JTC1/SC22/WG14 N912

WG14 N912

October 2000 Meeting of WG14/J11
Travel Information

The meeting will be located at the Novotel Toronto Centre Hotel in
downtown Toronto during the week beginning Monday, October 16th.

1. Currency

Prices in this document will be stated in Canadian dollars (C$).
On the day that this announcement was written, the Canadian dollar
was equivalent in value to 0.7182 Euro, 74.0282 Yen, or $0.6881 in
US funds.

2. The neighbourhood

The Novotel is situated in the trendy St. Lawrence district of
Toronto, which is distinguished by its numerous Victorian brick
buildings and historical landmarks, including The Gooderham Building,
St. Lawrence Market, and St. James' Cathedral, all of which are within
a block or two of the hotel. The Hummingbird Centre and The St. Lawrence
Centre for the Arts are a block away, while several other theatres are
within a five-minute walk. There are more than 40 restaurants within a
.5km radius of the hotel, excluding fast-food restaurants and cafes.

3. The hotel

Novotel Toronto Centre
45 The Esplanade
Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1W2
Tel: (416) 367 8900
Fax: (416) 860 5154

The Novotel occupies a 9-storey building on Toronto's Esplanade. The
meeting rate for a single/double room is C$132, or about $91 in US funds.
Breakfast is not included in this price, but complimentary coffee is
offered weekday mornings in the hotel lobby. Parking costs an additional
C$13.50, or about US$9 for a 24-hour period. There is a data port in each
room. No surcharge is levied for calls to toll-free numbers. A
complimentary fitness centre, with a sauna and an indoor swimming pool is
located in the hotel.

Reserve your room before Monday, September 25 by calling Novotel's central
reservations service at 1-800-NOVOTEL or by calling the hotel directly at
(416) 367 8900. To get one of the blocked rooms and to qualify for the
IBM corporate rate of C$132, you'll have to mention that you will be
attending the IBM-sponsored conference (I apologize for the apparent
partisanship) at Novotel Toronto Centre during the week of October 16-20.

More information about the Novotel Toronto Centre can be found at:

http://www.novotel.com/HOTELWEB/G/09/0931G.htm#NIVEAU-0
http://www.toronto.com/E/V/TORON/0012/04/56/

4. The airport

Air travel into Toronto should use Toronto-Pearson International
Airport (YYZ).

Information about Pearson is available at:
http://www.toronto.com/Toronto/Visitors_Getaways/Airport_Webport/

The easiest means of transportation from Pearson to the hotel is airport
limousine or taxi. You can pick up a limousine from the queue at arrivals,
or you can make arrangements in advance. Aerofleet charges C$34 for a
one-way trip. They can be reached at (800) 268-0905.

More information about Aerofleet is available at:
Http://www.toronto.com/E/V/TORON/0044/84/41/

A more economical option is to take the downtown-bound Airport Express bus.
Tell the driver that you're going to the Novotel. You will be driven to
the Metro Coach Terminal, where a van will be waiting to shuttle you to the
hotel. A one-way trip takes about an hour and costs C$16.75. A round-trip
costs C$28.00. The bus departs from the arrivals level at the airport
every
40 minutes.

You can read about Airport Express at:
http://www.toronto.com/E/V/TORON/0020/11/54/cs1.html

If you are planning to drive, take highway 427 to Queensway East Toronto.
Exit at Yonge Street North. Travel north on Yonge Street for about one
minute and turn right onto The Esplanade. The hotel will be on your right.

5. Car rental

The meeting will be located within a short walk of numerous restaurants,
shops, attractions and historical landmarks. Toronto's safe and efficient
subway system has a stop at Union Station, which is two blocks from the
hotel, and taxis are readily available at reasonable rates throughout the
downtown area. Furthermore, downtown traffic is often hectic and parking
in Toronto, as in many big cities, is scarce. Therefore, a rental car is
unnecessary and may be inconvenient, unless you are planning a trip out of
the city. The following rental companies have kiosks at the airport:

Aviscar Inc. National Tilden Inter Rent Inc.
www.avis.com www.nationalcar.com
(800) 331-1212 (800) 387-4747

Budget Car and Truck Rentals Hertz Canada Ltd.
www.budget.com www.hertz.com
Terminal 1 (905) 676-0311 (905) 676-3241
Terminal 2 (905) 676-1500
Terminal 3 (905) 676-0522 Thrifty Canada Ltd.
www.thrifty.com
(905) 673-8811

The following car rental offices are located near the hotel:

Aviscar Inc. Budget Car And Truck Rentals
www.avis.com www.budget.com
Canada Trust Tower Bay & Front
Corner of Bay & Front 141 Bay
Concourse Level Unit 140 (416) 364-7104
(416) 777-2847

Hertz Canada Ltd. Thrifty Canada Ltd.
www.hertz.com www.thrify.com
Union Station Royal York Hotel
65 Front Street 100 Front Street West
(416) 364-2080 (800) 947-1385

Traffic regulations in Toronto are the same as in most US states.
Right turns are permitted on red lights at any intersection that doesn't
have a sign that explicitly indicates otherwise. Watch for one-way
streets and dedicated streetcar and bus lanes. Left turns, right turns,
or both are prohibited at some intersections on a few downtown arteries;
watch for the signs. Do not pass a stationary streetcar on the right if
its doors are open, and don't pull up on the right beside a streetcar that
has stopped to collect or drop off passengers. Instead, stop behind the
streetcar's rear doors until they have closed.

6. Selected web sites

General:
http://www.toronto.com
http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/CITY.GUIDES/WTR/north.america.profiles/nap.toronto.html

http://emily.icomm.ca/

Toronto Transit Commision route and fare information:
http://www.toronto.com/E/V/TORON/0020/24/37/cs1.html
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/ttc/index.htm

Toronto entertainment/alternative weekly newspapers:
http://www.eye.net/
http://www.nowtoronto.com/

Theatre:
http://www.stratford-festival.on.ca/
http://www.shawfest.com/
http://www.onstagenow.com/Home.html
http://www.canstage.com/index.htm
http://www.theatreintoronto.com/

Visual Arts:
http://www.ago.on.ca/
http://www.mcmichael.com/
http://www.culturenet.ca/powerplant/
http://www.slateartguide.com

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