Car-Free Conferences

I wanted to share a few experiences I've had with attending conferences on my bicycle, using the network of trains and buses that weaves a web throughout Southern California.

On Friday, November 4, 2016 I attended the ALEKS Chemistry Symposium in Irvine, CA.  

On Thursday, November 3rd I took the Ventura County Line Metrolink train #150 from Northridge to LA Union Station and transferred to the Orange County Line train #606 to the Irvine Station for $10.75.  Then I biked less than 3 miles to the La Quinta Inn and Suites.

It’s not that often that you can say you’ve stayed at a hotel listed under the National Registry of Historical Sites. Rooms are former lima bean silos and have a hexagonal shape.  I stayed two nights for $217.78.  Due to the concrete walls, the rooms are super-quiet even though the hotel is right next to the train tracks.

The conference went great, ALEKS employees that ride bicycles had a storage "under-the-stairs" area where there were already a few bikes and a few tools. It was hospitable and secure. It's always nerve-wracking taking your bicycle to a new place, not knowing if there will be bike racks outside or a safe place to lock-up. When you can bring your bike inside, it's always a great thing!

This last photo shows all the modes of transportation I used on that trip.  (1) sweet bike lanes (2) nice sidewalks (3) convenient bus service.  Traveling without a car is even easier when you can use Google Maps and other transit apps to buy tickets and access schedules to predict exactly when your next train or bus will arrive.  There were about 20 people at the conference.

After the conference ended, I took an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train from Irvine all the way straight to Glendale for $19.  They have roll-on service for bicycles, but you must make a reservation to let the conductor know you are bringing your bike on board.

On Friday, March 3, 2017 I attended the 1st Annual Collaborative Chemistry Conference in Oxnard, CA. 

After work on Thursday, I jumped on Metrolink Ventura County Line train #119 from Northridge out to Oxnard for $11.50.  There was a group of commuters playing some kind of card game on their phones.  One lady was celebrating her 20 year work anniversary.  It's always a party on the bike car!

I stayed at the Flamingo Motel.  It was not too fancy, not too expensive ($65).  It was a short (0.5 mile) bike ride from the Oxnard Transit Center.  The great thing is that there was a taco truck parked next door with fresh, hot food.  The cable and wireless internet were fantastic, and the shower had great water pressure.  It was quiet and I got about 10 hours of sleep!

To get from the Oxnard downtown area to the conference location, it was about a 6 mile bike ride.  I left my hotel at ten minutes to 8am.  Checking out of the Flamingo was easy.  Google Maps gave me turn-by-turn directions for a scenic ride through Oxnard along mostly bike lanes.  There was only one small climb, and the view was so fantastic I had to stop and take a photo.

I arrived at the conference location, Channel Islands Boating Center at 3880 Bluefin Cir, right on time for the continental breakfast.  We got a swag bag from Cengage, which was awesome.  The lunch was sponsored by Pearson.  In total, about 30 people attended the conference.  Again, I was able to bring my bike inside the conference room, it was a great conversation starter.

After the conference ended, I biked the 6 miles back to the Oxnard Transit Center again along mostly bike lanes.  Although a few people shouted out their window, what I choose to believe are encouraging remarks, it was a safe and scenic bike ride.  The Oxnard Transit Center (like the Irvine station) has a great waiting room.  There are restrooms, benches, tables, and a cafe.  

I recommend taking public transportation to conferences.  It is a liberating experience.

I'm preparing to attend the 253rd American Chemical Society National Meeting in San Francisco.  I'm presenting a poster entitled "Comparison of adaptive and traditional online homework systems in a preparatory chemistry course" CHED 157. The poster session will be from 7:00-9:00pm on Sunday, April 2nd in Hall A - Moscone Center.

Instead of taking my bike on a train, I'm taking an overnight Greyhound bus. It's a bit crazy, since I'm going up there on Saturday night (schedule 6862), presenting on Sunday, then coming back Sunday night (schedule 6849). The transportation cost is $85.  The Greyhound operates these express buses that only make 4 stops: LA --> Avenal --> Oakland --> SF.  The Avenal stop is 40 minutes, allowing passengers to get food.

It will be nice not to have to worry about locking my bike somewhere, no getting the bike on and off a bus or train. I'm looking forward to using my new Cotopaxi Luzon 18L Daypack. I'm going to make some progress on the billion step challenge by doing more walking.  I'm definitely bringing a neck pillow and possibly some noise-canceling headphones to make sure I can sleep on the bus.

The Los Angeles Greyhound Bus Station is a 2 mile walk from Los Angeles Union Station (even though you would think they would be in the same location).  Then from the San Francisco Greyhound Bus Station it's less than 1 mile walk to the Moscone Center.  After presenting my poster, I'll have an hour to walk back to catch my bus to LA, arriving at 5:30am. Then at 6:51am I'll catch our normal train, Metrolink Ventura County Line Train #101 in order to arrive at CSUN to teach my class at 9:30am. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh yeah, and also, #626GoldenStreets is tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!

Plan to take advantage of the opportunity to ride Metro Gold Line between South Pasadena and Azusa.  I'll be in my Bikecar101 T-shirt leading the feeder ride from Glendale.