GEOSS Science&Technology Service Suite

By Air: Many airlines serve Norfolk International Airport (ORF). There are good connections to ORF from Washington Dulles, Newark, Chicago and Houston.
By Train: Amtrak provides service to Norfolk, with one train going directly from Union Station in D.C. to Norfolk (Amtrak Train 125 from Washington D.C.). There are additional trains running through Newport News and from there with a bus shuttle to Norfolk.
By Car: Norfolk is about 3.5 hours drive from Washington D.C., but the traffic particularly on I95 can be slow, increasing travel tim to 4 hours and more.

Local Transportation: Participants arriving by air at Norfolk International Airport have several options for ground transportation. The workshop venue is a short taxi ride from the airport (shortest connection is 7.6 miles, roughly 20 minutes and about $25.00). A rental car is only necessary (and recommended) if particants want to visit other locations besides the conference venue.

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Weather

Weather: The forecast for the period March 21 to 26, 2015 is indicating that there will be partly sunny weather with a chance of rain towards Thursday and Friday. Day temperatures will be somewhere in the 9 to 18^oC range. See the most recent full forecast here.

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What to do and visit in Norfolk?

Norfolk has many attractions resulting from 400 years of American history impacting the city. A good way of getting an overview is to walk along the “Cannonball Trail,” a self-guided tour through 400 years of Norfolk and American history.

Ghent is a historic part of Norfolk. To get from the Sheraton to Ghent, riding the lightrail, called the Tide is a good alternative to walking through down-town (see the map below).

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Restaurants and Bistros

There are many options for lunch and dinner in walking distance from the Sheraton. The list below gives an overview. An interesting options is also to take the ferry that leave right outside the meeting venue to cross over to Portsmith, where you some nice option for dinner.

Norfolk also has several local breweries that are worth visting if you like beer. One of them is O'Connors Brewing Co. On Wednesday, March 25, 2015, “Wet Tails” is taking place there, which is a social event organized by Wetlands Watch, a local NGO addressing the challenge of sea level rise in the region. It might be an opportunity to mingle with people living in a region challenged by climate change and sea level rise and inceasingly being impacted by it. If you want to go, it is recommended to RSVP here.

Another well know brewery is the Smarthmouth Brewing Co at 1309 Raleigh Ave, Norfolk, VA 23507 (Phone: (757) 624-3939). There, you also find a restaurant.

Recommendations from the Organizers: After a busy day at the workshop venue, a good place to relax and meet people living in the neighborhood in historic Ghent is Press 626. It is a 40 minute walk from the Sheraton to Press 626 or a short ride on the Tide or a taxi. Two alternatives to walk are shown on the right. Taking the walk along part of the Cannonball Trail to Press 626 is slightly longer than the alternative through downtown but it rewards with nice views across the Elisabeth River and the working harbor.

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Workshop Dinner

The no-host workshop dinner on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at 19:00 will take place at Voila. Walking from the Sheraton to Voila along the Canonball trail takes about 20 minutes and brings you through a historic part of the city with views across Elizabeth River.

If you plan to participate in the dinner, please let the organizers know preferably before Monday at noon. There will be a list at the registration desk. If you are not at the workshop on Monday, you can do sign up for the dinner by sending an e-mail to HP Plag.