About San Diego, California

California is the United States first largest state in population and the third largest in area. It makes up the sixth largest economy in the world. San Diego is the U.S.'s seventh eighth largest and it is California's third largest city. Do not get too mislead by map distances when making your travel plans, California is comparable in area and dimensions to Italy, and the greater San Diego area is about half the size of Sicily. An address in San Diego usually means in San Diego county and not within the downtown San Diego area. Pacific Beach is a community within San Diego where the conference will be held.

Getting to San Diego

San Diego International Airport (SAN) is named "Lindbergh Field" after Charles Lindbergh, the first aviator to fly across the Atlantic. While it is a modern airport, it is also very small compared to the size of the city that it serves. Most national and international carriers serve Lindbergh Field, but direct service to and from Lindbergh Field is not always guaranteed. It is also possible to instead fly to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) or Ontario International Airport (ONT), which are both several hours from San Diego either by Amtrak train (LAX only) or airport shuttle (LAX or ONT). However, given the distance from the Los Angeles area to the San Diego area, this latter option is not recommended in lieu of direct travel to Lindbergh Field.

Ground Transportation

Upon arriving at San Diego International Airport, you will need to get to Pacific Beach. Taxi service and public transportation (bus route 992 to bus route 30) are two popular methods for getting to your destination. However, the more recommended method is by airport shuttle. It costs approximately USD$12–25 (for a single passenger based on a round trip fare) to arrange for a shuttle to take you from the San Diego International Airport to a hotel in Pacific Beach.

A list of shuttle companies can be found via the San Diego International Airport website. You may want to book your shuttle in advance. The location of the conference is the Catamaran Resort in Pacific Beach (area code 92109). The best rate for a single passenger that the conference organizers were able to find is with Cloud 9 Shuttle, when booked as a round trip in advance of arrival.

About the conference location

The conference will be held at the Catamaran Resort in Pacific Beach. The street address of the hotel is 3999 Mission Boulevard, San Diego, California. This is an area with a lot to do outdoors. It is adjacent to both the beach of the Pacific Ocean and San Diego's Mission Bay.

Climate

One of the reasons for California's and San Diego's growth is that the climate is very temperate. It is rarely too hot or too cold during most of the year, and it has become a popular place to settle. Average winter and summer temperatures differ by 14F (8C), so there are no extremes. The average temperature for the month of June in San Diego is 67F (20C). The mean high temperature for June is 72F (22C), and the mean low temperature for June is 65F (18C). It is possible we will see very temperate and even slightly cool temperatures during June, so it is a good idea to bring a light jacket in preparation for breezy weather along the coast.

Visa requirements

Those of you who will be traveling to the United States from a foreign country should consult the U.S. State Department's Visa page, in particular the page on obtaining a travel visa.

Citizens from countries on the visa waiver program will need to have a machine readable passport.