PARKING: Parking is unrestricted on Saturday and Sunday.
Visitor parking permits are available at the Visitor Information Center on Southgate Drive (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday) or at the University Police Department in the Maintenance Complex off Southgate Drive all other times.
WIRELESS ACCESS: If you're bringing a laptop, we can arrange for you to have guest access to our wireless network at ICAM. However, you must contact John Burkardt in advance, so that the necessary information can be sent in.
OVERHEADS AND SLIDES: We have a computer projection system. We will have a laptop connected to the system, which all speakers can use, or the speaker can hook in a personal laptop (Mac or PC) directly. We have most experience with PDF files; if you are bringing a PowerPoint file, it would help to make a PDF copy as well. If you are presenting using transparencies, contact John Burkardt in advance so that we can arrange for an overhead projector to be available.
COFFEE: There is The Easy Chair in the University Mall, as well as a Starbucks on Univerity City Boulevard, both very close to the Holiday Inn. There is a little strip mall on 460 Turner Street, just before Price's Fork reaches Main Street, which has The Daily Grind. At 700 North Main Street, a block from the intersection with Price's Fork, there is Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea. In downtown Blacksburg, there is Bollo's on 206 Draper Road, not far from College Avenue, and another Starbucks on 202 South Main Street. Inside the Squire's Student Center there is an au Bon Pain serving coffee and pastries.
BREAKFAST: Gilly's serves delicious omelets on the corner of 153 College and Draper; if they're too crowded on Saturday, go around the corner to 205 North Main Street to Boudreaux's who serve a big brunch. Joe's Diner on 221 North Main street serves breakfast, as does Backstreet's at 201 South Main. The Inn at Virginia Tech serves breakfast, and is a 5 minute walk from ICAM. You can also eat at any of the student dining halls on campus, for a reasonable rate. Bollo's serves pastries along with its coffee, the Easy Chair has some simple breakfast items, and Mill Mountain will make some basic breakfast orders.
LUNCH: The University Mall area has tasty burgers and fries at
Five Guys, soup and sandwiches at Panera's,
a wide sandwich and salad selection at Macado's,
and, inside the Mall, Log Cabin BBQ, the Sushi Factory,
the Hunan King restaurant, the Easy Chair (which serves
sandwiches as well as coffee),
and a Quizno's. You can also get lunch at The Inn at Virginia Tech.
You can get a good fresh sub or a Reuben sandwich at Sub Station II on Turner Street.
There is a lunchtime buffet at India Garden at 210 Price's Fork, near
Main Street. On Main Street, there are Bogen's, Cerritano's
(pizza or pizza buffet),
Mike's Grill (best burgers in town), The Hokie House,
The Cellar (subs, pita pockets, Greek spaghetti), Sharkey's,
Moe's, More Than Coffee (Middle Eastern), Boudreaux's Cajun restaurant,
Big Al's Sports Bar (you have to go upstairs),
Poor Billy's Sushi and Tapas ($5 lunch special, just around the corner from Poor Billy's),
London Underground pub,
Backstreets (pizza and pasta) and Cabo Fish Taco (unusual).
On College Avenue, starting again with Moe's, we
have Sushi and Greens,
the Happy Wok restaurant, Gillie's vegetarian and seafood,
Souvlaki's sub shop, and a Jimmy John's. You might also
hunt for The Splendid Table, which serves Ethiopian food for takeout
only (take it to the Squires Student Center where there are plenty of tables.)
You can also eat at any
of the student dining halls on campus, for a reasonable rate.
DINNER: Some of the lunch places are even better at night, including
Boudreaux's and Cabo Fish Taco.
You might also try:
Cafe de Bangkok, 104 Jackson Street (around the corner from the Post Office
on Main Street),
Poor Billy's Seafood Restaurant,
Poor Billy's Sushi and Tapas (just around the corner from Poor Billy's),
Awful Arthur's,
Preston's in the Inn at Virginia Tech,
Zeppoli's in the University Mall area,
In nearby Christiansburg we have:
The Summit with gourment food from scratch in a Victorian setting,
http://www.summitrestaurant.us
Bookbinder's, 420 Pepper's Ferry Road,
http://www.bookbindersgrillva.com,
The Kabuki Japanese Steakhouse
http://www.kabukiva.com.
If you're up for a 30 minute drive, then ask how to get to
The Bank in Pearisburg,
http://www.thebankfoodanddrink.com/index.html.
ENTERTAINMENT: if you are here over Friday or Saturday night,
and you enjoy Appalachian music, consider a trip to Floyd's Country Store,
a general store by day, but a place where local bands play at night.
Floyd is about 30 minutes from Blacksburg. The web site, with directions, is at
http://www.floydcountrystore.com.
The Lyric Theater,
http://www.thelyric.com/
downtown on College Avenue.
Bull & Bones Brewhaus & Grill
http://www.bullandbones.com in the First and Main shopping center on
South Main is a brewpub; be adventurous and try their sampler.
The Break Zone in the Squires Student Union is open to visitors, and
is available from 10:00am to 2:00am on Friday and Saturday. They have pingpong
tables, billiards, a bowling alley, arcade games, foosball, shuffleboard, and
darts.
You can return to the SIAM Student Conference 2010 web page.