Get The Run Around!

Attention People with Legs: You're invited to join the Runner's Roundtable at this year's conference!

Stephan says:

I'll be "chairing" the Runner's Roundtable at SUNYLA. We'll meet on Wednesday, (maybe) Thursday and Friday at 7am (ish) at a location on campus TBA--likely the residence hall or the library. Runners, joggers, walkers, all abilities welcome. I know the Bronx quite well, so if there's enough interest, maybe we'll try to visit some off-campus sites as well as take in the view from on campus.

I've been chairing the RR since SUNYLA was at New Paltz (home turf, as it
were) and I was really surprised that some folks have already inquired about this year's runs!

Attendees are welcome to call or email with their questions regarding the Roundtable. My contact info is below.

Thanks! sjm


Stephan J. Macaluso, MM MLS
Sojourner Truth Library - SUNY New Paltz
(845) 257-2699, macaluss@newpaltz.edu
AIM: eicnp
MSN: eic_librarian

Interborough Travel, Revisited

I wish to revise some things from the previous message:

1. Laguardia is definitely the preferable airport. It is closer, and therefore cab rides will be less costly, than from JFK.

2. The Whitestone bridge does tend to be faster than the Throgs Neck; however, summer is construction season, and that makes traffic delays very unpredictable.

Also permit me to add some more options and tools:

For those looking to save money, avoid taxi rides, and/or travel in between Manhattan and the Bronx during/after the conference, check out the BxM9 express bus. It costs $5, and it drops you off a short walk from campus, at the intersection of Harding and Pennyfield. (Well, it might be as long as a half mile, so if you can't walk it, you can pick up the Bx40 at that intersection for another $2 fare, and that takes you to the campus gatehouse.)


For anybody arriving by trains into Penn Station, the easiest option is taking a taxi to campus. Here are the directions:

Go North on the West Side Highway to I-95 North/Cross Bronx Expressway. Follow Throgs Neck Bridge signs to Exit 9 (Harding Ave/Fort Schuyler), which is the last exit before the bridge toll plaza. At exit 9, turn right at end of ramp to traffic light. Take sharp left onto Pennyfield Avenue, follow to Maritime College gatehouse at end of street.


For any other travel questions, try using Hopstop for public transportation and Mapquest for driving directions.

Air You Go, Guv'na!

If you're looking at flights still and don't know which airport to choose, I'd say book whichever flight is more convenient based on timing and airfare and don't worry about the airport issue too much. Laguardia is a few miles closer to us than JFK is, but it's not a huge difference.

For anybody arriving at either airport, your best transportation option to campus is taxi. (The public transportation option from Laguardia is possible, but it will take at least 2 hours -- take the M60 bus into Manhattan, then the 6 subway uptown into the Bronx, then the Bx40 to campus.)

If you plan to take a cab to campus, take these directions (both options!) with you:

Via the Whitestone Bridge: Pay toll at extreme right booth, take immediate right exit to traffic light. Turn right to next traffic light, turn right then left onto I-295. Keep to right and take EXIT 9 (Harding Ave/Fort Schuyler) just before Throgs Neck Bridge. At EXIT 9 (Harding Ave/Fort Schuyler) go left at stop sign at end of exit ramp, then make immediate right on to Harding Avenue. At stop sign, turn left onto Pennyfield Avenue, and proceed to the end until you reach the Maritime College gatehouse.

OR

Via the Throgs Neck Bridge: Pay toll at extreme right booth, take immediate exit for Pennyfield Avenue-Fort Schuyler. Proceed along service road to 2nd stop sign (2 blocks). Make left onto overpass. At light, veer left onto Pennyfield Avenue, proceed to the end until you reach the Maritime College gatehouse.

My experience has been that cab drivers prefer to take the Whitestone. The bridges cost the same, and they’re about equidistant – I have no personal preference which bridge they use. The only difference will depend on traffic that day, which your cab driver may know about.

We will be including some version of this in your conference packet, which you can use to get back to the airport. The cost to get here from the airport will probably be somewhat less than what it will cost to get to the airport – the yellow cabs are metered, but these local companies go by flat rate. You might be able to carpool with somebody else from the conference; I've communicated this information to two people already. Email me if you would like to get in touch with them about sharing a taxi to the airport after the conference.

Veggie Tales

Attention vegetarians, vegans, lacto-ovos, fish-but-not-meat-eaters, herbivores, health nuts, and picky eaters:

On your registration form, please indicate under Special Needs whatever your dietary restrictions may be. You might also write in next to the BBQ and Friday box lunch the same. I have discussed this with the catering staff, and they are prepared to have veggie burgers and wraps on hand -- I would just like to know the demand ahead of time. Also, there will be vegetarian options at the keynote breakfast and the awards luncheon.

On a related note, unfortunately there are no refrigerators in the dorm. If you have medication that needs to be kept cold, please bring a cooler. The only other option is keeping it elsewhere on campus, which is going to be awkward and not necessarily secure. Sorry!

Stay tuned for a follow-up post about food options beyond the provided conference meals.

Picture Perfect

I have created a Flickr group called SUNYLA.

Please post any pictures related to SUNYLA and its conferences.

Knit One, Purl One

Our resident knitting fanatic, Collection Development Librarian Lori Gluckman, has arranged an innovative and fun idea for this year's conference: an ongoing knitting lounge*!

Don't worry if you've never even picked up a pair of needles before or if you think "casting on" has to do with broken bones. If you are interested in a knitting lesson while attending, please let Lori know by e-mailing her at lgluckman@sunymaritime.edu. If there is enough interest, she may set up lessons.

From expert to beginner, we invite you to stop by the knitting lounge when you have a few spare moments. You can unwind after a long day's worth of sessions, puzzle out your problems with a fellow knitter from another campus perhaps, or trade some of your unused yarn for a new find in our knitting lounge stash.

The lounge will be in a common area of the dormitory and open to all throughout the conference.

Don't forget to sign in when you come by -- otherwise you won't be eligible for any of the fantastic prizes we've got for you. I'm not kidding about the fantastic part -- soft Berroco yarn, craft gloves, lace kits, an ultimate sweater machine, etc. You won't want to miss out!

* Crocheters are more than welcome as well -- we just all happen to be knitters around here. Show us what you've got!