About AIDS/LifeCycle

Travel Planner

I: Before the Event

•  Getting You To San Francisco
•  Getting Your Bike to San Francisco
•  Hotels In San Francisco
•  Orientation Day
•  Opening Ceremonies

Getting You To San Francisco

There are 3 airports in the Bay Area: Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose. San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport are the most convenient and have excellent public transportation service: BART. For more detailed information regarding Transit Information in the Bay Area see: 511.org.

• If you are flying into the Bay Area before or after the event and wish to take a shuttle from the airport to your hotel or home, contact Super Shuttle at http://www.supershuttle.com/default.aspx?GC=D84ZH for a discounted rate.

A listing of alternate, non-discounted transportation methods can be found in the "Important Contact Information" section. Rates change daily and you may find more desirable rates on your own.

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Getting Your Bike to San Francisco

AIDS/LifeCycle has contracted with McCollister's Transportation Group Inc. to assist with getting your bike from Los Angeles to San Francisco pre-event.

Bike shipping reservations have CLOSED.  If you still need to ship your bike to San Francisco using McCollister's, they will take walk-ups, but it is CASH ONLY.  The dates and times are below.

Drop off your bike at:
Hollywood Presbyterian Church Parking Lot (on Carlos)
1760 N Gower St., Hollywood, CA 90028

On the following dates / times:
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - 10:00AM - 7:00PM
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 8:00AM - 12:00PM

Other Important Bike Transportation Information:

If you cannot take advantage of McCollisters service, you will have to find an alternate way of transporting your bike. Alternate ways to get your bike up to San Francisco pre-ride include:

• Flying With Your Bike (Boxing Required) -- If you fly with your bike, all airlines have handling fees for checking bikes, payable at the ticket counter. When making your airline reservations, please check the rate and any restrictions for checking your bike.
• Shipping: If you ship your boxed bike to San Francisco, you MUST have a receiving address. NO shipments will be accepted at the Cow Palace. Your hotel will usually accept packages for you.
• Boxing: Most bike shops offer boxes, but you should reserve one early as they may be in great demand. There is usually a small charge, about $5 for the box.
• Disassembly: If you need to ship your bike, most likely you will need to disassemble it. This means removing the pedals, seat, front tire, and handlebars. Each part should be wrapped separately in bubble wrap. You can do this yourself, or most bike shops will do it for you for a cost of approximately $20.
• You must bring your bike to Orientation Day for check-in.

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Hotels In San Francisco

Joie de Vivre Hotels, our official AIDS/LifeCycle Hotel sponsor, is offering AIDS/LifeCycle participants and their friends & family special rates at the Cathedral Hill Hotel, Hotel Kabuki and the Hotel Tomo. Check out all their properties at www.jdvhotels.com

To guarantee that you receive the quoted room rate, please identify yourself as an AIDS/LifeCycle participant (or family/friend) and remember to reserve your accommodations as soon as possible (and no later than the release dates listed below). Space is limited. All charges are the responsibility of the individual.

• To get these rates at the Cathedral Hill Hotel, please access their website: For HTML users: reservations.ihotelier.com/crs/g_login.cfm?hotelID=3786, for FLASH users: reservations.ihotelier.com/onescreenGroup.cfm?hotelID=3786. Rates start at $109. Attendee Code is ALC7. Or you may call them directly at 800-622-0855 and identify yourself as an AIDS/LifeCycle participant. Space is limited, so please book early, but no later than April 30, 2008. Hotel address is: 1101 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco CA 94109. www.CathedralHillHotel.com

• To get these rates at the Hotel Kabuki go directly to reservations.ihotelier.com/crs/g_reservation.cfm?groupID=97130&hotelID=13098. Or call them at 800-533-4567. Rates start at $129. You must identify yourself as an AIDS/LifeCycle participant. Space is limited, so please book early, but no later than May 9, 2008. Hotel address is: 1625 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115.

• To get these rates at the Hotel Tomo go directly to reservations.ihotelier.com/crs/g_reservation.cfm?groupID=99870&hotelID=13099. Or call them at 800-533-4567. Rates start at $119. You must identify yourself as an AIDS/LifeCycle participant. Hotel address is 1800 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115.

A shuttle from the Cathedral Hill Hotel to the Cow Palace will be available on Sunday, June 1, 2008 for $7 per ticket. (There will be no shuttle from the Hotel Kabuki or the Hotel Tomo) Shuttle buses will depart from the hotel at 4:30AM and arrive at the Cow Palace by 5:00AM. Tickets are only available through the ALC office. 

Tickets are NOT available through the hotels. Last day to reserve a shuttle bus ticket is Monday, May 12, 2008. There will be no tickets sold after this date, or at Orientation Day or the morning of Day 1.

Other options in San Francisco:

The Metro Hotel
319 Divisadero Street
415-861-5364
www.metrohotelsf.com
24- Room European style hotel near Castro/Haight/Western Addition

Rates: $76 - $130, all rooms have private bath, free cable, wifi
Tell Craig (#1272) you are participating in AIDS/LifeCycle for a 10% discount. Ride Safely and Have Fun. Thank you for riding!

If you are looking for something less expensive check out the SF Hostels website at
www.sfhostels.com.

If you are taking a taxi to Opening Ceremonies, it's critical that you book one the previous night. A list of San Francisco cab companies can be found in the Important Contact Information section.

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Orientation Day

Saturday, May 31, 2008
10:00AM-6:00PM

Location:
Cow Palace
2600 Geneva Ave
Daly City, CA 94014

For complete information regarding Orientation Day, please see the Let's Ride document [5,089K, 20-page PDF].

Please Note: Enter the Cow Palace at the Main Entrance on Geneva Ave @ Santos. Parking on site is $8 -- CASH only. There will be a drop off area if your ride is not parking at the Cow Palace.

Arrivals at Orientation Day:

Orientation Day is the day to complete the registration process for the event. Please bring your E-Ticket, ID, medical information, bicycle, and any outstanding pledges to achieve your minimum. Both cyclists and roadies will be required to show ID at the check in area and attend a mandatory screening of the safety video played throughout the day.

Hint: Make this process much simpler by having your pledge minimum, waivers and medical form returned prior to Orientation Day.

Cyclists:

• Cyclists will be required to leave their bike overnight at Orientation Day. Overnight security will be provided. Take your water bottles and helmets home with you to prepare for ride out.
• Do NOT bring gear bags to Orientation Day. Gear trucks will be available at Opening Ceremonies on Day One.
• Cyclists should plan to arrive at Orientation no later than 2:00 p.m. to insure completion of Orientation Day procedures - you should allow 3 hours for the orientation process. If you need to turn in donations, please allow an additional hour.
• We will have bike techs available to assist with the assembly of your bicycle for $20 - cash only payable directly to the bike tech.

Roadies:

• Roadies should plan to arrive at Orientation no later than 11:00 a.m. in order to allow a minimum of 2 hours for the Orientation process before attending the mandatory All-Roadie Meeting at 2pm.
• Roadie Team Captains must attend a mandatory meeting at 12:00 p.m. (noon) in Bay C.
• Roadies must attend a mandatory All-Roadie Meeting from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in Bay C.

Parking Your Bike on Orientation Day:
All Cyclists must bring their bikes to Orientation Day on Saturday, May 31, 2008. You will receive your bike number to place on your bike for the duration of the event. You must leave your bike in the bike parking area overnight. Overnight security will be provided. Don't forget to take your water bottles with you so you can arrive with them full for Day One ride out.

Driving Directions:
From the Golden Gate Bridge: Follow Highway 1 (19th Avenue) past S.F. State University. Take the Cow Palace / Alemany Blvd. loop and continue to Alemany. Turn left onto Alemany and continue to Geneva Ave. Turn right onto Geneva and follow until Cow Palace is on the right. Enter through the main gate.

From Northbound Highway 101: Take Brisbane / Cow Palace exit, go straight to Geneva and turn left. The Cow Palace is 10 blocks up on the left.

From Southbound Highway 101: Take Cow Palace / 3rd Street exit, immediately merge to the right of the off ramp and merge onto Bayshore. Follow Bayshore to Geneva and turn right onto Geneva. The Cow Palace is 10 blocks up on the left.

From Highway 280 North: Take the Geneva / Ocean exit, and turn right onto Geneva. Follow a few miles, the Cow Palace will be on the right. From Highway 280 South: Take the Geneva / Ocean exit, and turn left onto Geneva. Follow a few miles, the Cow Palace will be on the right.

Public Transport to the Cow Palace:

• Public Transit: Nine-County San Francisco Bay Area (transit.511.org)
• Other routes to the Cow Palace are available from this Transit Destinations page.
• MUNI (San Francisco's public transit system). For information on bicycle restrictions, check out: http://www.sfmuni.com/cms/mms/rider/bikes.htm. Click on Rider Info and then on Bikes on Transit
• Bikes on BART: http://www.bart.gov/guide/bikes/bikeOverview.asp

Taxis can be found near most downtown hotel locations. The names & numbers of several SF cab companies are listed on the "Important Contact Information" page.

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Opening Ceremonies

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Cow Palace
2600 Geneva Ave
Daly City, CA 94014

For complete information regarding Opening Ceremonies, please see the Let's Ride document [5,089K, 20-page PDF]. Please read it as it will give you lots of tips and tricks to make Orientation Day, Opening Ceremonies and Closing Ceremonies go smoothly.

• Cyclists & Roadies must arrive at Opening Ceremonies by 5:00AM. Friends and family should arrive by 5:30AM to observe opening ceremonies and Ride Out. Spectator viewing for RIDE OUT will be available within the Cow Palace grounds as well as on Geneva Avenue.

NOTE: Entrance into the Cow Palace parking lots will be available only until 6AM. The fee to park is $8 -- CASH ONLY.

• A shuttle from the Cathedral Hill Hotel to the Cow Palace will be available on Sunday, June 1, 2008 for $7 per ticket. (There will be no shuttle from the Hotel Kabuki or the Hotel Tomo) Shuttle buses will depart from the hotel at 4:30AM and arrive at the Cow Palace by 5:00AM. Tickets are NOT available through the hotels. Last day to reserve a shuttle bus ticket is Monday, May 12, 2008. There will be no tickets sold after this date, or at Orientation Day or the morning of Day 1.

If you are taking a taxi to Opening Ceremonies, it's critical that you book one the previous night. A list of San Francisco cab companies can be found in the Important Contact Information section.

If you have a problem downloading any form, please call your cycle buddy or roadie coordinator.

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