Venue
The conference will be held at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort. The Sheraton Park Hotel is ideally located within walking distance to the DISNEYLAND® Resort, the new Anaheim GardenWalk and the Anaheim Convention Center. A recently completed $40-million renovation of the entire hotel provided dramatic new decor both inside and out. From the newly constructed front entrance to the comfort of your guest room, you will find yourself in a relaxing tropical ambience with an abundance of amenities.
Reservations
Registering for the Conference does not reserve a room. The best way to reserve your room is to visit the ACSAC 2008 Hotel Reservation Page at http://www.acsac.org/hotel/ (this links to a specific hotel registration page for ACSAC). You can call the Sheraton Park Hotel Reservation Department at +1 (866) 837-4197. You must ask for the ANNUAL COMPUTER SECURITY APPLICATIONS CONFERENCE (ACSAC) rate when making your reservation. When making your reservation, you must provide the hotel with the following information:
- Guest name
- Home or business address
- Requested type of room
- Requested bed type (i.e., king, queen/queen)
- Check-in and check-out dates
All rooms at the Sheraton Park Hotel are non-smoking. Any requests for special room arrangements must be made at the time of your reservation. Note that the hotel does not confirm reservations to the individual in writing.
The ACSAC rate is $110.00/night, plus 16% tax . This rate is available only until November 15, 2008, so make your reservations early. Note that cancellations must be made prior to 72 hours to the arrival date in order to avoid a first nights room and tax cancellation penalty.
Directions to the Conference Hotel
Four major airports provide easy access to the Anaheim area:
The hotel itself is located near the southwest corner of the Disneyland Resort:
For transportation from either Los Angeles International (LAX) or Orange County (SNA) to the hotel, the best option is Supershuttle. For more information, visit http://www.supershuttle.com/default.aspx?content=LosAngeles. The one-way price from LAX to the hotel is $16 (plus tip); the one-way price from SNA to the hotel is $10 (plus tip). Note that this is significantly cheaper than a Taxi, which would be on the order of $90 from LAX, or $35 from SNA (not including tip). More information on airports and transportation options may be found at http://www.anaheimoc.org/Articles/Archive/Webpage10258.asp.
If you are driving from the major area airports to the hotel, you can find directions at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/area/directions.html?propertyID=1569.
Parking Information
Both self-serve and valet parking is available at the Sheraton Park Hotel. The conference has arranged for a discounted parking rate of $10 per day for conference overnight guests, a discount of $4 per day. Any members attending the event and not staying at the Hotel are subject to hourly self-parking rates of $7.00 for the first hour, $2.00 each half hour thereafter and a maximum charge of $17.00 per day. Valet Parking for over night guests is available for $18.00. Any members attending the event and not staying at the Hotel are subject to hourly valet rates of $10.00 for the first hour, $2.00 each half hour thereafter and a maximum charge of $20.00 per day.
Internet Access
Wireless high-speed internet access is available at the hotel; the service is provided by the third-party provider Wayport. Access is the hotel public areas (e.g.., lobby, hotel rooms) is $9.95 per day. The conference is not providing Internet access in the meeting room space; Internet access in the function rooms is $100 per day.
Disneyland Resort
Naturally, if you are visiting Anaheim, you'll want to take advantage of visiting the Disneyland Resort. We have made special arrangement for pre-purchase tickets for the park. You can find more information at http://www.conventionguest.com/SheratonParkHotel or simply visit our hotel website at www.acsac.org/hotel/, and you'll find the Discounted Tickets URL under "Links". Note that the discount tickets must have their first use on or before December 11, 2008, which is the Thursday of the conference week. This is due to Disney blackout periods on discount tickets and is beyond the control of the conference.
Hotel Layout
The hotel is arranged as follows:
ACSAC registration will take place in the El Prado Foyer. Plenaries and Sessions will be taking place in the Plaza BC, Plaza D, and Park BC room, with Park D serving as our exhibit space. Conference lunches will be in the Palm Ballroom. The conference dinner will be on the Tiffany Terrace and Patio. Consult your final program for the specific room assignments.
What to do in Anaheim
The conference hotel is located near the intersection of Katella Avenue and Harbor Boulevard, near the southwestern corner of the Disneyland Resort, just below Disney's California Adventure. There are numerous family-friendly restaurants within walking distance; also within walking distance are the numerous excellent restaurants of Downtown Disney. In fact, there are so many local restaurants there's not enough room to list them. However, the Visitor and Convention Bureau has a list at http://www.anaheimoc.org/Articles/Archive/Webpage10145.asp.
It is also easy to get around Anaheim – even if you don't have a car. The city provides a service called "Anaheim Resort Transit" (http://www.rideart.org/). It has numerous routes including:
- Anaheim Convention Center
- Disneyland® Park
- Disney's California Adventure™ Park
- Downtown Disney® District
- The Block at Orange
- Anaheim Amtrak Station
- Anaheim Garden Walk
You can find a map of all routes at http://www.rideart.org/ART-Map.pdf. It is a fare-based system based on daily passes (as of 10/16/08: 1 day - $4, 2 days - $8, 3 days - $10, 5 days - $16), and you can purchase the passes at the ART kiosks around Anaheim, or online at http://www.rideart.org/store.html.
There are loads of things to see in the area in addition to Disney. A large list is available at http://anaheimoc.org/Articles/Archive/Webpage10253.asp, or you might also check out the AAA guide for Southern California (which might garner you some discounts if you are a AAA member).
Here are some suggestions from a local:
- For theme parks other than Disney, consider going to Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park. Universal Studios in Hollywood is also good, but a longer drive. Even further away would be Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita or Legoland in Carlsbad.
- Into art museums? Consider the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana or the Laguna Art Museum. If you want to drive up to Los Angeles, there is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art or the Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Huntington. If you venture to West Los Angeles, there is the Getty Museum and the Getty Villa, as well as the Armand Hammer and the sculpture gardens at UCLA.
- History your thing? Try the Richard Nixon Birthplace and Museum. There are missions throughout California, the closest to Anaheim are in San Gabriel and San Juan Capestrano. Griffith Park is home to the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, and Exposition Park is home to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Of course, if you are into railroad history, get a car and drive out to Perris where you can visit Orange Empire Railway Museum.
- Do you have more of a science bent? Explore the Discovery Museum in Santa Ana. In Exposition Park is the California ScienceCenter, and Griffith Park is home to the Griffith Park Observatory.
- Live theatre your bag? You're in for a treat. Los Angeles has live theatre and performances to rival any city. There are numerous major theatres: the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, the Disney Concert Hall, the Pantages Theatre, and too many small theatres to mention (the Celebration Theatre in the Anaheim Hills is great). Half-price tickets are easily available through Goldstar Events (www.goldstarevents.com) or LA Stage Tix (www.lastagetix.com).
Transportation
For travel outside the Anaheim area, the best bet is to rent a car (yes, you'll have parking charges at the hotel). The Southern California Freeway system, although crowded at times, is relatively easy to navigate. Maps are easily available from AAA; if you want a good detailed map, the Thomas Brothers Guides are highly recommended. Southern California was built around the car; parking is plentiful.
Food
Conference Meals
The conference will provide a continental breakfast, a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack and lunch for ACSAC conference (tutorial/workshop) attendees on the days of the conference (tutorial/workshop). Lunch will be provided on Friday only for those attendees participating in the optional social event. A reception with light snacks is offered on Tuesday evening, and dinner will be offered on Wednesday evening.
Hotel Restaurants / Meals
The hotel provides six dining options on site:
- Molly's Kitchen. "Good Eats" served daily for breakfast and lunch. Known for our wide variety of omelets, fresh turkey sandwiches, old-fashioned milk shakes and malts. 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM
- Pool Bar. If you want to relax in the sun and fresh air by the pool, you will enjoy the Pool Bar with a wide array of tropical libations, standard spirits, in addition to a specialized menu. 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM
- Territorial Saloon. Adjacent to the Overland Stage Southwestern Grill & BBQ Co., features great food and spirits while watching all of your favorite sporting events on four plasma televisions, in addition to offering complimentary billiards. 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
- Overland Stage Southwestern Grill & BBQ Company. Enjoy Southwestern fare, ribs, burgers, seafood, and daily chef specials – and more – in this tasty eatery. Multi-level seating and high-back booths make it a great choice for families and diners seeking a quiet evening out. 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
- Cafasia. A full service snack shop offering a variety of grab and go snack from breakfast sandwiches, pizza, soda, beer, wine, stacked sandwiches, along with fresh baked good and convenience items. 6:45 AM - 10:45 PM
- Morton's Steakhouse. Signature menu features USDA prime aged steak, fresh seafood, decadent desserts and award-winning wine list. Monday - Saturday 5:30 PM - 11:00 PM; Sunday 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM