Venue

TockWorld7 will be hosted at the University of California, San Diego.

The conference will take place at the Computer Science Building.

Getting to San Diego

By Air

San Diego International Airport (SAN) is roughly ten miles south of campus and has flights with all major airlines.

Upon arrival, beyond ride-share and rental car options, your host is a public transit enthusiast and would encourage you to consider taking the shuttle between the airport and downtown SD or the shuttle to the light rail transit hub, depending on your final destination.

If public transit doesn’t make sense for your travel, you are also encouraged to try the Ride United App, which is an alternative to traditional ride-sharing apps developed and maintained by the local taxi workers (in partnership with researchers at UCSD) where drivers receive a larger portion of your fare (which is often also lower than fares in other apps).

Other Airport Options

Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) is roughly thirty-five miles south of campus, located on the US/Mexico border. There is a pedestrian bridge directly from the TIJ international terminal to the United States, i.e., you do not have to clear Mexican customs to travel through TIJ. In addition to your flight, you will need to buy round trip tickets for the Cross Border Exchange (CBX). For international travellers (especially from Central and South America) it can often be (much) cheaper to fly through TIJ.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is a little over 2 hours north of campus (without factoring in traffic). There are direct flights to most major cities through LAX, but it can be a bit annoying to get down to San Diego. Renting cars at LAX is worse than the average airport car rental experience. You can take the FlyAway Bus from LAX airport to LAX Union Station and follow the train directions below. It’s a roughly 30 minute trip from LAX to LAX (yes, they are the same name; yes, this is confusing; no, they are not close).

John Wayne Airport, Orange County / Santa Ana Airport (SNA) is a smaller regional airport a little over an hour north of campus. It sometimes has surprisingly cheap fares for odd routes, and also serves some of the more interesting non-traditional carriers like Jet Suite X if that’s your vibe. Transit connections are pretty awful, though the SNA Amtrak (train) station is a twenty-ish minute cab ride away.

By Train

If you’re in the greater southern California area, especially along the LOSSAN Corridor, Amtrak is a great option. The Pacific Surfliner is the second-busiest route in Amtrak’s network and trains run roughly hourly in both directions most of the day. It’s also a famously beautiful route, as the line runs right along the coast for most of the trip – sit on the west side of the train to enjoy the views (especially sunset if you can time it).

By Bike

San Diego is a mixture of great and terrible biking infrastructure. For more experienced bike commuters, staying somewhere like Pacific Beach is mostly a lovely ride on separate river/rail trail. The last mile and a half or so, however, is a Class II lane on the side of a faster road. Nonetheless, there are many bike rental options around (including many e-bike options), which can be a nice, different way to experience a city.

By Car

Campus is off Interstate 5 (I-5). Hopkins Parking Structure is the closest / easiest structure with ample visitor parking ($4.20/hr; $34/day). Your transit-enthusiast host will note that the light rail station is closer than the most convenient / accessible parking structure, and a day pass is only $6.

Where to Stay

UC San Diego’s campus is large, and as a consequence, a bit isolated from anything too interesting. If you do want to stay near the venue, the three closest hotels to campus are:

• Estancia La Jolla
• Residence Inn San Diego La Jolla (Marriott)
• Hyatt Regency La Jolla

There are many more in the immediate area if you have a preferred chain, etc.

However, the CSE building is a five minute walk from the Blue Line light rail station. Trains run from 4:30am to 12:30am, and run every 15 minutes for most of the day. This opens up more of the city. In rough order of suggestion, any of the Little Italy, Old Town, or Gaslamp (basically downtown proper) neighborhoods have good Blue Line access and some more interesting things to do / places to eat, etc in the immediate vicinity.

Extending your trip 😇

San Diego is both the 8th-most populous US city, and home to some of the best beaches in the US.

Things to Do

• Balboa Park & San Diego Zoo

  • Dedicated public space since Mexican rule, Balboa Park is a large, urban greenscape with over 17 museums, a panoply of rotating food vendors, a community of local artists and home to the world-famous San Diego Zoo. You can easily spend a whole day in the park, and an evening afterwards in any of the vibrant surrounding neighborhoods of Hillcrest, North Park, or South Park.
  • More about Balboa
  • More about the San Diego Zoo

• Belmont Park & Mission Beach

  • A California classic, Belmont Park is a boardwalk amusement park on the beach. It features a small wooden roller coaster, carousel, and other classic rides. There is also mini-golf, an Escape Room that suits smaller parties (2-6), zipline, a rock-climbing wall, and more.
  • The park abuts Mission Beach, a two-mile long beautiful stretch of perfect sand and water. If you are interested in trying out a surfing lesson or just playing in the waves, this is a great place to go. These is also a wide walking / riding path that runs the length of the beach; a great place to rent a beach cruiser bike or some skates and go for a roll.

• Theme Parks

  • Sea World (more roller coasters than water shows nowadays)
  • Sesame Place (Sesame Street come to life; amazing for children)
  • Legoland (a bit further north, more for older kids than adults)

• Other Beaches, Parks, & Play Areas

  • There are many great beaches all around the San Diego area.
    • The closest beach to UCSD’s campus is Black’s Beach.
      • (FYI: There is a clearly marked, isolated section which is a nude beach here).
    • If you’re looking for a bigger beach and some coastal nightlife, head to Ocean Beach.
    • If you’re looking for a canine fix, stop by the Ocean Beach Dog Beach, one of the first and largest off-leash dog beaches.
    • If you’re looking for a livelier, younger beach scene Pacific Beach is for you.
    • If you want to make a full day of it Coronado Island has everything you need for a day of fine dining and pampering in paradise. Coronado includes Coronado Beach, which (depending on your voters) is consistently ranked as the best beach in the US or at a minimum, the best beach on the West Coast.
      • If you’re feeling adventurous, consider skipping the drive, and heading over via Ferry.

There are also many other things to do and places to visit!

• City of San Diego’s Guide
• UCSD’s Guide
• State of California’s Guide