From buckley@agb.RoyalRoads.ca Fri Apr 10 19:07:09 1992 Received: from d3.RoyalRoads.ca by dkuug.dk via EUnet with SMTP (5.64+/8+bit/IDA-1.2.8) id AA26404; Fri, 10 Apr 92 19:07:09 +0200 Received: from agb.RoyalRoads.ca by Post.RoyalRoads.ca (5.61/5.17) id AA28599; Fri, 10 Apr 92 09:06:44 -0800 Received: from localhost by agb.RoyalRoads.ca (4.1/1.34) id AA11037; Fri, 10 Apr 92 10:07:21 PDT Message-Id: <9204101707.AA11037@agb.RoyalRoads.ca> To: SC22 WG5 Subject: TeX source of mailout document for Victoria meeting Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 10:07:20 -0700 From: buckley@agb.RoyalRoads.ca X-Charset: ASCII X-Char-Esc: 29 %This may be formatted with TeX by anyone so inclined. %Others may just ignore anything beginning with `\'. % \magnification=\magstep1 \advance\hsize by+0.3in \advance\vsize by+0.4in \nopagenumbers \centerline{\bf % Second Information Mailout } \medskip \centerline{% Meeting of } \medskip \centerline{% ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG5 } \medskip \centerline{% 27--31 July, 1992 } \medskip \centerline{% Victoria, British Columbia, Canada } \bigskip \noindent The purpose of this distribution is to provide probable attendees to the meeting with more detailed information on travel to and at the meeting. It is being sent to all those whose names appeared as definite or probable attendees on the recent email distributed to the WG5 mailing list. Anyone who did not receive the preliminary distribution can send us a note either by regular or electronic mail and we will send them a copy of the original mailout in like manner. The amount of information herein is really overkill, but for those who like to know what to expect before they arrive, we hope you will find some useful information in this document. We've done our best to make sure all the information is correct, but of course we can't guarantee it. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Hotel }\medskip By now most of you should have made reservations at the hotel. Directions for how to reach the hotel are given below, whether driving, arriving by ferry or at the airport. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Brochures }\medskip In this mailing, you will find a number of brochures included. Amongst these you should find the following: \item{$\bullet$} Ferry schedules for B.~C. Ferries operating between Tsawwassen on the mainland and Swartz Bay, about 30 km north of Victoria, and between Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, just over 100 km north of Victoria (unfortunately, at this time, the summer schedule is not finalized and not available, but you may assume it includes all the sailings listed in the spring brochure, which is a sailing every hour, plus some additional sailings on the half hour, especially on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen run---if anyone would really like a copy of the summer brochure, we will, upon request, mail it out when available); \item{$\bullet$} Ferry schedule for the car ferry operating between Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State and Victoria's inner harbour; \item{$\bullet$} Ferry schedule for the passenger only ferry from Seattle, Washington to Victoria's inner harbour; \item{$\bullet$} Ferry schedule for the passenger only ferry from downtown Vancouver to Victoria's inner harbour; \item{$\bullet$} Ferry schedule for the ferry from Anacortes, Washington to Sidney, about 25 km north of Victoria (this is only a spring schedule---summer departures will be twice daily, roughly noon and 6:30 pm from Sidney, and about 8 am and 2:30 pm from Anacortes---again, summer schedules will be sent, upon request, when available); \item{$\bullet$} The bus schedule for the busses which run from downtown Vancouver and from the Vancouver airport (via ferry) to downtown Victoria (about 1 block from the hotel)---note that only two busses per day operate directly from the airport to Victoria, while at other times there is a shuttle service from the airport to a nearby location where you connect with the bus from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria. (Again, this is the spring schedule. I am told that in the summer the same busses operate directly between Vancouver airport and downtown Victoria. For service between downtown Vancouver and downtown Victoria, you may assume that there is a bus leaving each downtown---about 1 hour prior---to coincide with {\it each\/} ferry departure.) \bigskip\leftline{\bf Ferry Notes }\medskip For those driving, let us repeat a few comments on the choice of ferry. The ferries are all very busy in the summer, and arrival at the terminal shortly before a scheduled departure is not likely to get you a place on the desired sailing. It is not uncommon to have to wait one sailing during the summer. On the other hand, the B. C. ferries operate at least as frequently as every hour (with several half hour sailings) during the summer, so the wait is generally not long, although at popular times, such as Friday evening or Sunday evening, the wait can be longer. The Anacortes ferry does take reservations (at least two days in advance), but on the other hand, they require you to be at the terminal significantly ahead of the scheduled departure in order to clear customs. This ferry usually makes one intermediate stop. If you wish, you can plan on eating on the ferries. We are most familiar with the B.C. ferries, and on these there is a dining room, a cafeteria, and a snack bar. Prices are a bit on the high side, but not outrageous, and for those who have travelled in Europe recently, will not seem at all unreasonable. Unfortunately, the car ferry service between Seattle and Victoria has been discontinued. There had been some possibility that it would be restored, but it was very recently decided that this will not happen this year. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Airports }\medskip For those arriving at Victoria airport, there is little difficulty in reaching the hotel. The airport is small. Upon arriving and picking up your luggage (if necessary), proceed directly out the one and only exit from the arrivals area. At the curb is a shuttle bus to downtown, which will stop right at the Chateau Victoria. The current fare is \$12.00, one way. It leaves every half hour, 5 minutes before the hour, and 5 minutes before the half hour, until 11:25 pm. Taxis to downtown are available; a one way fare is about \$35-\$40. For those renting a car, the car rental agencies are very visible in the arrivals area, and you will have no difficulty finding them. They will of course direct you to your car, which is basically just out the exit and across the road, as they once used to be at many of the much bigger airports. See the enclosed map for directions to the hotel; just follow the directions as if you were arriving from the Swartz Bay ferry, and the hotel is very easy to find. For those of you travelling via Vancouver Airport, you may find the following comments helpful. If you arrive on a domestic Canadian flight, you will arrive on one of two wings of the airport (gates up to about 20 in one wing, higher gates in the other). You will likely be on the upper level of the airport, level~3. If you are connecting to a flight to Victoria, it is almost certainly at gate 14 if it is Air BC (Air Canada), or probably gate~3 or 8 if it is Time Air (Canadian Airlines International). Both are in the same wing of the airport (gates 1-20) and are reached from level~3. If you wish to catch the bus from the airport (via the ferry) to downtown Victoria, go to the central area of the airport where you will find stairs down to level~1. At the exit to outside, you will find a small ticket booth where you may purchase a ticket for the bus to Victoria. They will show you where to catch the bus nearby. The current fare (including ferry) is \$20.75, one way, between either Vancouver downtown or Vancouver Airport and Victoria. If you arrive on an international flight, you will likely arrive on level 1 on the wing with the high gate numbers. You will have to clear immigration and customs. As you leave customs, you will proceed through the last baggage check; then you turn right and pass through some glass doors as you leave the customs area. The exit to outside and the Victoria bus (via the ferry) is immediately on your left. To catch a connecting flight to Victoria, go straight ahead from customs a short distance until you see the stairs and escalators on your right where you can go up to level 2 and then to level 3. Turn left at the top of the stairs and follow the signs to the appropriate gate. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Currency }\medskip Some of you may have a bit of difficulty obtaining Canadian currency before you leave home; it is far less available than the American greenback (how dull, just one color!). There is a currency exchange available at the Vancouver Airport, both one which is staffed and another which is a 24-hour automatic dispensing machine which accepts some 8 to 10 different currencies---I don't remember which exactly, but certainly US \$s. So you do not need to worry about being stuck, although I suspect that they charge a significant service fee and give less than the best exchange rate. Canadian banks are generally quite good about exchanging currency, at reasonable rates. Also, many shops and services accept American dollars, but it is not legal currency and the rates in such cases vary considerably. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Customs Clearance }\medskip We should make a couple of comments regarding immigration and customs clearance into Canada. We of course leave the responsibility with you to confirm whether or not you need a visa to enter Canada. In order to avoid any possible embarrassment or difficulties for those entering from the United States, we feel obliged to point out the following. Although it is not uncommon for individuals to carry a handgun in the US, and to have it in their vehicle, it is strictly illegal in Canada and {\it very} seriously frowned upon. Americans are commonly asked if they have a handgun when they enter Canada. If you do, you will be asked to leave it at the border, where you can arrange to pick it up upon departing from Canada, or to have it mailed to your home. Unfortunately, every year we read in the newspapers of visitors from the US who deny having firearms at the border and who are subsequently found to be carrying a handgun in their car. They are dealt with in most unfriendly terms: at the least, the gun is confiscated, they are dealt a fine of several hundred dollars, and they leave Canada with a very sour taste in their mouth. It is easiest to simply leave your guns at home. If you are driving, we also suggest that one of the worst places to cross the border is on Interstate 5 north from Seattle. Especially on weekends, it is very busy, and waits of 30 minutes and more are not unknown, in both directions. If you have a choice, consider an alternative route, especially if you are not coming from Seattle. A brochure on refunds of the GST (similar to VAT) is included in the package. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Maps }\medskip You will find a map of Victoria enclosed. We have marked on each map some of the main routes you may need to find. On one side (call it side 1) of the map is a large scale map of the whole city; on the reverse side (side 2), you will find a smaller, more detailed map of the downtown area. Unfortunately, the map already comes color coded, so the routes we have marked do not stand out as well as we would have liked. However, you may look for the following: \item{$\bullet$} Side 1, upper right hand corner: map of the Saanich Peninsula, showing Swartz Bay (ferry from Tsawwassen), Sidney (ferry from Anacortes), Victoria airport (near Sidney) and route~17, the main highway to Victoria, a red highway subsequently highlighted in blue closer to Victoria. \item{$\bullet$} Side 1, main map: starting at large pink arrow at top of map, follow the blue line (Highway~17 from the ferries and the airport) to the hotel (see map on side~2, next bullet). You simply follow this route right into town with no turns until it becomes Blanshard Street; you go right through much of downtown Victoria and then turn right onto Burdett Street where the hotel is found. \item{$\bullet$} Side 2, map of downtown: (continuing from side 1 map ) follow the blue line `to Hotel' to hotel on Burdett Street. The blue line is Blanshard Street; the hotel is the red dot just one half block off Blanshard. \item{$\bullet$} Side 2, map of downtown: To get to the College, follow the pink line from the hotel one half block to Douglas Street, turn right, and just stay on it (see map on side 1, next bullet). \item{$\bullet$} Side 1, main map: To get to the College, just stay on the pink line which eventually terminates near the lower left corner of the map (marked with a large pink arrow). You simply follow Douglas Street, with no turns until it eventually becomes Highway 1---just follow the signs to `Nanaimo'. Once you are on the highway, stay in the right hand lane for some~4 or 5 km until the highway splits and the right lane exits---just follow the signs for `Colwood/Sooke'. (Caution: just where the left and right lanes separate, there is also a right hand turn; just ignore it and go straight ahead in the right hand lane.) After leaving Highway~1, just stay on the same road for about 3 km---past McDonalds on the right, through two sets of traffic lights. Then, as the road bears off a bit to the right, stay in the left hand lane. On your right, a (very expensive) golf course will appear; on your left, a Payless gas station. Just past the Payless station, there is a left hand turn lane where you turn left to enter through the gates of the College, just at the beginning of a long stone wall. There will be a guard on the gate who will direct you to the meeting site. There will be signs posted, but basically, you proceed straight ahead from the entrance, down the hill, until you reach a stop sign. Turn right, and follow the road past the Castle, under the residence wing, and bear left down the hill when the road forks. On your right will be the gym; on the left, a place to park. We will be there to direct you to the meeting room. It should take just about 20 minutes (with no rush), from the hotel to the College. Don't worry, traffic is little problem in Victoria. \item{$\bullet$} Side 1, main map: If you are coming from Nanaimo (north up the island) you will arrive on Highway 1, the green line beginning at the large green arrow at the upper left hand corner of the map. It meets the pink line. Just follow the highway all the way into downtown. Switch to the downtown map on Side 2, turn left on Burdett Street, and you are at the hotel. \item{$\bullet$} Side 1, main map: Regarding the barbeque at Bert's house, we will try to make sure everyone has a ride from the hotel. If you have any questions, call Bert at 477 2570 or Fausto at 721 4282. Please feel free to arrive anytime after 5 pm. For those driving, start on the downtown map on side 2, go one half block from the hotel to Douglas Street, turn right, go three blocks, turn right on Fort Street (start of the yellow line), go four blocks and turn left on Cook Street. Then follow Cook Street north (map on side 1) until you hit Cedar Hill X Road% \footnote*{ Point of confusion to non-Victorians: Cedar Hill Road and Cedar Hill X Road are quite distinct, although they do cross! } (the yellow line with blue arrows). There are two places to be careful. After you cross Hillside Avenue (traffic lights; Payless gas station on the right), stay in the left lane: the road goes up a small hill and forks; you want to stay left and stay on Cook Street. The next light after this is at Finlayson Street; now you want the right hand lane. The road again forks just after the light and you want the right hand lane and Maplewood Avenue. The next light on Maplewood---which turns into Blenkinsop, without notice---is at Cedar Hill X Road: turn right. Go two short blocks and take the second left (the turn is down a slight hill, a bit hard to see coming, and a bit sharp) onto Braefoot Road and then take the first right onto Wende. Just keep going as close to straight ahead as the road allows; it becomes Shorncliffe Road just after the `no exit' sign. The road will bend sharply right and there will be a house on the right with a basketball hoop in the driveway: welcome to the barbeque! The address is 3936 Shorncliffe Road N. and you should be at the tip of the large blue arrow on the map. (It should take about 12--15 minutes from the hotel to my house.) \item{$\bullet$} Side 2, downtown map: As you can see, the hotel (red dot where pink and blue meet) is not far from the bus depot (number 24), and the inner harbour---beside number 2, ferry from Port Angeles; near number 1, ferry from Seattle. \medskip You should be reminded of one point regarding your travel plans. The weekend following the meeting, i.e. Aug 1--3, is a major holiday weekend: Monday is called B.C. Day! This has significant implications for anyone travelling by car. The ferries to Vancouver are fast, the service is frequent, and the ferries take a lot of cars. But it is not unusual to wait for 2 or even 3 ferries that weekend. It is usually the busiest of the year. It is possible for local residents to get ``guaranteed boarding'' tickets for the ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen. These must be arranged in advance, and cost a premium (\$45.50 for car and driver as against the usual \$25.50). Unfortunately, although we had hoped to be able to make these available, you must buy these tickets in booklets of 10, and the ticket booth at the ferry terminal will {\it not\/} accept one of these tickets if it has been removed from the booklet, so we will not be able to provide anyone with one of these. Please note: if you plan on taking the bus to or from the mainland, be aware that the bus is guaranteed to be the first on (and the first off) the next available ferry, so the ferry lineups will not be a problem for you. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Weather }\medskip Just a reminder that the weather in July in Victoria is generally quite dependable. It is seldom very cold here, and seldom very hot. If you will forgive us, we will summarize the Victoria climate, especially in the summer, as simply being ideal. Daytime temperatures of $22-26^\circ$C are normal, and it is likely to be sunny: perfect tennis weather. Nonetheless, cooler temperatures and rain are not at all out of the question; nor are temperatures around $30^\circ$C. Evenings can be warm, but sometimes they are a bit on the cool side, especially near the water, and we advise that a sweater might be in order, especially for those from hotter climes. \vfill\eject \bigskip\leftline{\bf Miscellaneous }\medskip We expect that lunch, as well as the reception and the salmon barbeque, will be in the Senior Staff Mess. This is a military college, and in the winter, the dress code requires jacket and tie for the men. However, in the summer, the dress code is more relaxed, but a dress standard is expected. The Mess constitution defines summer casual dress as ``an open-neck shirt, slacks, socks, and shoes'' (Men) and ``a blouse, skirt or slacks, and shoes'' (Ladies). Sandals---with socks---are permitted. In particular, shorts, jeans, T-shirts, running shoes and bare feet are frowned upon. We would ask for your cooperation in this matter. For the sports minded, there is a gym and pool right next to the meeting location. If you would like to go for a run at noon through the woods and College grounds, you will be able to use the change rooms and lockers (bring a lock), or, if you prefer, the pool will be open at noon. It is also possible to play tennis very nearby, and there is a weight room in the gym. Let us know if you are interested. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Tourist Information }\medskip For anyone wishing to stay a day or two after the meeting in Victoria, there is an open air symphony concert on Sunday evening, Aug 2, beginning around dusk. (I was told by the Symphony Society that this will take place again this year.) The orchestra is afloat in the inner harbour. Last year, the concert concluded with the Tchaikovsky 1812 overture, complete with an accompaniment of real cannon for the finale. The performance also includes a sunset ceremony by the local air, sea and land cadets. For those taking a holiday in conjunction with the meeting, there are alternatives to consider. A popular one is to fly to Calgary, rent a car, and drive through the Rocky Mountains. (With apologies) the Canadian Rockies are much more rugged and spectacular than their American counterparts. Please inquire if you wish further information. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Computer Facilities }\medskip \noindent Finally, note that we plan to have some basic computer facilities available. This will likely include a couple of 386 PCs with a laser printer. Connections to e-mail and the internet will also be available. If anyone has something which must be on an a Mac, I have a Mac II with a laser printer at home. If anyone wishes any further facilities, please let us know. \bigskip\leftline{\bf Contact }\medskip \noindent Please note that we can be reached as follows: \medskip \settabs\+\quad& Fausto Milinazzo\quad & (604) 363 4593\quad & fmilinaz@fam.RoyalRoads.ca\cr \+&Fausto Milinazzo & (604) 363 4593 & \tt fmilinaz@fam.RoyalRoads.ca\cr \+& & \phantom{(604) }721 4282&\tt \cr \+&Bert Buckley & (604) 363 4594 & \tt buckley@agb.RoyalRoads.ca\cr \+& & &\tt buckley@csr.uvic.ca\cr \+& & \phantom{(604) }477 2570&\tt 3936 Shorncliffe Rd. N.\cr \+&Fax & (604) 363 4513 &{\it Attention: Dr. A. Buckley}\cr \bigskip \noindent We will look forward to seeing you soon in Victoria. \bye