The 2010 SAAP meeting will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Omni Hotel http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/Charlotte.aspx, and will be hosted by Queens University of Charlotte http://www.queens.edu/ and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte http://www.uncc.edu/, 11-13 March.

 

            The Omni is located in the very center of Charlotte, which is a vibrant, although not very expansive, urban locale.  Charlotte, despite being incorporated in 1768 has only recently become a large city.  Thus it feels new and bustling, thanks to the big banks and a hub airport.  (This past year, the airport was the eighth busiest in the United States and twenty-fourth busiest in the world by passenger traffic.)  Bank of America’s headquarters is across the street from the hotel.  Across another street is the new Epicentre http://www.epicentrenc.com/, an interesting mix of entertainment, shopping and restaurants.  An enjoyable way to learn about Charlotte’s history is the nearby Levine Museum of the New South http://www.museumofthenewsouth.org/.  This is only one of several museums (Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Gantt Center for African American Arts & Culture, and Bechtler Museum of Modern Art) within easy walking distance of the hotel.

 

            Queens, founded in 1857, is a private, co-ed, Presbyterian-affiliated comprehensive university, with a commitment to both liberal arts and professional studies. Just south of Center City, it is located in historic Myers Park, which has many fine homes and tree-lined streets.

 

            UNC Charlotte, is a large, rapidly growing, urban university of just over 23,000 students that began much more recently in 1946.  It is now situated on a 1000 acre campus on the northeast edge of the city but is establishing a presence in Center City.

 

For more local information about Charlotte: www.charlottesgotalot.com or call Visit Charlotte (704) 331-2700

 

For information on the Charlotte Douglas International Airport: www.charmeck.org/Departments/airport/home

 

For information on the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS): www.charmeck.org/Departments/cats/home

 

NOTE: The Sprinter (#5 bus) is a shuttle/express bus that runs from the airport to the hotel, for $1.50.) The driver cannot make change, but the farebox accepts dollar bills.  It is a green bus with luggage racks, and takes about 20 minutes, running every 20 or 30 minutes.  Check the CATS website for schedule and changes.  You catch it at the end of the second roadway from Concourse D entrance/exit on the lower level.  Exit the terminal, cross the first roadway and turn right to find the bus stop.

 

Information for Families: One of the best places in Charlotte for children is ImaginOn http://www.imaginon.org/index.asp, which is about four or five blocks from the Omni Hotel.  It is a joint venture of the Library and the Children's Theatre.  We do not have a Children's Museum.  Discovery Place, the children's science museum is for older children, but it does have an area for children six and under.  Make sure it is open when you want to visit; they have been renovating the building in stages.  The childcare experts in my family are enthusiastic about the Charlotte Nature Museum http://www.charlottenaturemuseum.org/  It is just outside of uptown in Myers Park, which is what we call a "street car neighborhood." The streetcar neighborhoods were the ring of neighborhoods just outside of uptown. The nature museum is located adjacent to Freedom Park which has a playground and a lake to walk around.  There's a bunch of restaurants on East Blvd near the main park entrance.  Talk of streetcars reminds me of the Charlotte Trolley http://www.charlottetrolley.org/news.php?w_url=A0073_20090912.html, which runs on the Lynx light rail tracks.  There is a station just one block from the Omni.

 

There's a park named The Green across from the Convention Center and a few blocks away from the Omni.  It's small and contained with lots of great sculptures to climb and explore.  There's a Fuel Pizza and Matt's Chicago Dog right there, which are kid-friendly. 
  
Check out Ray's Splash Planet http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Park+and+Rec/Aquatics/Rays+Splash+Planet/Home.htm,  an indoor water park run by the County. It's not far from the Omni off West Trade Street.   It has a concrete beach area where the water goes from 0 to 24" inches very gradually, which is good for toddlers 
 
And the Omni is connected to the Overstreet Mall which will be handy if the weather is bad.  The mall is an extended retail area running through several buildings connected by enclosed overpasses.