Venue

Conference venue - map - campus map

Most conference activities will take place in the Gates-Hillman Center at Carnegie Mellon University. Lectures will be held in Rashid Auditorium, which is on the 4th floor of Gates and the ground floor of Hillman, accessible from the exterior courtyard. Poster sessions, tutorial exercises, and study hall will be held throughout the 6th floor of Gates. Breakfast will be available in the atrium outside Rashid Auditorium, and lunch will be held on the 6th floor of Gates. Lab tours and robot demonstrations will be held at various locations on campus. Special event venues are described in the Program Overview.

Accommodations

On-Campus Housing - A limited number of dormitory rooms are available through the conference registration portal. Dorm rooms are a 7 minute walk from Rashid auditorium, and can be rented by one person or shared by two. Henderson House rooms are $84 per room per night and have air conditioning. Scobell House rooms are $64 per room per night and do not have air conditioning. If a room is shared by two people, the cost is divided evenly. We encourage attendees, especially students, to stay in the dorms, since they're the closest and most affordable option.

Hotel Blocks - Rooms with discounted rates have been reserved at several local hotels. Reservations can be made through the conference registration portal. Blocked hotels are around $125-150 per night, including the Courtyard (Marriott) Pittsburgh Shadyside, the Hilton Garden Inn, and the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center. These hotels provide shuttles to and from campus. Locations can be found on the venue map.

Cool Local Hotels and Inns - If you're looking for a unique experience for yourself or your group, check out the following cool local hotels and inns, which are also on the venue map
Shadyside Inn Suites - shadyside - These are local houses and apartments, often suitable for larger groups. About $100 per person night (as booked), sometimes with a minimum stay. About a 15 minute walk to campus.
The Inn on Negley - shadyside - Perhaps the nicest bed and breakfast in Pittsburgh. Close to good restaurants in Shadyside. About a 20 minute walk to campus.
Mansions on Fifth - shadyside - Luxury bed and breakfast. About 15 minute walk to campus.
Sunnyledge - shadyside - Boutique hotel and suites. About 15 minute walk to campus.
The Mansion at Maple Heights - shadyside - Bed and breakfast, events. About 20 minute walk to campus.

Room and ride sharing - If you're interested in trying to share a hotel room or a ride to the conference, try this Blogspot Page

Transportation

Airport Shuttle and Rental Car Parking - The Pittsburgh Intertaional Airport (PIT) is about a 30 minute drive from campus. The 28X Airport Flyer (schedule) is a fast and cheap ($3.75) way to get to and from the Carnegie Mellon Campus. The SuperShuttle is also fast and relatively cheap ($10-30 per person) and provides door-to-door service. See also the CMU transportation page. For those planning to rent a car, on-campus parking will be available through conference registration.

Bikes - Pittsburgh is a bike-friendly city, especially in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and Oakland, where most events take place. We recommend Golden Triangle for bike rental. They will typically drop off and pick up bikes at your location, e.g. the hotel or dorm where you are staying. To find a good route, we recommend the BikePGH Commuter Map - PDF. In particular, try to avoid biking on the street on Forbes Ave., Fifth Ave., and Centre Ave., unless you're hardcore.

Buses - You can also get around by bus, and the PortAuthority has a nice trip planner. Be forewarned that Pittsburgh's general bus system is not renowned for keeping a tight schedule, nor for frequent stops at a particular location.

Taxis - Plan to wait at least 30 minutes. Classy Cab - 412-322-5080. Yellow Cab - 412-321-8100. People's Cab - 412-681-3131

Good Food

Map. For Dinner in the 'Burgh, or just whenever, these are some of our favorite restaurants, arranged by neighborhood:

Downtown - 15 min. trolley or drive
Meat and Potatoes - $$$ - gastropub, great food and libations, brunch
NOLA on the Square - $$$ - nouveau creole brasserie
La Cucina Flegrea - $$$ - Naples region Italian cuisine
Primanti Brothers - $ - infamous Pittsburgh sandwich shop

Shadyside - 5 min. trolley or 20 min. walk
SOBA and Umi - $$$ - really good asian fusion
Eden - $$ - really good raw and vegan dishes, byob
Noodlehead - $ - awesome Thai street noodles, byob
Mario's Saloon - $ - bar, decent pub grub, late-night

Oakland - 10-20 min. walk
Legume and Butterjoint - $$$ - really good locally grown food
The Porch at Schenley - $ - walking distance, low key
Mad Mex - $$ - energetic student atmosphere
Korea Garden - $ - low-key atmosphere
Tamarind - $ - Indian, low-key atmosphere

Squirrel Hill - 20 min. walk or 5 min. bus ride
Everyday Noodles - $ - authentic Chinese, hand-stretched noodles
Aji Picante - $$ - good Peruvian, byob
Ramen Bar - $ - good ramen, nice low-key atmosphere

Other Neighborhoods - driving distance
Tamari - lawrenceville - $$$ - really good Asian-Latin fusion
Root 174 - regent square - $$$ - great, creative American cuisine and libations
Alma - regent square - $$ - Pan-latin, African-influenced cuisine
Pusadee's Garden - lawrenceville - $$ - really good Thai, patio seating
SMOKE Barbecue Taqueria - homestead - $ - creative tacos, in-house cured meats
E2 - highland park - $$ - hipster bistro, great brunch
Church Brew Works - lawrenceville - $$ - cool building
Monterey Bay Fish Grotto - Mt. Washington - $$$ - amazing view

While you're in Pittsburgh

Pirates Baseball Games are fun and cheap (under $20 for bleachers). The Pirates play the San Francisco Giants at 7:00 on Tuesday-Thursday, June 11-13 - tickets - map
Phipps Conservatory is a nice botanical garden just off campus - site - map
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are pretty sweet. The Science Center features an unbeatable air-hockey robot. Check out the silver flotations at the Andy Warhol Museum. The Museums of Natural History and Art, where the plenary will be held, have good collections and are adjacent to campus.
Mt. Washington is a neighborhood on a hill just south of downtown from which you can get a great view of the city from above. There are several good restaurants with a view, such as Tin Angel and Monterey Bay - map
Frick Park is a beautiful wooded park in Squirrel Hill, with trails that are ideal for long discussions on walking - site - map