Second NASA Formal Methods Symposium

NFM 2010

Washington D.C., USA, April 13 - 15, 2010

Symposium Location

The NFM 2010 Symposium will be conducted at:
NASA Headquarters
300 E Street S.W.,
Washington, D.C., USA
(In Google Maps)

The symposium will be held in the James E. Webb Auditorium, which is a publicly accessible facility in the NASA Headquarters building. A NASA badge is not required to enter the auditorium.

NASA Headquarters is located in central Washington, DC, close to the U.S. capitol and surrounding buildings. It is also a few blocks away from the National Air and Space Museum and other museums in the Smithsonian group, all of which are located on the periphery of the National Mall. Links to area maps are provided below.

NASA HQ is conveniently located near a Metro station. The Federal Center SW station on the Blue Line and Orange Line is the nearest station. Somewhat farther away but still within walking distance is the L'Enfant Plaza station, which is at the intersection of four Metro lines: Yellow, Green, Blue and Orange.

Backup Location

While NASA Headquarters is an attractive venue, it has one drawback: it is subject to preemption on short notice if the NASA Administrator has an urgent need for the auditorium. To cover this contingency, we have reserved a backup site at a Metro-accessible college campus in Falls Church (northern Virginia). Please note that the likelihood of preemption is rather small; the contingency plan is largely a precaution. Information about the backup site will be posted if and when it becomes necessary. All attendees will be notified by e-mail if there is a change of venue.

Accommodations

There are several hotels in the immediate area of NASA Headquarters that would be suitable for attendees. There are also many hotels in other neighborhoods within the city to choose from as well as properties to be found in the greater Washington metropolitan area. Since lodging rates in downtown Washington can be rather high, those with limited travel budgets might find it preferable to stay in a hotel farther away and ride the Metro to the symposium venue.

We have negotiated group-rate arrangements with two hotels for blocks of reserved rooms. These choices should be suitable for many NFM attendees.

  • The Holiday Inn Capitol is conveniently located near NASA HQ, the National Mall and both the L'Enfant Plaza and Federal Center SW Metro stations.

    NFM 2010 has reserved a block of rooms at the rate of $226, which is the government per diem rate for Washington. Reservations can be made until March 13, 2010. Attendees can call 202-479-4000 or 1-800-Holiday and make reservations under the block code "N5S". Booking also can be done online using this reservation page. If the reservation includes dates other than April 12th, 13th, and 14th, then contact Gladys Bannister at hotel via email: gladys.bannister [at] hicdc [dot] com.

  • The Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge is not located in Washington; instead it is located in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia. It offers easy access to the Rosslyn Metro station as well as close proximity to historic Georgetown. These itineraries by Metro Trip Planner provide 3 alternative routes to go from the Rosslyn metro station to the Federal Center SW metro station.

    A block of rooms has been reserved at the rate of $174. The hotel has made the group rate available on bookings from April 10 thorough April 18. Reservations can be made until March 17, 2010. Please mention either NASA Formal Methods Symposium or the block code "NAS". The phone number for reservations is 703-807-2000, ext. 220. Booking also can be done online using this reservation page. If the reservation includes dates other than April 12th, 13th, and 14th, then contact Melanie Bass at hotel via email: melanie [dot] bass [at] hirosslyn [dot] com.

If the rooms are filled or the reservation deadlines pose a problem, please let us know and we will try to negotiate with the hotels for more rooms or more time.

The following additional hotel suggestions might be of interest to some attendees:

  • The Marriott Residence Inn Washington, DC /Capitol is directly across the street from the NASA building on E Street SW. It has been running close to full occupancy, so room availability is likely to be limited.
  • The L'Enfant Plaza Hotel is slightly farther away, two blocks west of the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station. It is, however, very close to the Mall and the Smithsonian Museums.

The following web sites can help you choose your own hotel near NASA Headquarters, in the L'Enfant Plaza area of SW downtown Washington:

More generally, these sites can help you choose hotels throughout the greater Washington area:

As an alternative to staying in Washington proper, attendees can stay in one of several areas popular with visitors to the region. These are located across the river in the state of Virginia. They have convenient access to Metro stations so that attendees can quickly travel to and from the symposium venue. They typically offer lower lodging rates than those found in downtown Washington.

  • Rosslyn. This area of Arlington, Virginia is located directly across the river from the Georgetown district. A shuttle bus is operated to take visitors along M Street in Georgetown, where fine restaurants and night spots abound.
  • Alexandria. A colonial-style historic setting can be found in Alexandria's Old Town district. Dining and shopping are available along the King Street corridor.
  • Crystal City. This region is close to Reagan National airport. It features plentiful dining and shopping.

If you select a hotel on your own, that is, a selection other than the two Holiday Inns having block reservations, and the quoted rate is higher than the government per-diem rate ($226), consider asking for the government rate on the grounds that you are attending a government-sponsored symposium. Some hotels might offer you the lower rate as a way to get your business.

Lodging and Area Maps

Traveling to Washington

Attendees arriving by air have a choice of three airports:

International travelers and those arriving from the west coast will find the most extensive airline service at Dulles (IAD). Domestic travelers in the eastern U.S. might consider Reagan National (DCA) a good choice. BWI is not much farther away than IAD. It would be suitable for those who prefer the airlines serving that airport.

For domestic travelers in nearby states, rail service to Washington is available from Amtrak. Service to central Washington's Union Station allows easy connection to the subway (Metrorail) and surface transportation systems.

Ground Transportation

Visitors to Washington might find driving in the city tedious due to high traffic density. Fortunately, Washington has an excellent Metro system. Metrorail provides a direct way to travel from Reagan National airport (DCA) to the NASA Headquarters area. Simply take the Yellow Line train to the L'Enfant Plaza station, then transfer to a Blue Line or Orange Line train for one more stop to Federal Center SW. Getting off at L'Enfant Plaza is also possible as it is only a few blocks from that exit to NASA.

Traveling from Dulles International airport (IAD) to central Washington is less straightforward. There is no direct rail link from Dulles to the city. Taxi cabs, buses and shuttle services are all available to reach Washington and the surrounding suburbs. A taxi ride to the Capitol area will cost about $60. Alternatively, Super Shuttle service to the city is available for a rate of about $29. Each additional passenger in the van would cost $10.

If you prefer to rent a car, note that the trip from IAD to the National Mall area is roughly 30 miles. The following driving directions provide travel routes to NASA Headquarters from all three airports. Adjust as needed for directions to your chosen hotel.

If you choose to drive, bear in mind that parking in the city will incur fees. Parking at the symposium site will be limited to public parking garages with daily charges in the range of $12 to $18. Most hotels will charge a parking fee of their own. For this reason, as well as overall convenience, we recommend that you select a hotel that is either within walking distance of NASA Headquarters or is situated close to a Metro station.

 


Curator and Responsible NASA Official: César Muñoz
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Last modified: April 2010