Monterey is a small city, situated on California's Pacific coast approximately 75 miles south of San Francisco, and 350 mile north of Los Angeles. United, American and other airlines have regularly scheduled flights to Monterey: these are mainly commuter flights from the San Francisco or Los Angeles area airports, and capacity may be limited- check with your travel agent or the airlines. If you're planning on extended sightseeing along California's central coast, you may want to consider renting a car at the San Francisco or San Jose airport: driving time to Monterey is 1-2 hours, depending on route. Amtrak has bus connections from San Jose and other interior cities, but these are infrequent.
Once you get to Monterey, you'll find most of the major tourist areas - Fishermen's Wharf, Cannery Row, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the new maritime museum - within easy walking distance of the convention hotels. The downtown area is compact and relatively flat. We'll be providing a Native Guide with restaurant recommendations and other useful area information at the convention.
Climate: since downtown Monterey is right on the water, temperatures are mild. Expect the days to be in the mid-70s (c. 25C), with fog in the mornings and early evenings. As you go inland, temperatures rise and humidity drops: temperature differences of 30F between the coast and the Central Valley are not uncommon. Nights can be quite chilly - bring a sweater or light jacket. California really does have distinct seasons: late October is generally the end of the dry season, and the winter rains typically start in mid-November.
The Monterey peninsula is noted for its golf courses. Diving is popular, but the ocean temperature is usually too cold for swimming. There are a number of interesting day trips from Monterey: Carmel, Big Sur, San Simeon, various beaches and state parks. Lucy Huntzinger of Redwood Travel can help members arrange side trips to these and more distant locations such as Reno, Yosemite or Disneyland. (lucy@redtrav.com; +1-650-365-6292)
You can get more information on the Monterey area from the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (380 Alvarado St., Monterey, CA 93940; phone +1-408-649-1770) or from these web sites: