You might be sitting there wondering 'where the heck is Long Beach, California??'. This is a completely normal and fair question. Long Beach is located at the very southern end of Los Angeles County. Make no mistake....it's not exactly LA. It's probably a 45 minute drive in good traffic to Hollywood, for example. But, you're not too far off! If you don't know Los Angeles very well, you must be warned. It's huge! And as a result, it's a city designed for cars. Mass transit is not that great. You may want to rent a car, but we are trying to make the conference such that you really won't need one. The weather in June is normally very comfortable and warm. But, being by the ocean, it still cools down a bit at night, so bring a light sweater.

ARRIVING BY PLANE

There are 3 airports servicing the Los Angeles area that are close to Long Beach. Go to the CONTACTS/LINKS section for several websites we can suggest for finding cheap airfares.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) - The main airport for LA, it is serviced by virtually every major airline and several other airlines you've probably never heard of. This airport is busy, depending on the time of day, but its size provides you with the most options and likely the least expensive ones. If you rent a car, drive time south from LAX to Long Beach is probably about 25-35 minutes, depending on traffic and on how fast you like to drive. If you don't plan on renting a car, Supershuttles (or the like) are available from LAX as well, but they cost about $30 each way. Still, this is much cheaper than a taxi. If you are really adventurous (read into that what you want), you can take the Metro: Green Line east, transfer to the Blue Line south into downtown Long Beach. Then a short walk to the Westin. Click here for driving directions from LAX to the Westin.

Long Beach Airport (LGB) - A small, city airport, LGB is the closest and simplest option. It's a mere 15 minute, 6.5 mile drive to the Westin Long Beach. However, there are only a few airlines with limited schedules. JetBlue is the exception, as LGB is one of its hubs (see the CONTACTS/LINKS section). Others include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and America West Airlines. Supershuttles are available, but probably require a phone call for pick-up. Taxis are a reasonable option, in this case. See if you can arrive with someone and share the taxi fare. Click here for driving directions from LGB to the Westin.

John Wayne Airport, Orange County (SNA) - Located in adjoining Orange County to the south, this medium-sized airport is also an easy airport to arrive at. It has several airlines servicing it. As with LAX, the best options are either a Supershuttle or renting a car. It is a bit further from Long Beach than LAX is. Click here for driving directions from SNA to the Westin.

ARRIVING BY CAR

For those of you living close enough to get here by car, it really is very simple. You can use Yahoo! Maps to generate driving directions by clicking here and entering your address.

From the North: Take I-5 South to I-710 South, follow signs towards the Aquarium and I-710 becomes Shoreline Drive. Follow Shoreline Drive to Ocean Blvd, then turn left onto Ocean. (If you find yourself on Alamitos Ave, it means you've passed Ocean Blvd). The Westin Long Beach will be a few blocks up on your right.

From the South: Take I-5 North to I-405 North to I-710 South, follow signs towards the Aquarium and I-710 becomes Shoreline Drive. Follow Shoreline Drive to Ocean Blvd, then turn left onto Ocean. (If you find yourself on Alamitos Ave, it means you've passed Ocean Blvd). The Westin Long Beach will be a few blocks up on your right.

From the East: Take I-15 West/South to CA-91 South/West to  I-710 South, follow signs towards the Aquarium and I-710 becomes Shoreline Drive. Follow Shoreline Drive to Ocean Blvd, then turn left onto Ocean. (If you find yourself on Alamitos Ave, it means you've passed Ocean Blvd). The Westin Long Beach will be a few blocks up on your right.

THE HOST AQUARIUMS

Click HERE for a map (in PDF format, Adobe Acrobat Reader required) to the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, California.

Click HERE for a map to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, California.