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| Coconut Grove |
Coconut Grove is a neighborhood located a few miles south of the
downtown area of the City of Miami, on the waterfront of
Biscayne Bay.
Read more at:
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| Conference Hotel |
The conference will be held at the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel,
on
McFarlane Road (across the road from the waterfront).
(Note: This is a move from the original hotel,
the Grand Bay, which is closing for renovations. All accomodation
reservations at the Grand Bay have automatically been transferred
to the Sonesta - if you did not receive an email confirmation please
email the conference chair.)
The conference sessions will be held in the Biscayne and Grove Ballrooms. A block of rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate:
We are maintaining a list of people who are looking for someone to share a room with. |
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| Flying into Miami | You can fly into Miami International Airport (better) or Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (a bit further away). |
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| Getting to the hotel | A cab from MIA to the hotel will be about $25, a shuttle about $15 (with SuperShuttle), and a shuttle from FLL will be about $25 (with GO Airport Shuttle). |
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| Public Transport in Miami | There is a reasonable public transport service, which provides transport in the greater Miami area. Bus and metrorail rides cost $1.50. If you want to transfer from bus to metrorail or vice versa, pay an extra 50c and get a transfer. The Coconut Grove Circulator runs up 27th Avenue to the Coconut Grove Metrorail, for 25c (although walking is easily possible). |
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| Money and Banking | Credit cards rule, and are accepted almost everywhere. Travellers cheques are almost as good as cash. Most banks are open on weekdays only, and the hours vary. ATM machines abound, but if it's not an ATM owned by your bank it will charge something (1%, $1.50, etc) for use. |
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| Gratuities (tipping!) | Almost everyone expects a tip (but of course it's your choice). It is customary to tip 10%-20% in bars and restaurants. Some bars and restaurants will add an 18% tip onto your bill without even asking - you can change it if you really want to. Taxi drivers expect at least 10%, and valet parking is worth $2-$5. Porters typically get $2 per bag up to a $10 maximum. If a doorman calls you a cab, that's $2. |
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| Telephones | Public telephones will take quarters, but if you plan to make many calls, especially long distance or international, it's better to buy a phone card. Dial 011 for international access, and 1 for long distance (out of the Miami 305 prefix area). |
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| Time Zones |
Miami is in the USA Estern Standard Time zone, and during the
conference daylight saving will be in effect. That means ° 6 hours ahead of Honolulu ° 3 hours ahead of San Francisco and Tijuana ° The same time as Montreal and San Juan ° 4 hours behind Reykjavik ° 5 hours behind London ° 6 hours behind Warsaw ° 9 hours behind Islamabad ° 12 hours behind Perth and Singapore ° 15 hours behind Honiara and Vladivostok ° 18 hours behind Kiritimati |
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| Safety in Miami | Miami is a safe city, especially the busy Cocnut Grove areas. It is generally safe to walk alone at night, etc, provided you avoid obvious dangers. In the very unlikely event that you get into a difficult situation, call 911 and help will come quickly. |