Tips for Attendees

Tips for Attendees image

WHAT TO WEAR:
Attire at the conference is business casual, with comfortable clothing for the late-night Open Mic events. Please wear comfortable shoes! Also bring a sweater and a rain coat plus an umbrella as it can get chilly and blustery outside in San Francisco this time of year. (In fact, bring a sweater for indoors too as it might be chilly in some of the meeting rooms.)

WHAT TO BRING:
Make sure you bring a pen and notebook for taking notes during the sessions, and business cards to share with agents, editors and your fellow conference attendees.

Please bring your nonfiction proposal or as much of your manuscript as you're ready to share. You can bring a sample chapter, synopsis, outline or even your entire manuscript. However, agents and editors don't usually read an author's work on the spot or at an interview, or take submissions home with them. But some might be willing to look at the first page of a proposal or novel. You will also have the chance to get feedback on your work from independent editors and perhaps other writers. And if an agent or editor gets excited enough about your work, he or she may want to read some of it immediately.

Presenters don't give writers feedback on their work at conferences, but there are other opportunities to get feedback, and you can share your work with other attendees, and the independent editors, and perhaps start a critique group with others you meet at the conference.

WHAT TO EAT:
San Francisco is foody heaven. Click here to download a customized dinner guide to some of the city's great local restaurants, prepared by Michael and Elizabeth--two experienced San Francisco foodies! Remember that lunch and a cocktail reception with light hors d'oeuvres on Friday as well as a continental breakfast and lunch on Saturday and a sit-down breakfast on Sunday are provided to all conference participants.

SPECIAL THINGS TO SEE AND DO:
While you're in San Francisco, be sure to stop by the Beat Museum near Vallejo Street and Grant Avenue. Check out this celebration of the Beat culture. Also visit the one-and-only City Lights Bookstore at Columbus and Broadway. And Cafe Puccini on Columbus off Vallejo is a wonderful place for coffee while listening to Mozart on the jukebox. Of course there is also Chinatown, North Beach, Coit Tower, the waterfront and many more landmarks that make San Francisco so special.

TRAVEL DIRECTIONS TO THE HILTON FINANCIAL DISTRICT HOTEL
It's never been easier to get to our conference. You can drive or take a bus, ferry, BART, cable car, or taxi. You can even combine several modes of transportation.

Driving:
From the Bay Bridge / Highway #80 / Oakland Airport
* Follow signs to San Francisco / Bay Bridge
* Take first exit (Fremont St.), turn left on Mission St to 3rd St., and turn right.
* Follow to Market St. and crossover - changes to Kearny St.
* Hotel is 7 blocks down on right side (corner of Washington St. & Kearny St.).
* Hotel guests may access our garage via our driveway on Kearny Street.
* All other visitors, please continue past Washington St. and take a right on Jackson St. Take your first right on Columbus Ave., and another immediate right on Washington. The entrance to our self-parking garage will be on your left side.

From San Francisco Airport / The Peninsula
* Follow signs to San Francisco / Bay Bridge
* Take the 4th St. exit. straight to 3rd St. and turn left
* Follow to Market St. and crossover - changes to Kearny St.
* Hotel is 7 blocks down on right side (corner of Washington St. & Kearny St.).
* Hotel is on the right side (corner of Washington St. & Kearny St.).
* Hotel guests may access our garage via our driveway on Kearny Street.
* All other visitors, please continue past Washington St. and take a right on Jackson St. Take your first right on Columbus Ave., and another immediate right on Washington. The entrance to our self-parking garage will be on your left side.

From Golden Gate Bridge / Highway 101 / Napa / Sonoma
* Take the Golden Gate Bridge to the Lombard Street exit and continue on Lombard St. to Van Ness Ave.
* Turn right onto Van Ness Ave. and continue to Clay St.
* Turn left onto Clay St. and continue to Kearny St.
* Turn left onto Kearny St. and continue half a block.
* Hotel is on the right side (corner of Washington St. & Kearny St.).
* Hotel guests may access our garage via our driveway on Kearny Street.
* All other visitors, please continue past Washington St. and take a right on Jackson St. Take your first right on Columbus Ave., and another immediate right on Washington. The entrance to our self-parking garage will be on your left side.

By Airport Taxi
Taxis are available from the lower level of each terminal at SFO. Travel time is generally 30 minutes. Cost is around $40.00.

By Airport Bus
Shared-ride shuttle vans are available from the upper level of each terminal at SFO. Transportation time is generally 30 to 45 minutes. Cost is $10.00 to $12.00.

By BART
Take BART to the Montgomery Street station and take the Post St. McKesson Plaza exit. From here you can walk a block west to Kearny St. then walk north 10 blocks to Washington St., or you can take the 8X bus from Kearny to Washington St., or catch a cab around the Post St. Bart exit.

All BART stations with parking facilities offer Extended Weekend parking, which allows BARTriders to park their vehicle from the start of train service on Friday to 2:00 am Monday (2:00 am Tuesday, since President's Day is considered an official holiday by BART). BARTriders at stations where there is a daily fee requirement (currently Daly City and Colma stations) must pay the daily fee for Friday.

For schedules and station information, visit www.bart.gov. Prices vary, but for example a one-way ticket from the San Francisco International Airport to the Powell Street Station is $8.10.

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