2001 TeachJava!

Workshop Guidelines

Index

Travel Guidelines

Travel Schedule

Here's what we suggest; obviously, tailor this based on preference, availability, cost, mode of transport, etc.

Arrival

Arrive Sunday before the workshop. Please try to arrive in the afternoon, to allow for delayed and missed flights and to relax a little. The workshop starts first thing Monday morning, and follows a very intense pace, so you will want to be fresh.

Departure

We will arrange for you to stay in a local hotel (within walking or hotel shuttle distance of Rice) that costs $69-86 per night (plus tax). We will arrange for you to share a room with another participant if you want to save on expenses. To determine whether it is worth staying an extra night (Friday) to obtain lower airfare, note that it will cost about $69-86 additional (plus tax) for the hotel room.

For ideas on what to do in Houston, take a look at our Attractions Section below, or check out our Houston website.

By Car

The local hotels that we use offer free parking. We will post a map of the hotel locations as soon as they are chosen.

Saving on Expenses

In our experience, the following web sites are good places to look for cheap fares: http://www.air-fare.com/hou.htm, http://www.orbitz.com/, http://www.travelocity.com/, and http://www.hotwire.com. We do not recommend using www.hotwire.com for booking hotel rooms unless you plan to occupy a room by yourself and to rent a car because transportation to Rice (other than a long walk) may not be available from the site chosen by hotwire. The same warning applies to booking hotels through priceline.com.

By Plane

Houston has two airports, Hobby (HOU) and Bush Intercontinental (IAH). One-way rates to the vicinity of Rice are about $25 from HOU and $40 from IAH by taxi, and about $17 by airport shuttle. Both airports are very well served; HOU has many Southwest flights, while IAH is a major Continental hub. All other major airlines also fly to Houston. HOU is somewhat closer to Rice than IAH.

Hotel

For information on what hotels we recommend and how to reserve a room, go the following Other Things that are Good to Know Food
Some of the local hotels that we use provide a continental breakfast. If we do not elect to use such a hotel, we will provide a continental breakfast for you at Rice. Other local hotels (such as Extended Stay include minimal kitchen facilities. Houston has rich and diverse culinary offerings, and most restaurants are extremely affordable (especially in comparison to other large cities). We will provide you with a restaurant listing; you can find information on-line as well.

Dress Code
Do not violate any Texas laws against public indecency. Other than that, please feel free to wear shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, or whatever else makes you comfortable. It's hot and humid in Houston at this time of year, and it doesn't cool down much in the evenings. However, the classrooms at Rice are usually well air-conditioned. So we suggest that you consider bringing a sweater.

What to Bring
Some teachers have suggested that it would be helpful to bring different colored pens or pencils, and automatic liquid paper. We will provide a floppy disk, but if you prefer zip disks, please bring one with you. If you have a laptop computer, we suggest that you bring it. DrJava will run on any modern laptop (Windows PC, Linux PC, MacOSX). Umbrellas are useful in Houston. The semi-tropical weather often produces unexpected showers. You do not need to bring other texts or references. This course is self-contained.

Attractions
There are many interesting things to do in and near Houston. Our most famous stop is the NASA Johnson Space Center, about 20 miles south of town. There are also numerous museums (including the outstanding Menil art collection), cultural activities (from the opera and ballet to blues to alternate rock), and sporting events. Houston features the Six Flags Astroworld theme park and the Galleria shopping center. Within an hour's drive are the beach at Galveston, the alligators of Brazos Bend State Park, and the San Jacinto Monument ("the first mile of Texas"). For more information on great things to see and do in Houston see our Houston web site.

Campus Information

Relevant Web links:

Getting to Rice

To locate Rice in Houston, I suggest using one of the many free on-line map services, such as Yahoo! Maps, MapsOnUs and MapQuest. They all locate Rice's address, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005, USA, accurately. They also provide driving directions. This link takes you directly to a map of Rice at Yahoo!.

Parking at Rice

Enter Rice through Entrance 16, which is on Rice Boulevard. This will put you in a parking lot, with Duncan Hall being the colorful building at its southern end. Park near Duncan, come into the atrium, look for our signs, and get a parking permit from the registration desk. To get the parking permit, you need to provide the car's licence plate number. Please remember to get the permit and put it in your car immediately.

Contact
Prior to and following the workshop: Donna Jares 713-348-5198 for questions regarding travel and other logistical matters. Questions about the workshop content, should be directed to Zung Nguyen.

The week of the workshop: