NUG Meeting Logistics

Meeting Locations

Monday, Oct. 3, 2005 Training Day

Training will be help at the Berkeley Lab Oakland Scientific Facility, located at 415 Thomas L. Berkeley Way (20th Street) in Oakland, CA. The Facility, which houses the NERSC computers and is home to the NERSC Center's staff, is located near the 19th Street BART station.

Map of OSF area with BART exits to street level

Lunch on training day is on your own. The NERSC Oakland Scientific Facility is located in downtown Oakland and there are many reasonably priced good restaurants (especially ethnic) within walking distance.

Staff favorites for lunch in Oakland.

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005 Business Meeting

The NUG business meeting will be held in the Building 50 Auditorium at the Berkeley Lab main campus just northeast of the University of California-Berkeley campus.

Lunch on Oct. 4 will be catered for registered attendees. NERSC Director Horst Simon will speak on "Progress in Supercomputing: The Top Three Breakthroughs of the Last 20 Years and the Top Three Challenges for the Next 20 Years" during lunch.

Maps

• Google Map of Downtown Oakland
• Google Map of Berkeley Lab area
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Site Map
• UC Berkeley Campus Map

Transportation & Parking

Parking at Berkeley Lab

Parking at Berkeley Lab is extremely limited. Parking permits for the main Berkeley Lab campus are extremely difficult to obtain and are the number is very limited. We strongly encourage you to utilize BART and the Berkeley Lab shuttle (which operates between downtown Berkeley and the Lab.

Parking at Oakland Scientific Facility

Parking for the Oakland Scientific Facility (OSF) is available about two blocks away in the Kaiser Center parking garage at 300 Lakeside Drive. Validation passes will be available at the OSF second floor reception desk. The 19th Street Oakland BART station is closer to OSF and more convenient than the parking garage.

LBNL Shuttle Transportation

Berkeley Lab operates complimentary shuttle services between the Lab and downtown Berkeley (called "off-site" shuttles). These shuttles are your recommended means of transportation between downtown Berkeley and the Berkeley Lab main campus. When you see the shuttle approaching an official lab shuttle stop (marked by the Berkeley Lab logo on a pole), make sure you wave to the driver so the driver knows you want to board. Berkeley Lab shuttles are white, with blue and teal stripes. Allow 30 minutes traveling time. There is no charge to utilize the shuttles, but you will need to carry a Visitor Shuttle Pass at all times. This will be emailed to you prior to the meeting dates.

There are two different off-site shuttles:

1. The Hearst shuttle that plies the Hearst route
2. The Bancroft shuttle that plies the Bancroft route (see Bancroft route schedule)

Note (1): The Hearst shuttle operates several stops in downtown Berkeley, including one at the Downtown Berkeley BART station at Center and Shattuck. The Hearst shuttle will take you to Building 65 of the lab. Please disembark and walk to the Building 50 Auditorium. The Building 50 complex is across the street and on the hill across from the shuttle stop.

Note (2): The Hotel Durant is located within close walking distance of several of the Bancroft shuttle stops. The closest can be found at the Bancroft Way/Bowditch Street intersection. This shuttle travels west along Bancroft; therefore, you will find the shuttle stop located on the campus side (north side) of Bancroft Way. The Bancroft shuttle will take you to Building 62 of the lab. Please disembark and transfer to the "On-Site" shuttle. Let the driver know that you wish to be notified when the shuttle arrives at Building 50. Please disembark and proceed to Building 50 Auditorium.

The "On-Site" shuttle operates:

• every 12 minutes between the hours of 6:44am - 5:10pm
• every 24 minutes between the hours of 5:10pm - 6:50pm

See "On-Site" Route Map and Schedule.

Airport Ground Transportation

From San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Hotel Durant, Berkeley:

We recommend that you utilize BayPorter Express, which is a Door-to-Door Airport Van Service. When you have your baggage and are ready for ground transportation at SFO, call the BayPorter dispatcher at 1-877-467-1800 (toll free within SF Bay Area) from any pay telephone, or from the phone boards at Baggage Claim. It is important that you call the BayPorter dispatcher from the airport because their vans are only allowed at the terminals while actively boarding passengers. Give your confirmation number or name to the dispatcher, who will then provide you with the exact time to proceed to the boarding area. Advance reservations are not required. Note that BayPorter service is available from 5 am until 10 pm daily at San Francisco International Airport.

It would be a good idea to visit BayPorter's website or call them for complete service information prior to your travel date.

Click here for a complete list and description of ground transportation options at SFO.

From Berkeley to San Francisco International Airport (SFO):

We again recommend that you utilize BayPorter Express for your return ground transportation to SFO. Note, however, that you must make a prior reservation at least one day in advance to let them know where you wish to be picked up
from, and your flight information.

From Oakland International Airport (OAK) to Hotel Durant, Berkeley:

We recommend that you utilize BayPorter Express, which is a Door-to-Door Airport Van Service. When you have your baggage and are ready for ground transportation at Oakland International Airport, call the BayPorter dispatcher at 1-877-467-1800 (toll free within SF Bay Area) or from the phone bank at the information desk at the front of the Terminal. Give your confirmation number or name to the dispatcher, who will then provide you with the exact time to proceed to the boarding area. Vans normally are available within 30 minutes. Advance reservations are required. Note that BayPorter service is available from 5 am until 10 pm daily at Oakland International Airport.

It would be a good idea to visit BayPorter's website or call them for complete service information prior to your travel date.

Click here for a complete list and description of ground transportation options at OAK.

From Berkeley to Oakland International Airport (OAK):

We again recommend that you utilize BayPorter Express for your return ground transportation to OAK. Note, however, that you must make a prior reservation at least one day in advance to let them know where you wish to be picked up from, and your flight information.

Airport Public Transportation

You can take BART to and from both SFO and OAK. From OAK it is necessary to take a connecting shuttle from the airport to a BART station.

Bay Area Weather

October usually offers the best weather in the San Francisco-Berkeley-Oakland area. Days are more likely to be sunny, warm, and fog-free than any other time of the year. However, Bay Area weather is unpredictable and usually has a wide temperature variation during the course of a single day, so it is advisable to dress in layers. The mornings will be cool (in the 50s) with fog possibly lasting until noon or later. If the sun breaks through, it will typicaly warm up into the 70s, otherwise expect highs in the 50s or 60s. Downtown Oakland usually is warmer and less foggy than Berkeley. October heat waves may push mid-day temperatures in the 80s and occassionally even higher. But even on the hottest days cooling off will begin in the afternoon and likely dip into the 50s by evening. Rain is unlikely in early October, but it is possible. The rainy season usually begins in mid-October.

• Berkeley Lab weather
• Downtown Oakland weather