Workshop Logistics
Workshop Details | Travel | Accommodations | On-site Logistics | Optional Field TripWorkshop Details
Opening Activities
The workshop will begin with an opening reception, icebreaker, and dinner at 5:30pm on Thursday, June 24, 2010 at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center. The program will begin at 7:00pm following dinner. The workshop will end at 12:00 noon on Sunday, June 27. There is an optional field trip being offered immediately following the workshop and is limited to the first 10 participants.
Travel
Transportation to DC by Air
There are two airports that serve the Washington DC area: Reagan National and Dulles International. Reagan National is 19 miles from the hotel and Dulles International is 13 miles from the hotel. We will arrange ground transportation from both airports, however if you are interested in taking the metro, Reagan National has a metro line that runs close to the hotel and the hotel has a complimentary shuttle that you can make arrangements with to pick you up from the metro stop. If you would like to arrive in time for the reception we recommend arriving into DC no later than 4:00pm (however, we cannot predict DC traffic).
The grant has funds to pay for your airfare. We encourage you to use our travel agent, CI Travel. However, if you choose to book your own flight you can make your arrangements and then email us your flight itinerary with receipt. You will need to purchase your ticket and email us the receipt by May 6, 2010. Due to budget constraints please choose an economical flight even if it is not with your preferred airline. If you book your own flight, reimbursements will be issued once the workshop takes place.
If you choose to use CI Travel, please email Nardy Tello to make your travel arrangements during the week of April 26-30. Her email address is ntello@citravel.com and her office hours are 9:00am-5:30pm, Monday-Friday. Laura Christie will be handling any travel arrangements that need to be made after April 30. Her email address is lchristie@citravel.com and her office hours are 10:30am-7:00pm, Monday-Friday. In order to make your travel arrangements you will need to email the following information:
- your full name exactly as it appears on your driver's license (including any initials if on your driver's license)
- your date of birth
- departure and return city
- dates and approximate times of arrival and departure
- if you have a specific flight you would like, please send her the flight times, numbers, and your frequent flier number (if applicable)
Once we have travel information for all participants we will coordinate ground transportation from the airports to the hotel. We will be arranging for groups of participants who are arriving close to each other to either share a taxi or super shuttle ride. If you do not want to wait and choose to take your own ground transportation it will be at your own expense.
Transportation to DC by Rail:
DC is served by Amtrak. Please see the Amtrak website for additional information about schedules and fares. Once we have travel information for all participants we will coordinate ground transportation to the hotel. If you choose not to utilize the workshop ground transportation then it will be at your own expense.
Transportation to DC by Car:
If you are arriving by car we recommend using Google Maps or another site to obtain driving directions. The address for the hotel and workshop venue are listed below.Comfort Inn University Center
11180 Fairfax Boulevard
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-591-5900
Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)
8333 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA 22003
Accommodations
You will be staying at the Comfort Inn University Center which is located about five miles from the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center where the workshop will take place. For directions to the hotel, click the link above and then select the "Maps/Directions" tab. The check-in time at the hotel is after 3pm and check-out is 11am.
You will be sharing a room with two beds with another participant. Single rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis for an additional cost of $48.50 per day. You can request a single room when you complete the registration form for the workshop.
On-Site Logistics
Workshop Check-In
Check-in for the workshop will be in the Forum (our meeting space) at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center.Internet Connections:
Both the Comfort Inn University Center, where you will be staying and the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center, where the workshop will take place are equipped with free wireless internet access.
Parking:
The Comfort Inn University Center offers free parking to hotel guests. Complimentary parking passes can obtained for parking at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center, however arrangements for the parking passes will need to be made in advance. Please indicate on the registration form if you would like a parking pass to park at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center.
Attire:
Dress will be casual during the workshop. Please be prepared for cool air-conditioned buildings and the hot/humid outdoors.
Meals:
The hotel offers a free continental breakfast, lunches and two dinners will be catered at the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center, and one dinner will be in town in small groups. Vegetarian options will be available for those who indicate they would prefer a vegetarian meal on the registration form.
Contact Numbers:
Comfort Inn University Center: 703-591-5900
Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center: 703-323-3159
Optional Field Trip
The optional field trip to explore The Billy Goat Trail will take place on Sunday, June 27 from 12:30pm - 5:00pm. Callan Bentley of Northern Virginia Community College will lead the field trip. The field trip is limited to the first ten participants. If you are interested in attending please email Christy Bennett at cfbennett AT wm.edu to sign up. The Billy Goat Trail preserves more than half a billion years of geologic history downstream of the scenic Great Falls of the Potomac River. The area has transitioned from a deep ocean basin to the center of a Paleozoic mountain belt. Participants will see outcrops of metagraywacke, lamprophyre, migmatite, amphibolite, and geomorphic features including potholes, bedrock terraces of the Potomac River, and the uncannily-straight Mather Gorge.
Following the field trip, participants will be taken to the West Falls Church Metro station where they can take a shuttle to Dulles Airport or the metro to Reagan National Airport. Participants will be dropped off at the metro station at approximately 5:30pm and should budget an additional hour to get to Dulles or Reagan National once at the metro station.If you are attending the field trip and wish to stay another night at the hotel, the Comfort Inn University Center has agreed to extend the group rate of $89 per night plus 9% tax for the night of Sunday, June 27. Staying the extra night would be at your own expense and you will need to call the hotel directly to make your own arrangements (703-591-5900). Be sure to mention that you would like to receive the reduced group rate. Please make your arrangements as soon as possible as the rate is subject to space availability. Our group is listed under "College of William and Mary - Role of Two-year Colleges". If you decide to stay the night of June 27 you will be taken to the hotel once participants who are flying out have been dropped off at the metro station.