Travel practicalities?

I know there’s been a bit of dicussion back and forth about the best ways to get to and from GMU, but I thought I’d try to get it all together in a central location.  I’m told by the folks at the Hampton Inn (where I’ll be staying, and I’m sure there are others as well) that it’s best to take the Orange Line (presuming everything is more or less normal on it after yesterday’s news) to Vienna/GMU and take a cab.

I’m sure there will be a few people gathering in the lobbies of both hotels Saturday and Sunday mornings – will people be sharing taxis to the campus, or is it walkable?  Google Maps offers a bit of a zigzag walking path and I wondered if there was a short cut.

I saw that the shuttle to GMU from the Metro is normally reserved for students – do they let conference attendees aboard?

Anyway, I’m just looking to get some advice from locals – I’m sure others have similar questions.

Thanks!

6 Responses to “Travel practicalities?”

  1. Tim Says:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    I don’t know about driving as an option, but I will have a car that can seat three other people if anyone needs a ride.

    Also, anyone else arriving Friday night? Is there any sort of meetup planned?

  2. Sheila Says:
    June 23rd, 2009 at 9:30 pm

    Hi,
    The free Mason-metro shuttle doesn’t run on weekends anyway, but you can take the Cue Bus (City of Fairfax) from the metro to campus.

    Both lines, green or gold, will bring you to GMU. www.fairfaxva.gov/cueBus/Routes_Schedules.asp

    I recommend bringing the campus map with you, because honestly, I’m not sure where the drop-off is on weekends.

    Having said that, which Hampton Inn are you staying at?

  3. lisagrimm Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 10:41 am

    I’m at the Hampton Inn Fairfax City, which seems to be reasonably close by (within about 2 miles of the campus). I know there are at least a few others there as well. Good idea about the campus map!

  4. Sheila Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

    Ok, so you wouldn’t want to go the metro just to catch the shuttle back to GMU–that makes for a lot of unnecessary travel.

    Looks like you could walk a few blocks to catch a Cue to campus: www.fairfaxva.gov/cueBus/CUEBusMap.pdf

    Might want to consult with folks at hotel about being on the right side of the road so as to get the bus going in GMU’s direction.

  5. Douglas Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    If you are staying at the Hampton or the Best Western, I’d recommend carpooling (it’s pretty easy to catch the bus from the BW; not so sure about the Hampton Inn). While you *could* walk, it would be a long walk that traverses some pretty high-density traffic areas.

    If you are staying further out and taking the metro in, keep in mind that the metro stop isn’t really very close to campus, and you’ll need to take the cue bus (linked above) to get to campus (so that adds a bit more in terms of travel time.

  6. Karin Dalziel Says:
    June 24th, 2009 at 9:40 pm

    I walked from Best Western last year (one of the days, someone gave me a lift the other day) and it was lovely… except for the fact the sidewalks just disappear occasionally. Took about 45 minutes, I think.