36th
AMATYC Annual Conference
Boston, MA
November 11-14, 2010
Conference Theme: Bridging Past to Future in Mathematics
Airport/Hotel Transportation | Rail Service | Buses | Getting Around Boston | Conference Housing | Roommate Service
| Airport/Hotel Transportation |
Logan International Airport occupies a peninsula just south of East Boston, three miles east of downtown across Boston Inner Harbor. Logan functions as New England’s hub airport and serves most major airlines.
As tunnel traffic jams are common, the quickest and easiest way to reach downtown Boston is by subway and bus. Combined fare for this option is $2; the trip will take about 20 minutes. Check www.massport.com for more information on any of the following options.
Start with the free shuttles from each of the five airport terminals to the Airport “T” station on the Blue Line. Then use either Route 1 or Route 2.
Route 1: Ride Blue Line to Government Center. Then take the L.R.V. Trolley to Copley Station. Exit the station and walk past the Boston Public Library toward Saks Department Store and then turn right to the Boston Marriott Copley Place.
Route 2: Ride the Blue Line to State Street. Switch to the Orange Line (train marked Forest Hills). Exit at Back Bay Station which is behind the hotel at Copley Place.
Shared vans pick up at the airport and cost about $15 to downtown hotels, but be aware they circle around the airport until they are full.
Taxi fares to downtown and to Cambridge run about $30-$40, depending on traffic congestion. Flat-rate fares are in effect beyond a 12-mile radius of downtown; ask the cab driver or Logan dispatcher for the exact fare in advance. City buses will drop off passengers at downtown hotels; bus stop signs are located outside each terminal.
| Rail Service |
Amtrak offers service to and from New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, out of Boston’s South Station at Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street. Connections to all points in the national Amtrak system can be made at the Back Bay Station, 145 Dartmouth St. (across from Saks Department Store and the hotel); call 800.872.7245 for reservations and information.
| Buses |
Greyhound Lines Inc., Peter Pan Bus Lines, and Vermont Transit operate from South Station.
| Getting Around Boston |
Street System
Downtown — occupying a peninsula surrounded by the Charles River, Boston Inner Harbor and Fort Point Channel — is a challenging place for residents, let alone visitors, to negotiate by vehicle.
Fortunately, public transportation options are plentiful and the bewildering tangle of streets is easily traversed on foot.
Boston Common, bordered by Charles, Beacon Park, Tremont and Boylston streets, is a handy orientation landmark. Beacon Street, the Common’s northern border and the southern base of Beacon Hill, extends east into downtown and west through the Back Bay into Brookline. Commonwealth Avenue runs parallel to Beacon Street as the Back Bay’s main thoroughfare. The Back Bay’s streets, in fact, do form a logical grid pattern between east-west Boylston Street and limited-access Storrow Memorial Drive, and between north-south Massachusetts Avenue and Arlington Street.
Both Beacon and Commonwealth intersect Massachusetts Avenue, which crosses the Charles River via Harvard Bridge in Cambridge. Harvard Bridge becomes Massachusetts Avenue again on the Cambridge side, passing right through the middle of the MIT campus on its way to Harvard and environs. Cambridge also can be reached from the West End via Cambridge Street, which becomes the Longfellow Bridge (SR 3) crossing the river. It changes to Main Street in Cambridge, running into Massachusetts Avenue several blocks northwest of MIT. The most direct way to get to Harvard from Boston is via the Larz Anderson Bridge, which becomes John F. Kennedy Street on the Cambridge side.
Back in Boston, Tremont Street branches off Cambridge Street, skirts the southeast side of the Common, runs southwest toward the Roxbury neighborhood. Commercial Street serves as the perimeter of the North End waterfront, becoming Causeway Street on the West End side of the Central Artery and Atlantic Avenue as it turns south to pass the wharves along the waterfront. North Street takes eastbound commuters into the Callahan Tunnel, which crosses Boston Inner Harbor to the airport. Hanover and Salem streets are other major avenues bisecting the North End.
Congress Street is a major downtown and Financial District thoroughfare, crossing Fort Point Channel into the Irish neighborhoods of South Boston. Washington Street runs north through Chinatown and downtown before it becomes the Charlestown Bridge crossing the river into Charlestown.
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Note: Jaywalking is illegal in Boston; furthermore, city drivers are not known for their kindness to pedestrians, even those who have the right of way. Cross only within marked crosswalks when the light is green or with a flashing “walk” signal. |
Public Transportation
MBTA operates the city’s trolleys, buses, boats, and subway — all of them efficient alternatives to driving. Known everywhere as the “T,” Boston’s rapidtransit system is the nation’s oldest; the first stretch, running between Boylston and Park Streets, began operating in 1897.
Four lines — the Red, Blue, Orange, and Green — radiate from the four central downtown stations: Downtown Crossing, Park Street, State Street, and Government Center. The Green Line uses trolleys that operate both above and below ground. It also splits into four branches designated by letters: Boston College (B), Cleveland Circle (C), Riverside (D), and Heath Street (E). “T” stations are designated by the letter T within a circle. Subway maps at each station show the lines in color. “Inbound” refers to trains heading toward downtown, “outward” to trains heading away from downtown. An MBTA information booth is located on Park Street (on the Green Line outbound platform).
In-city subway fares are $1.70 per ride for passengers who use plastic CharlieCards — the MBTA’s reusable and rechargeable fare passes. However, passengers who use CharlieTickets — reusable and rechargeable paper fare passes, pay a surcharge, with in-city subway fares $2 per ride. Outbound surface transportation is free; inbound fares from outlying designations on the Green and Red lines are as much as $2.50. A fare pass or exact change is required. Passes can be purchased from vending machines at the Airport station (Blue Line), Back Bay station (Orange Line), Prudential station (Green Line) and South Station (Red Line). Trains run between 5:00 am and 12:30 am in most areas; check the timetables posted at the Park Street station to avoid getting stranded.
LinkPasses providing unlimited travel for 1 or 7 day periods are $9 and $15, respectively; under 5 travel free. Passes can be purchased at the North, South and Back Bay train stations; at the Airport, Government Center, and Alewife “T” stations; at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center and at the BosTix ticket booth at Quincy Market. Free MBTA maps of the public transit system are available at hotels, tourist attractions and at North and South Stations.
Buses and trolleys also offer service cross-town and to the suburbs. Local fares are $1.50; express buses are $3.50 and up. Trolley fares are based on a zone system. A fare pass or exact change is required. For additional MBTA route, schedule and fare information phone 617.222.5000, 617.222.3200 for recorded information, 800.392.6100, or TTY 617.222.5146.
Parking
On-site parking is available at the Boston Marriott Copley Place for $35 per day. Valet parking is also available for $42 per day. Valet parking includes in/out privileges; self-parking does not.
| Conference Housing |
The 36th Annual AMATYC Conference kicks off on Thursday, November 11, at the headquarters hotel, the Boston Marriott Copley Place, located at 110 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02116.
A block of guest rooms at reduced rates has been reserved at the Marriott Copley Place until October 20, 2010, or until AMATYC’s room block is sold out, whichever comes first. Any unreserved rooms in the block will be released for sale to the general public after this date. So make your reservation early! Be sure to mention that you are attending the AMATYC Conference if making your reservation by phone. Reservations can be made by calling Passkey Housing at 800.266.9432 (U.S. travelers) or 506.474.2009 (International travelers) or online at the website listed on the hotel form on page 17.
All hotel rooms will require a credit card guarantee in the amount of the first night’s room or one night’s deposit at most fourteen days after the reservation is confirmed by the hotel but before the October 20 cut-off date. Personal checks, money orders, or a valid major credit card will be needed for the deposit. All reservations held by credit card will be charged one night’s deposit by October 25, 2010. All reservations made online with a credit card will receive an acknowledgement number immediately. After the cut-off date, individuals will receive a hotel confirmation number from the Marriott. Either number can be used to check-in, but the Marriott confirmation number is preferred. If you do not check into the hotel on the first night of your reservation, your deposit will be forfeited and your reservation canceled. If you find you must cancel your reservation, please make the cancellation at the earliest possible date to avoid losing your deposit. Deposits will not be refunded for rooms cancelled less than 72 hours prior to arrival. Name changes may be made up to three days prior to arrival at no charge.
Staying in AMATYC’s block of rooms at the conference hotel has many benefits. You will be in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay district staying in an award-winning hotel. You will also be helping AMATYC keep down conference costs. A significant way AMATYC is able to keep our registrations as low as possible is by guaranteeing to the hotel that we will use a certain number of guest rooms (our room block). By meeting this quota, the meeting room rental fees are waived, which keeps the registration costs down. Additionally, we have performance clauses in our contract stipulating a certain number of rooms will be occupied and by failing to meet that number AMATYC will automatically pay high attrition fees. So staying in the conference hotel puts you close to the action and helps AMATYC produce the best conference it can!
| Roommate Service |
Since we are so close to the conference, the roommate service has been discontinued.
Those wishing to share a room with one, two, or three other conference attendees should complete the Roommate Network Form no later than October 8, 2010. You should be notified, within two business days that your request has been received. If you do not receive such an email acknowledgement, please contact Linda Kodama at Lkodama@hawaii.edu.
The process will involve putting you in touch with anyone else wishing to share a room. It will be up to you to finalize the arrangement and send an acknowledgement to Linda. Note: The roommate service does not make hotel reservations so it would be very helpful if you already have one, even if one of the roommates may have to process a cancellation! Also, when making a reservation with a roommate(s), please be sure to provide the hotel with the names of all individuals staying in the room.