If you plan
to arrive at the conference early, or if you're bringing family
members who may not be attending the conference, here are some interesting
places that we recommend visiting.
Off-Campus
Attractions
The
Tech Museum of Innovation
The
Tech focuses on how technology works and the way it is
changing every aspect of our lives. Its people-and-technology
focus and its integration of advanced technologies into visitor
experiences distinguishes it from other science centers and
engages visitors of all ages.
The Tech
has become a landmark for those seeking a glimpse of the most
inventive place on earth, showcasing the latest high-tech
gizmos and gadgets that put Silicon Valley on the map.
The Tech
is located
in downtown San Jose and is open from 8 am to 6 pm, Monday
through Friday.
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Computer
History Museum
The
Computer History Museum is dedicated to the preservation
of computer history. It is home to one of the largest collections
of computing artifacts in the world, comprising over 4,000
objects, 10,000 images, 4,000 linear feet of cataloged documentation,
and gigabytes of software.
A public
tour is available on Friday, September 12, at 1:00 pm, taking
you through an exhibit that spans from pre-computing to supercomputing,
and reflects the astonishing development in technology from
gears to vacuum tubes to exotic semiconductors. The
tour lasts approximately one hour and features more than 450
artifacts, including the Honeywell "Kitchen Computer," the
Cray 1, the Johnniac, and an Eniac rack. Reservations
are recommended. Please contact
the museum by email
or by calling (650) 810-1013.
The museum
is located
in Mountain View, about 5 miles south of Palo Alto and Stanford
University.
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Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
Founded
in 1962, SLAC
occupies a 426-acre facility, which includes a two-mile accelerator,
and is operated by the university for the U.S. Department
of Energy. A visitor center is open Monday through Friday
from 8 am to 5 pm, and offers displays on the laboratory's
scientific programs, a brief history of significant milestones,
and construction photos.
SLAC is
located
at 2575 Sand Hill Road, about 1 mile southwest of the campus.
For tour availability and reservations, please call (650)
926-2204.
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Hanna
House
For the
architecturally inclined, a visit to Hanna
House is a must-see (but you'll have to arrive the day
before the conference to catch a tour; see below).
Designed
by Frank Lloyd Wright, the dwelling was commissioned in the
mid-1930s by Paul Hanna, a professor in Stanford's School
of Education. The resulting masterpiece is a glass-fronted
collection of hexagons whose honeycomb shapes are echoed in
many of the home's details, from the flooring to the bathroom
tiles. A National Historic Landmark, the house was named by
the American Institute of Architects as one of 17 buildings
by Frank Lloyd Wright most worthy of preservation and exemplifying
his contribution to American culture.
Tours
are available on Thursday, September 11. Reservations are
required; please call (650) 725-8352.
Hanna
House is located
at 737 Frenchman's Road (off Mayfield Avenue on the southeast
side of campus).
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On-Campus
Attractions
If
you arrive early on Friday, be sure to take a walking tour of the
campus. Here are some of the highlights you won't want to miss:
Hoover
Tower
Hoover
Tower, completed in 1941 to celebrate the university's
50th anniversary, serves as a landmark to the Stanford community.
The 285-foot structure offers superb views of Stanford and
the Bay Area from its observation deck, which is open from
10:00 am to 4:30 pm daily.
Hoover
Tower is part of the Hoover
Institution, a Stanford-affiliated public policy research
center founded by Herbert Hoover, a member of the university's
pioneer class of 1895 and the 31st president of the United
States.
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Central
Campus
The heart
of campus is defined by Palm Drive, The Oval, and the steps
leading up to the Main Quad. The buildings that surround the
Quad were designed in the Romanesque style by Boston architect
Charles Allerton Coolidge, circa 1890. Featuring covered arcades,
arch-spanned vistas, and detailed carvings atop stocky columns,
these central-campus buildings were fashioned from rough-cut
blocks of buff sandstone taken from a quarry south of San
Jose. Their warm hue echoes the color of nearby hills and
shows how well the architecture, in its setting of expansive
blue skies, green lawns, and balmy weather, pays tribute to
the California landscape.
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The
court leading into the Main Quad displays Rodin's masterpiece
The Burghers of Calais. Additional bronze figures can
be seen in the Rodin Sculpture Garden, a short (10-minute)
walk away (shown as point A on this map).
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Stanford
Memorial Church
The Memorial
Church is the architectural centerpiece of the Main Quad.
The mural on its facade is actually a mosaic that includes
over 20,000 shades of colored tiles. The extraordinary interior
(not to be missed, even by the most science-minded!) includes
stained glass windows, intricate stonework, gold leaf decoration,
and high redwood ceilings. Early-morning visitors may be lucky
enough to hear an impromptu concert performed on one of the
church's three organs.
Guided
tours are available daily at 2:00 pm and do not require reservations.
Meet in the Main Quad in front of the church.
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Stanford
Bookstore
Carrying
over 130,000 titles, the Stanford Bookstore is one of the
largest and most complete bookstores in the nation. It is
located
just a short walk across White plaza from Tresidder Union,
the home of our conference.
A hand-picked
selection of books on accelerating change will be available
for purchase at the conference. We also recommend browsing
titles in Science, Technology, Business, and Humanist themes,
a total of 500
particularly insightful books for you to consider. Each
of these titles is stocked at the Stanford Bookstore. |
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