Travel 2018

Long-distance-bus travel to Raleigh can be very inconvenient, and unpleasant (usually more so with Greyhound than with Megabus), and may or may not be economical (there could be a good possibility via Megabus).  Unfortunately, Megabus stops only in Durham, 22-23 miles driving distance from P-POD, and Greyhound only in northeast Raleigh, 7-10 miles driving distance away.  Some details:

GREYHOUND arrives at 2210 Capital Blvd., Raleigh NC 27604, 919-834-8275.  Fares are generally much higher than with Megabus.  If local buses as opposed to taxicabs or ride-hailing were used from Greyhound to P-POD, 2 would be required.  The #1 GoRaleigh $1.25 bus, whose bus stop is across the (wide, busy) street from Greyhound, takes about 13 minutes normally to reach downtown’s Moore Square Station (214 S Blount St., Raleigh 27601).  Normally the #1 runs every 15 minutes on weekdays, every 30 minutes on Saturdays, every hour on Sundays.  At Moore Square, you would change to a $1.25 #12 GoRaleigh bus, requiring about 40 minutes additionally to reach the Gorman St. stops that are a few hundred feet in front of P-POD, or a few hundred feet in front of the Wolf River Apartments.  The #12 bus runs once per hour every day, or twice hourly during weekday rush hours.  You may also refer to the Trip Planner on the GoRaleigh page, regarding schedule times.

MEGABUS arrives at Durham Station Transportation Center, 515 W. Pettigrew St., Durham NC 27701, 919-485-7433 (this phone is for the local bus station, not Megabus).  Downstairs from the Megabus stop is the terminal info/waiting area, and gates for all local/regional buses, a couple of which might be useful to you….

Megabus FRIDAY:  The $3.00 DRX local bus would be useful only for persons arriving Friday, the day before P-POD, because it leaves between 3:44 and 6:39 pm Friday only, and stops at Hillsborough/Brooks, the distant northern end of North Carolina State University….  from which you may call a cab or ride-hailing service, or use a nearby fare-free “Wolf” campus bus connection to bring you to your final destination.  The http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/trans/maps/map-system-guide-smr.pdf summer bus map and http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/trans/wolfline/summer.html summer schedule page will show campus buses near there.  Up to 6:24 pm Friday, the campus Route 5S varsity runs, stopping eastbound at D. H. Hill Library on Founders Drive, about a block from Hillsborough/Brooks, and goes to a stop on Gorman Street that’s a few hundred feet in front of the Wolf Village Apartments.  Between 6:30 and 9:45 pm Friday, the Werewolf Night campus bus stops eastbound at D. H. Hill Library on Founders Drive, about a block from Hillsborough/Brooks, and goes straight through the Wolf Village Apartments.

Megabus SATURDAY-SUNDAY:  These other days (or on Friday hours when the DRX isn’t running), you could use the $2.25 bus #700 shuttle followed by free-transferred bus #100 to get from Durham to Hillsborough St. between Turner and Furches in Raleigh.  That is rated as 14 to 20 minutes walking distance from our campus apartments, and probably the best location for which to request a cab or ride-hailing service.   Or, you may cross the street and take a $1.25 #12 GoRaleigh bus westbound to reach the Gorman St. stops that are a few hundred feet in front of P-POD, or a few hundred feet in front of the Wolf River Apartments.  The #12 bus runs once per hour every day, or twice hourly during weekday rush hours.  You can use the Trip Planner at the Go Triangle home page, with “from” Durham Station and “to” “Hillsborough at Furches, Raleigh NC” to find times you can get to the Hillsborough/Furches stop for catching the #12 GoRaleigh bus, and the Trip Planner at the GoRaleigh page to check on #12 times at that stop.

Below you will find:  (1) basic LOCAL driving directions to the building we’re using (McKimmon Conference and Training Center,  1101 Gorman St., Raleigh NC 27606) on the “South Campus” of North Carolina State University, and the campus apartments (Wolf Village Apartments, 2730 Wolf Village Way, Raleigh NC 27607) we are offering as a registration option;  and (2) some representative one-way driving distances to our Raleigh NC conference site from various cities.

PARKING AT McKIMMON CENTER IS PLENTIFUL AND FREE.  PLEASE SEE THE SEPARATE PARKING TAB FOR INFORMATION ABOUT PARKING (FREE ALMOST ALWAYS) FOR THE CAMPUS HOUSING.

(1) Basic LOCAL driving directions to McKimmon Conference and Training Center on the “South Campus” of North Carolina State University: The address, 1101 Gorman St., Raleigh NC 27606, is suitable for searching via MapQuest, Google Maps, GPS and similar means. It should be noted that Gorman St. runs all the way from Hillsborough St. on the north to I-40 on the south.  Western Blvd. runs all the way from Chatham St. at the Cary/Raleigh border on the west, to downtown Raleigh on the east. The Center provides these simple instructions for persons who will be traveling on Interstate 40:

From I-40 traveling east: Take Gorman Street Exit #295. Turn left onto Gorman Street. Go approximately 1 mile. McKimmon Center is on the right past Avent Ferry Road, before Western Boulevard.

From I-40 traveling west: Take Gorman Street Exit #295. Turn right onto Gorman Street. Go approximately 1 mile. McKimmon Center is on the right past Avent Ferry Road, before Western Boulevard.

The Wolf Village Apartments that you may optionally book, 2730 Wolf Village Way, Raleigh NC 27607, are just past McKimmon Center via the driving directions above.  They are located off the northeast corner of Gorman Street and Western Boulevard.  You would continue north on Gorman Street past Western Boulevard, and turn right on Wolf Village Way 700 feet past the Western Boulevard intersection.  (Please ignore the service road on the right before this, Faucette Drive, which is one-way in the wrong direction!)  We will later provide details about where to park/go if you are checking in.

(2) The following are some representative one-way driving distances to our main Raleigh NC conference site from various cities:
Asheville NC:  244 miles
Atlanta GA:  403 miles
Baltimore MD:  313 miles
Birmingham AL:  551 miles
Charleston SC:  283 miles
Charleston WV:  316 miles
Charlotte NC:  163 miles
Charlottesville VA:  178 miles
Chattanooga TN:  469 miles
Cincinnati OH:  513 miles
Columbia SC:  229 miles
Columbus OH:  478 miles
Gainesville FL:  525 miles
Jacksonville FL:  457 miles
Knoxville TN:  357 miles
Lexington KY:  490 miles
Nashville TN:  536 miles
New Brunswick NJ:  490 miles
Philadelphia PA:  430 miles
Pittsburgh PA:  499 miles
Richmond VA:  160 miles
State College PA:  494 miles
Virginia Beach VA:  207 miles
Washington DC:  267 miles

You will have the OPTION during our online registration to reserve nearby walkable campus apartments (if you do not live close by)….  or else you may of course arrange your own off-campus lodging.  [We will later add to our Travel 2018 page by posting examples of some Tripadvisor 4-out-of-5-star-reviewed hotels 2 to 5.5 miles away, that may also be of possible interest.  There would likely be 2 of them which for 2018 would have a McKimmon Center shuttle available for certain time-ranges.]

APARTMENTS: WHAT YOU GET. You get a private locking bedroom with a “full” (54X74) bed in a 3 or 4 bedroom apartment with 2 bathrooms, kitchen with appliances, dining table, living room, washer/dryer and a thermostat for setting temperature targets or suppressing the air conditioning system. Bedding, blanket, towel, washcloth, soap/shampoo/conditioner and a cup are provided for each person. There is a 24-hour service desk that handles the apartment complex.

APARTMENT-SHARING. Different P-POD registrants may mutually choose to share an apartment, or else we can randomly assign other gender-compatible (as defined by you) persons to share your apartment.

APARTMENT COSTS (which remain the same, now through the conference). HOUSING CHARGES WILL BE DUE TO BE PAID BY APRIL 26, 2018, UNLIKE OTHER REGISTRATION CHARGES WHICH ARE DUE TO BE PAID VIA CHECK OR CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL WHEN YOU REGISTER. THOSE REGISTERING AFTER APR. 26 SHOULD PAY EVERYTHING WHEN REGISTERING.

$69/night/person: Private locking bedroom in 2-bathroom apartment shared with THREE other people

$89/night/person: Private locking bedroom in 2-bathroom apartment shared with TWO other people

APARTMENT NIGHTS AVAILABLE. By default, Sat. + Sun. nights would be booked, but you may choose to add Fri. night or Mon. night during registration. Any other variations of dates must be arranged by contacting us.

Fri., May 18, 2018, night BEFORE P-POD BEGINS (optional)
Sat., May 19, 2018 (default)
Sun., May 20, 2018 (default)
Mon., May 21, 2018, night AFTER P-POD ENDS (optional)

APARTMENT PARKING, FREE WITH EXCEPTIONS. If you’ll come by car, please note this:
–Friday, the day BEFORE P-POD, parking at the housing site BEFORE 5 pm is $10.
–FREE parking is provided at the housing site Friday 5 pm through Monday 7 am, and at P-POD (McKimmon Center) ALWAYS.
–You may move your car to P-POD (McKimmon Center) before 7 am Monday (LAST P-POD day), otherwise housing site parking that day 7 am – 5 pm is $10.

So, during registration you may reserve and pay for Fri. and/or Mon. housing site parking passes @ $10/day.

APARTMENT LOCATION.  Wolf Village Apartments, 2730 Wolf Village Way, Raleigh NC 27607, are just north of the corner of Western Boulevard and Gorman St.  Via car, a right turn would be made off Gorman St. onto Wolf Village Way about 700 feet north of the Western Boulevard intersection.  Descriptive website: https://housing.dasa.ncsu.edu/find-a-community/apartment-options/wolf-village-apartments/.

Parking at the McKimmon Center conference site is FREE and PLENTIFUL.

If you’ll be using our optional campus apartments, please note this:
–Friday, the day BEFORE P-POD, parking at the housing site BEFORE 5 pm is $10.
—FREE parking is provided at the housing site Friday 5 pm through Monday 7 am.
–You may move your car to P-POD (McKimmon Center) before 7 am Monday (LAST P-POD day), otherwise housing site parking that day 7 am – 5 pm is $10.

So, during registration you may reserve and pay for Fri. and/or Mon. housing site parking passes @ $10/day, if needed.

Train travel can be fairly expensive, though comparatively energy efficient, and most riders find it enjoyable.  Amtrak service is provided to Raleigh (320 West Cabarrus St., Raleigh NC 27601) and Cary (211 North Academy St., Cary NC 27513) stations, via 2 long-distance trains daily in each direction, and 2 North-Carolina-only trains daily in each direction.  All is shown in the following timetable:
https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/timetables/Carolinian-Piedmont-Schedule-010818.pdf

Local buses could be used to get from Raleigh Amtrak to P-POD.  The GoRaleigh city bus station, Moore Square Station (214 S Blount St., Raleigh 27601), is 5 blocks east and 2 and a half blocks north of Raleigh Amtrak, and from there a $1.25 #12 GoRaleigh bus can be boarded.  The #12 bus runs once hourly every day, or twice hourly during weekday rush hours, and takes about 40 minutes to reach the Gorman St. stops that are a few hundred feet in front of P-POD, or a few hundred feet in front of the Wolf River Apartments.

One block walking distance from Amtrak northbound across parking lots from Cabarrus, is an eastbound bus stop at W. Davie St. and S. Harrington St. where you could catch a $1.25 #13 GoRaleigh bus to take you to Moore Square Station in order to board the #12 bus there.  You may use the Trip Planner at the GoRaleigh page to check times for any of these.
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