Document number:  N2753=08-0263
Date:  2008-09-10
Author:  J. Stephen Adamczyk, Edison Design Group
 jsa@edg.com

March 2009 meeting information

Location

The March 2009 meeting of WG21 will be held from Monday, March 2 to Friday, March 6, in Summit, NJ, at the Grand Summit Hotel (www.grandsummit.com). (Note: This is a five-day meeting.)

The conference room rate is $189 per night. That rate includes continental breakfast and in-room WiFi access. The hotel has a small fitness room and an arrangement for guests to use the local YMCA. Most rooms are non-smoking, but there are a few smoking rooms available, and a few other rooms that have outdoor patios where you can smoke.

The rooms are quite nice, though on the smallish side for American hotel rooms. If you're feeling claustrophobic or flush, the hotel has a number of suites. We do not, however, get a special price for those.

To make a reservation, please send me e-mail (jsa@edg.com) giving me your name, arrival and departure dates, and any other information you deem relevant (e.g., that you're a smoker). I will assemble a list and forward it to the hotel, and give you a confirmation number (but not immediately). You won't need to provide a credit card number until you show up to check in. Please do not make a reservation directly with the hotel; you won't get our rate and you won't be counted against our block. Please let me know as soon as possible that you plan to attend, but no later than January 15, 2009.

Transportation

The nearest airport is Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), about 15 miles to the East.

A taxi from the airport to the hotel costs around $45 and takes around 30 minutes, possibly more during peak traffic periods. You could instead book a limousine (e.g., from Air Brook), but it's more expensive and not significantly better. Taxis are quite easy to get at the airport.

The hotel operates a shuttle van to and from the airport several times a day. The cost is $25 each way. Note, however, that the shuttle does not operate on Saturdays.

Summit can also be reached by train. NJ Transit's Summit train station is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Trains run from New York and Newark (see schedule), which means if you travel to the area on Amtrak you can get to the hotel fairly easily. However, the airport is not near the Newark train station, so it's slightly complicated to get from the airport to the hotel via train (see AirTrain Newark).

You can rent a car if you wish, but Summit is highly walkable, and you can do fine without a car. The hotel does handle Avis car rentals, so you can pick up a car from them if you need one for only a day or two. The hotel has adequate parking, but they do charge $9.25 a night for it.

The area

The city of Summit is a nice suburban New Jersey town. It has a pleasant and walkable downtown featuring many restaurants and shops. A dozen restaurants are within a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel (mind you, it will be March in New Jersey, so it will be a cold walk).

The Mall at Short Hills, an upscale mall that is actually on many tourists' list of places to visit if you're in New York, is a few miles away. For those of a more spiritual bent, the birthplace of Unix is a few miles in the other direction.

End of document