Craig Heinke
to sign up and for more details.
Other Entertainment
Many of you will want to arrive on Saturday, August 27th, to take advantage of cheaper airfares with a Saturday night
stay. Chicago has a lot to offer to visitors, and the weather in late summer is particularly pleasant (usually dry and not too hot). There are also many interesting destinations
in the North Shore area. For example, the Ravinia Festival (summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and much more) is located in Highland Park, just 20 mins North of
Evanston by a very convenient train ride. Check the Ravinia Festival calendar online and buy your tickets early!
Chicago is also world famous for jazz, and it turns out that two major festivals are taking place
right around the time of our meeting:
Downtown Chicago has fantastic architecture. One of the best summer activities for visitors is
the Chicago Architecture Foundation's river cruise, often
booked months in advance. The new Millennium Park is
free and not to be missed.
There are also several major museums, including the Chicago Art Institute, the Field Museum, and the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum (the oldest planetarium in the Western
world).
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