Travel Information
The University of Maryland is just northeast of Washington, DC, and is
served by three area airports: Reagan / Washington National Airport
(DCA), Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), and Dulles
International Airport (IAD). Dulles carries the vast majority of
international flights to the area (BWI only has a few per day, despite
its name). BWI is often cheaper for domestic flights, perhaps because
Southwest Airlines is a major player there. Amtrak train service is
a convenient way to travel between Washington and New York; beyond
that, air travel is generally quicker than train travel.
When making your travel arrangements, note that the meeting will
end at 6:00 on the last day, Thursday, December 18. (An earlier
draft of the meeting schedule had the meeting ending in the
mid-afternoon.) It is still possible to get an overnight flight to
Europe that evening, or to fly to some cities in the U.S., but other
people will have to stay overnight and leave the next morning.
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Key
U : University of Maryland
N : Reagan / Washington National Airport (DCA)
B : Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)
D : Dulles International Airport (IAD)
A : Amtrak stations (Washington Union Station and
New Carrollton, MD)
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The recommended hotel for the meeting (see
the hotel page) is within walking distance of
the meeting location, so a rental car is not necessary. It is an
option for getting between the airport and campus, especially if a few
people can ride together, but there are cheaper alternatives.
(Parking on campus will cost $10-$12 per day.) For
instance, SuperShuttle van
service is available from all three airports and is significantly
cheaper than a taxi. DCA has the best public-transportation
connections because it is located directly on
the Washington
Metrorail system, which also runs to College Park. The College
Park Metro station is a short distance from the University; there is a
University of Maryland shuttle bus (available to the public) that runs
from the station to the campus every 10 or 20 minutes, although its
last stop on campus (in front of the Stamp Student Union) is about a
10-minute walk from the Inn & Conference Center. You might also
catch a taxi at the Metro station and take it directly to the hotel.
BWI and Dulles airports have bus connections to the Metrorail system;
see the bottom half
of this page
from the University of Maryland Office of International Programs for
some guidance, as well as phone numbers of taxi services that operate
in the College Park area.
Weather
Mid-December in Maryland is normally chilly but not terribly cold: the
average high temperature is 46 F / 8 C, and the average overnight low
is about 30 F / -1 C. Snow is fairly unusual in December, but rain is
common.
December 2008 Meeting