The conference will be hosted at the Wyndham Costa Mesa. The hotel provides complimentary shuttle service for its guests to and from John Wayne Airport which is less than 10 minutes away. Information on other hotel amenities can be found here. Outside the hotel an assortment of shopping, entertainment, and dining are all a short walk away (1-2 blocks).

 

The lodging listed below is not sponsored by this conference, nor is this an exhaustive list of all alternative lodging nearby.

 

The conference hotel is situated in Costa Mesa which is at the heart of Orange County. This location offers easy access to several airports (one less than 10 min. away), many unique shopping and entertainment opportunities, as well as some of Southern California's finest beaches.

The time zone for Costa Mesa is Pacific (-8 hours GMT) and the city observes Daylight Savings Time. For those equipped with Global Positioning the position of the conference hotel is latitude 33.69196 and longitude is -117.88071.

[ click map below for enlarged version ]

 

Flying

The closest airport to the conference is John Wayne Airpot (SNA). This airport is often listed under two alternative names: "Orange County Airport" and "Santa Ana Airport". This airport is located just over 3 miles (10 min.) from the conference hotel. The conference hotel provides shuttle service for its guests or a taxi can be taken. See Ground Transportation below for further details.

There are a couple things one might want to know when flying through SNA. First, the airport is medium-sized (2 connected terminals) and easy to get around. Despite its size many passengers fly through there (10mil. last year.) and can get quite busy. Thus, second, when flying out of SNA going through security can take up to an hour, even for early flights. Lastly, because of zoning laws there are no flights (departing or arriving) before 7am or after 10pm (even if the scheduled time says differently).

There are several other domestic and international airports servicing the Orange County area which may offer lower airfares. Long Beach Airport (LGB) is fairly close to the conference hotel (20 quick freeway miles) and offers some of the quickest and most convenient check-in and baggage claim given its very small size (4 carriers). The largest drawback to LGB over SNA is the ground transportation (limited car rentals and higher taxi fares). Beyond LGB there are several other much larger international airports. These are only recommended if flying direct from outside the US or if airfares are significantly lower. See below for travel times and airport info and links.

Driving

A vast network of Interstates, local freeways, and toll roads draw traffic to and from Orange County. So, driving is fairly direct no matter what direction you are coming from. Caution should be given, however, to Southern California traffic patterns which can more than triple travel times. For up to the minute traffice conditions on OC freeways visit the Sigalert website before leaving; the conference hotel is approximately located at the intersection of the 405 and 55 freeways.

To get exact driving directions from your location to the conference you may use your choice of on-line maps: GoogleMaps, YahooMaps, MapQuest, MSN Maps, or MSLiveMaps. Enter your address as the start and the following address as your destination: 3350 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. For general driving directions coming...

 

A set of links to each airports ground transportation page can be found directly below. A summary of all local area ground transportation options follows.

Hotel Courtesy Shuttle

The conference hotel offers a complimentary shuttle to its guests flying through John Wayne Aiport. Guests can request a pick up from the airport either by calling the courtesy phone for the hotel at the hotel board located next to baggage claim or by directly dialing the front desk at: (714) 751-5100. No information is provided here for shuttles to other hotels.

Many airport area hotels may offer limited shuttle service to area attractions and sites or may be able to request a pick-up for you by the shuttle for one of these attractions. Please contact your hotel for further information.

Taxi Cab

From the following airports...

Shuttle Vans

Shuttle vans are a great option if traveling from airports more than 20 miles away. They often inexpensive flat rates direct to John Wayne Airport (approx. $25 LAX-SNA) from which the courtesy hotel shuttle can be taken. For an additional (somewhat steeper) fee most shuttles will drop you off directly at your hotel. From each airport there are several shuttle options. Please see the links to each airport's ground transportation page at the top of this section.

Local Buses

Orange County offers a fairly extensive bus network with services to John Wayne Airport, an intersection one block from the Conference Hotel, most of OC's attraction and shopping sites, as well as its beaches. Public buses are a good inexpensive option for this reason and the $3.00 Unlimited Day Pass and $3.75 Los Angeles Express Route. However, given the car culture of Southern California buses do not run frequently enough for easy use by inexperienced tourists, nor do they usually provide direct links between tourist points of interest.

If you are interested in taking the bus please visit the Orange County Transportation Authority's website for TripPlanners, Bus Maps & Schedules, System Maps, and Fare & Pass Rates. The SoCal Transport Trip Planner can also assist in planning OC public transportation routing.

Car Rentals

From John Wayne there are both on- and off-site car rentals available with the former usually offering greater convenience and the latter ofter better rates.

On-site car rentals from John Wayne can be found directly in front of baggage claim and car pick-up just outside the front doors in the parking garage (lower level). A list of current agencies, their websites, and phone numbers is tabled alphabetically below.

Off-site car rentals from John Wayne are located very near the airport and are licensed to shuttle passengers from the airport to their off-site facilities. A list of current agencies, their websites, and phone numbers is tabled alphabetically below.

 

Orange County offers tremendous dining, shopping, and leisure time opportunities. A sampling of these is organized below into subtopics incorporating either brief descriptions or links to other websites. Each section can be scrolled through within this page or viewed/printed as a full page in a new window by clicking the link to the right of the section title.

Within each section clicking on the item (restaurant, attraction, etc.) title will bring you to that item's website. Most items are for OC only, but suggestions for Los Angeles and San Diego are made when relevant and are grouped accordingly. On the right-hand side are approximate distances which can be clicked on to obtain a GoogleMap to that destination from the conference hotel.

 

Climate

Coastal Orange County is cool and pleasant with a year-round Mediteranean climate. For the month of July the historical average hi/lo temps are 77 º/62º F with record max/min temps of 100º/55º for the conference dates. Average humidity for this period is 64%. There is typically no precipitation at all during this month, although there may be some morning haze which usually burns off by noon.

Weather

The typical OC July day is usually comfortably warm in the shade, but can get quite hot under direct sun. The night cools off somewhat more than expected often requiring a light jacket when going out. For more weather information check out the city links below or following links: 15-Day Forecast, SoCal UV Index, and Doppler Weather Radar (look at Santa Ana region).

Rise & Fall of the Sun, Moon, & Tide

For those planning to catch OC's sunrise surfing or evening sunsets, or for those looking to take a midnight beach stroll by moonlight, the following tide chart and sun/moon tables provide data for the conference dates in the Costa Mesa coastal areas.