This page contains a description of the University location and environment and various links to useful information for travel, housing, and food.
LAST UPDATE: AUGUST 18, 2007
OVERVIEW
The University of Maryland (UM) at College Park is close to Washington, DC. College Park, however, is essentially a college town. There is one main street that passes through, Baltimore Avenue. The campus is rather large, but fortunately, there are shuttle buses available. The weather at that time is usually comfortable for walking as well.
Three major airports are in the area: (a) Regan National Airport (DC), (b) Baltimore-Washington Airport (Maryland), and (c) Dulles Internationl Airport (Virginia). Visit http://www.metwashairports.com/ for more information on each of these airports. Only Reagan National is located on a Metro subway station. Travel from BWI and DUI require shuttle buses or taxis. Reagan National and BWI are both closer than DUI.
TRANSPORTATION
Public transportation on the Metro system is certainly the least costly way to travel ($5 for subway plus bus one way), and the Metro website below can help you plan easily. Shuttle buses are another reasonable and easier way to travel, with the costing depending on the airport, but generally about $27. Taxi costs will vary but are generally around $50, again depending on the airport. If you drive, visit the UM website for matters of parking, which is not free. Check the following websites for more information.
(1) Shuttle buses: http://www.supershuttle.com/htm/cities/dca.htm.
(2) Metro subway and buses: http://www.wmata.com/.
(3) Airport taxis: Visit the airport websites http://www.metwashairports.com/.
(4) Driving: parking on campus http://www.umd.edu/visitors/parking.html.
There are several hotels in College Park. Only a few of them are truly within walking distance (at least 15 minutes of walking) of where the conference will be held (again, the UM campus is quite large). Presenters must make their own arrangements. The following website has useful information and lists the hotels in order of distance from the main campus:
http://www.uga.umd.edu/admissions/visit/accommodations.asp
The following three hotels are the closest.
QUALITY INN
7200 Baltimore Ave.
College Park, MD 20740
Phone: 301-864-5820
Fax: 301-276-1111
E-mail: gm.MD021@choicehotels.com
QUOTE AS OF AUGUST 18: SINGLE $84 /DOUBLE $94 (MENTION ACCOUNT NUMBER #2756 TO GET THESE RATES)
BEST WESTERN COLLEGE PARK INN & FUNDOME
8601 Baltimore Ave.
College Park, MD 20740
301.474.2800
QUOTE AS OF JUNE 8: $94
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE INN AND CONFERENCE CENTER
Adelphi Rd. & Univ. Blvd.
Adelphi, MD 20742
301.985.7300, 1.800.676.6137
QUOTE AS OF JUNE: $169
Again, the campus is large, so it will be helpful to view the map before you come to the campus. http://www.transportation.umd.edu/visitor_info/the_map.htm. SEALS will have two rooms for presentations, one in St. Mary’s Hall and one in Jimenez Hall, which are adjacent buildings.
FOOD IN COLLEGE PARK
There will be some refreshments at the conference (coffee, tea, and some snacks). Just across the street from St. Mary’s Hall and Jimenez Hall is the Adele Stamp Student Union, which has a food court consisting of several fast food restaurants. The campus has other cafes as well. Finally, in College Park, along Baltimore Avenue, there is a variety of restaurants: http://www.mdgridiron.umd.edu/maryland/campus/Restaurants.html.