TESS Science Conference I
July 29 - Aug 2 2019, MIT / Cambridge, USA
The talks will be held in the Kresge Auditorium, while the poster sessions will be held in the Sala de Puerto Rico.
Orange: Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Red: Sala de Puerto Rico (on the second floor of the Stratton Student Center), 84 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Purple: Boston University (BU) Residency Halls, 10 Buick Street, Boston, MA 02215
Brown: Hyatt Regency Cambridge, 575 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139
Blue: BLUEbikes Hubways (see below)
Black: On campus dining. For more information about dining in Cambridge, click here.
Logan Airport (IATA-code: BOS) is served by a large number of US and international airlines. Direct flights are offered to most major US and European airports. Several smaller airports exist in the Greater Boston area, but connecting from there to Boston is usually less convenient.
The easiest way to get to MIT is by public transportation. MBTA.
From the airport: Take the Silver Line SL1 bus, located right outside the Terminal. Travel starting with the Silver Line from the airport is free, a measure introduced to reduce congestion at the airport terminals. Stay on the bus to the final stop (South Station).
To the BU Residency Hall: Transfer to the Red Line (inbound to Alewife) and depart at Park Street (2 stops). Change to the Green Line train "B" going outbound to Boston College. The Green line stop Saint Paul Street (9 stops) is a one minute walk to the hall.
To Hyatt Regency Cambridge: Transfer to the Red Line (inbound to Alewife) and depart at Kendall Square (4 stops). Between 7:10 am and 8:40 pm, every 30 minutes (10 minutes after the hour and 40 minutes after the hour), the hotel complimentary shuttle picks up passengers outside of Kendall Square Station/street level. An Uber/Lyft from Kendall is about $5 USD.
Both the MBTA and Google Maps offer a journey planner that has up-to-date timetables for all train and bus services in Boston.
Tickets for the MBTA come in the form of a CharlieTicket (one time use) or a CharlieCard (can be topped up and reused; cheaper per journey). Prices are as follows:
CharlieCard: The "Subway-only", "Subway + Local bus" and the "Local bus + Subway + Local bus" combinations are all $2.40 USD. Bus-only is $1.70 USD. You can get a free CharlieCard from an MBTA Customer Service Agent.
CharlieTicket: Both "Subway + Local bus" and the "Local Bus + Subway + Local Bus" combinations are $4.90 USD. Bus-only is $2.00 USD, and like with the CharlieCard, it comes with a free Bus transfer within 2 hours of the tap. Subway-only is $2.90 USD with no free transfer. You can get a CharlieTicket from the MBTA fare vending machines.
A taxi from the airport costs about $35-45 USD (15-20% tips are expected in the US). Taxis prefer cash, but also accept all major credit cards.
App Ride/Transportation Network Companies, like Uber and Lyft, operate in Boston and Cambridge, and will service (pick-up and drop-off) the Boston Logan Airport. The fees are typically ~$25-35 USD for single rides but can fluctuate due to the demand at the time. The option to automatically share a ride with other Uber/Lyft users will significantly reduce the price. In order to access these rides, you must install the app on your phone and have access to the internet. Creating an account through the app and registering your credit/debt card or PayPal/Google Pay is required for service since the drivers will not take cash or credit.
To the Conference Venue: The closest MBTA stop to Kresge Auditorium is the 84 Massachusetts Ave stop on the #1 bus line. Kresge is also a 15 minute walk from the Central Square and Kendall Square (Red line). Depending on where you are staying, you may find it convenient to walk or bike.
In recent years, cycling has also become a lot more popular and many new bike lanes have been marked to increase safety, see Google maps for a map of bike routes. In particular, there is a very nice bike path along the Charles river. We want to point out a company that provides bicycles:
We offer accommondation in the BU Residency Halls, approximately a 30 min walking distance from the conference venue. All apartments have single-occupancy rooms that are air-conditioned, furnished and equipped with kitchen facilities, and bathrooms. Beds come made with linen and bath towels, and basic amenities. The four single-occupancy rooms have two shared bathrooms, while the two single-occupancy rooms have two individual bathrooms. There is also an on-premise laudry facility and gym. Prices are $88 USD per person per night (four-person) or $154 USD per person per night (two-person). Optionally, there are nearby restaurants, grocery stores and cafés.
To reserve accommodation at Boston University see: http://stay.bu.edu/tess.bnb. Note that Roommate requests should be entered in the "Special Requests" field. Both parties must indicate roommate to be matched. If the roommate request is not mutual, or the "Special Requests" field is empty, a roommate will be randomly assigned for you.
We reserved a block of rooms in the Hyatt Regency Cambridge hotel, located about 15 min on foot from the conference venue. There is complimentary to-and-from Kendall Square shuttle service between 7:00 EDT and 20:30 EDT (excludes 12:30 and 18:30 EDT) The rooms are $249 USD per night (+ tax).
For booking a room at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge hotel see: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/BOSRC/G-TESS
Several other hotels are available in walking distance and can be found with any search engine or travel agency. More affordable options should also be available via websites such as Airbnb (We do not endorse any particular option. Links are provided as example only).
International visitors whose country does not participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program may request a letter confirming their registration and abstract submission to support their Visa application. The request should be sent to tsc1@mit.edu and include the visitor full name, abstract title, affiliation, and complete address. For more information about visitors Visa please see here.