[MODEST] MODEST-6: first announcement

[Fred Rasio]

Dear MODEST friends,

As announced a while ago, MODEST-6 will take place at Northwestern  
University on
August 29-31, 2005 (Mon-Wed).

I am sending this first announcement relatively early because Chicago  
is an
extremely popular summer destination, and many of you may want to come  
here
for a more extended stay including some sightseeing and fun (see below  
- it
turns out that the jazz festival is right after the meeting!!).

Please do the following:

1) Read the information below.

2) Send me (rasio at northwestern.edu - not the whole list!) an email  
message
telling me:

o if you plan to attend the meeting definitely, definitely not, or
the probability that you'll be attending if you are not sure yet.

o if you have suggestions for what format to adopt. Based on recent  
feedback
from previous meetings, my tendency would be to spend ~50% of the time  
with
a more structured program (with talks) and the other ~50% with  
discussions or
loosely structured parallel group meetings.

o if you'd like to give a "review talk." In that case also describe  
exactly
what you'd like to cover in your review.

Please put "MODEST-6" in the subject of your message so I can keep  
track easily.

Thanks!

Fred

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-------

Local Info:
-----------

Northwestern has two campuses. One is located in downtown Chicago. The  
other,
main campus is located in Evanston, Illinois, about 20 minutes North of  
downtown
Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan (This is the nice "North Shore"  
area of
Chicago suburbs - not to be confused with the ugly "south side" where  
that other
university is :).

The Evanston campus is where the meeting will be taking place. If you  
are not
familiar with Northwestern or the Chicago area, you may want to read  
the main
"About Northwestern" page at
http://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts/
and the campus information page at
http://www.northwestern.edu/campus/.
You can find a lot of useful campus information online, including maps,
directions, and information on where to park.

If you are flying to Chicago, make sure to arrive at O'Hare  
International
Airport (ORD), which has nonstop flights to and from most major  
airports around
the world, and is only about 30 mins from Evanston by taxi. If you are  
going to
spend some time in the Chicago area and have fun (see "entertainment"  
below),
you should consider renting a car at the airport.

Entertainment:
--------------

We will probably organize some kind of welcoming event on Sunday  
evening,
August 28th. Many of you will want to arrive on Saturday, August 27th,  
to
take care of cheaper airfares with a Saturday night stay. Chicago has a
lot to offer to visitors, and the weather in late summer is particularly
pleasant (usually dry and not too hot). There are also many interesting
destinations in the North Shore area. For example, the Ravinia Festival
(summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and much more) is  
located
in Highland Park, just 20 mins North of Evanston by a very convenient  
train
ride. Check http://www.ravinia.org/ later in the spring for the program.

Chicago is also world famous for jazz, and it turns out that two major
festivals are taking place right around the time of our meeting:

27th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival
September 1-4, 2005
http://chicagojazzfestival.org/

17th Annual Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival
August 27-28, 2005
(the weekend just before the meeting)

Downtown Chicago has fantastic architecture. One of the best summer
activities for visitors is the Chicago Architecture Foundation's river
cruise (http://www.architecture.org/river.html), often booked months
in advance. The new Millenium Park is free and not to be missed:
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/chicago_millennium_park.htm

There are also several major museums, including the Chicago Art  
Institute,
the Field Museum, and the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum (the
oldest planetarium in the world; http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/).

Lodging:
--------

The most convenient hotel to be walking distance (5 mins) to campus is  
the
recently re-opened (and renovated) Hotel Orrington:
http://www.hotelorrington.com/
The currently advertised rate on the web for the dates of the meeting is
$149/night for a "deluxe room." If there is sufficient interest, we will
try to get a special Northwestern group rate at this hotel for the
conference. This would likely decrease the rate to $119/night.

A cheaper but still very nice hotel a bit further from campus is the
Hilton Garden Inn:
http://www.hiltongardeninn.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=ORDEVGI
($109/night)

Finally, within about 20 mins walk is the Best Western University Plaza  
   
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do? 
propertyCode=14166
($99/night)

If you book now, wherever you call, make sure to ask for a special
"Northwestern University" rate. The full list of hotels that offer  
special
rates to Northwestern is at
http://www.univsvcs.northwestern.edu/travel/evanston_hotels.htm

You can also find special Northwestern rates at downtown hotels. See
the same page above but follow the link to "Chicago hotels." If you are
coming with family/SOs, that may be the better option (for them at  
least).

------------