RE: System Administration Workshop

["Shafik" <s.shafik@xxxxxxxxxx>]

..and don't try to ask Four Point's front desk staff about Innovative
location, they know nothing about it, though it is cross the street from
them!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Said Shafik
System Librarian
International University Bremen, Germany
Campus Ring 1 
D-28759 Bremen, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)421 200 4615
Fax: +49 (0)421 200-4113
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


-----Original Message-----
From: innopac-admin@xxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:innopac-admin@xxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Harvey Hahn
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 1:27 AM
To: innopac@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: System Administration Workshop


I attended the Load Profile Workshop this past summer and stayed at the
Four Points Sheraton (mostly because it was the cheapest and second
closest of the 4 hotels recommended by III).  Matt Ciszek's points
(mentioned elsewhere in this thread) are the truth of the matter.  My
room happened to be on the "front" (west) side of the building (which
faces Christie Ave.--tell the taxi to turn right on Christie; there's no
way to access the hotel from Powell, even though that's its address!),
so I can't comment on what the rooms on the "back" side might be like.
However, I thought my room was quite satisfactory as a whole when
compared with all the rooms I've stayed in over the years, attending
various workshops and conferences.  I wasn't paying for a
top-of-the-line hotel, and I so I wasn't expecting any of those
amenities.  The Four Points Sheraton, in my opinion, is a very typical
hotel for people on business trips.

I spent the two days previous to the workshop "casing" the area and
initially couldn't find Innovative!  That's when I discovered that
Shellmound *Way* (the 1-block-long street where Innovative is located)
is different from Shellmound *Street*.  I knew only that III was located
on "Shellmound" and originally missed the "way" (pun intended).  From
the Four Points, just go out the door at the back of the hotel (east),
walk to your upper left (diagonally) through the parking lot, walk on
the sidewalk underneath the Powell Street bridge overhead, keep walking
northward on the sidewalk the one block until you get to the stoplight
intersection of Shellmound Street (which you've been walking alongside
of) and Shellmound Way, cross the intersection (there's a walk signal),
and III is to your left on the other side of the street.  As I recall,
it was about a 3-minute leisurely walk from the Four Points Sheraton to
III (and quite safe, too, from a traffic standpoint).

The intersection of Powell and Christie (which Mr. Shafik referred to)
is truly "a crazy intersection".  There is pedestrian crossing available
only on 3 of the 4 crosswalks (and, wouldn't you know it, the one that
would be most convenient from the hotel to III is the nonexistent one!).
Because automobile right turns are permitted at the same time that
pedestrian crossings are permitted, you really do take your life into
your hands when you cross (to go to the Denny's restaurant, for
example)--the turning cars do not wait for pedestrians!

Regarding cheap restaurants, the Denny's that is kittycorner from the
Four Points is OK, but it was designed more as a fast-food in-and-out
establishment rather than as the leisurely restaurant chain that I'm
used to in the Chicago metro area.  I ate there only once in the 4 days
that I was staying at the hotel (better airfare rates for the
Saturday/Sunday stay in addition to the Monday/Tuesday workshop), and,
in my opinion, the food and service just wasn't worth the pedestrian
hassle of getting there from the hotel.

I ate in the Four Points hotel restaurant a couple of times (breakfast
and supper), and, in my opinion, it was satisfactory (especially if
convenience is important to you).  On the other hand, I wasn't expecting
or looking for any kind of expensive, high-quality restaurant for this
particular occasion (as I might during a conference attendance).  The
only negative I had with the hotel restaurant was that I thought it was
a bit pricey for the limited choices they had (but that's also typical
for hotel restaurants in general).

That's why I also ate several times at the Lyons Restaurant.  (Just go
out the front entrance of the hotel, turn left, walk across the parking
lot on the south side of the hotel, and you're at the restaurant's
entrance.)  For approximately the same total prices as the hotel
restaurant, there was much more variety available on the menu.  I ate
breakfast and supper there several times, and, if I remember correctly,
it ran around $10-$15 per meal (depending on what you eat, of course),
which seemed reasonable to me.  Again, it wasn't a 4-star restaurant by
any stretch of the imagination, but it served the function of providing
a decent meal for a relatively minimal amount of money.

However, if you *really* want to get the biggest bang for your buck, the
international food court a block or so north of III along Shellmound
Street is the place to go.  *Very* inexpensive and very interesting!
It's an experience you shouldn't miss while attending III workshops.  I
ate lunch there once or twice and enjoyed the variety of ethnic cuisines
that were available.  I strongly recommend that you "scope out" the
whole place first to see the full variety, and then go back and pick
which one(s) you'd like to try.  (I don't remember if the food court is
open for supper, so be sure to check its open hours.)

Everything I've described so far has been within easy walking distance
of the Four Points Sheraton, and that goes for "entertainment", too.
There's a very nice book store adjoining the food court (I've forgotten
if it was Border's or Barnes & Noble), and there's a movie theater about
another long block or so beyond the food court if you continue walking
north along Shellmound Street (I saw "Seabiscuit" while I was there).
The theater is about 10-12 minutes from the Four Points by foot.  For
those who like to shop, I believe there's a small mall across the street
(Christie Avenue) from the Lyons Restaurant and the Four Points
Sheraton.  I didn't investigate this mall, but you'd need to cross at
the "crazy intersection" (or perhaps to your left beyond the Lyons
Restaurant) to get there.

I hope this gives a more positive outlook about the Four Points Sheraton
and the area surrounding the Innovative headquarters building.

Harvey



At 08:24AM on 12/09/03, s.shafik@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Just make sure your room is in the front side of the hotel, don't eat
> in its restaurant (there is an open mall behind), and finally be
> careful when crossing to III building, it is a crazy intersection
> there!!
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Said Sheik
> System Librarian
> International University Bremen, Germany
> Campus Ring 1
> D-28759 Bremen, Germany
> Phone: +49 (0)421 200 4615
> Fax: +49 (0)421 200-4113
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: innopac-admin@xxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:innopac-admin@xxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Satzer, Patricia
> A.
> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 3:02 PM
> To: 'innopac@xxxxxxxxxx'
> Subject: RE: System Administration Workshop
> 
> Oh no, I'm registered for the Four Points hotel for a Load Profile
> Training session in January!  What's wrong with the hotel?
> 
> Paddy Satzer
> Univ. of St. Thomas Law Library
> pasatzer@xxxxxxxxxx
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Shafik [mailto:s.shafik@xxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 6:17 AM
> To: innopac@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: System Administration Workshop
> 
> The workshop is great! Just do not stay in the Four Points hotel! ...



--
===========================================
Harvey E. Hahn, Manager, Technical Services Department
Arlington Heights (Illinois) Memorial Library
Desk: 847/506-2644 -- FAX: 847/506-2650 -- E mailto:hhahn@xxxxxxxxxx
Personal web pages: http://users.anet.com/~packrat


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