Travel


Friday, April 24, 2009          8:00am-7:00pm           Great Hall, Bancroft Hotel, Berkeley

LOCAL SF BAY AREA AIRPORTS

The SF Bay Area (SF-Oakland-San Jose) is served by three major airports. Closest to Berkeley and accessible by easy ground transportation are SF International (SFO) and Oakland International (OAK) Airports.  Oakland is closest, but most international travelers will fly into SFO.

GROUND TRANSPORTATION

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit train)  http://bart.gov
Door-to-door shared van service–BayPorter Express  http://bayporter.com
and Super Shuttle http://www.supershuttle.com
Taxi

BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT (BART)

SFO to Berkeley via BART
The BART Station at SFO is adjacent to the International Terminal.  Those passengers arriving at the Domestic Terminal will have to walk or take the SFO Airtrain to the International Terminal stop and follow the signs to the BART ticket machines and platform.  The BART station is on the upper level from the luggage carousel area.  If you have a lot of luggage it is a good idea to get a rolling cart which you will be able to take in the elevator to the upper level.

Three train lines run to the East Bay from SFO:  RICHMOND (the line Berkeley is on), PITTSBURG/BAYPOINT, and DUBLIN/PLEASANTON.  The station you are heading toward is DOWNTOWN BERKELEY.

If you board the RICHMOND-bound train at SFO you will not have to transfer.  DOWNTOWN BERKELEY is on the RICHMOND-bound train.  The last direct train from SFO/MILLBRAE to RICHMOND leaves SFO at 6:48p M-F.  After that time or during weekend hours it will be necessary to board either the Pittsburg/BayPoint train or the Dublin/Pleasanton train at SFO and transfer to the RICHMOND-bound train down the line.  BART recommends transferring at Balboa Park Station, but you can also transfer at Powell, Montgomery, or Embarcadero stations in SF.  You can transfer from the Pittsburg/BayPoint train to the Richmond train up to MacArthur Station in Oakland.  You should transfer off the Dublin/Pleasanton train (runs only after 7p from SFO-DUBLIN/PLEASANTON)  before you leave SF as it goes south after reaching the East Bay. The last BART train leaves SFO at 11:53p.  It is a Pittsburg/BayPoint train and you must transfer to the Richmond train either in SF or in Oakland.  At Oakland 12th St. Station the transfer schedule is arranged so that you can walk across the platform to the Richmond train at 12:37am.  The Richmond-bound train then arrives in Downtown Berkeley at 12:51am. It is always helpful to listen to the conductor announcements.

If you are staying at the Claremont Hotel you can take the Pittsburg/BayPoint train to ROCKRIDGE STATION.  The distance to the Claremont Hotel is about the same from ROCKRIDGE as it is from the DOWNTOWN BERKELEY station. Taxis are available from the stations to take you to the Claremont Hotel.

Depending upon the weather, how much luggage you have, and how athletic you feel, you can walk up the slope from the DOWNTOWN BERKELEY station to the Bancroft Hotel, Hotel Durant, and the Women’s Faculty Club.  Or, you can take a taxi from outside the DOWNTOWN BERKELEY Station.  There is a row of cabs waiting on Center Street. The Women’s Faculty Club is less well known than the other hotels. Tell the driver it is behind Boalt Law School near the Optometry Center or adjacent to west side of Haas Business School.

OAK to Berkeley via BART
From Oakland Airport a bus line called AirBart runs from outside the terminals to the COLISEUM/OAKLAND AIRPORT BART Station.  Regular fare is $3. (over 65, $1.) You must have exact change.

Once at COLISEUM Station board the RICHMOND-bound train and get off at DOWNTOWN BERKELEY.  Outside the station you will find taxis to take you to your hotel.  The Women’s Faculty Club is less well know than the other hotels. Tell the driver it is behind Boalt Law School near the Optometry Center or adjacent to west side of the Haas Business School.

DOOR-TO-DOOR VAN SERVICES (SFO or OAK to Berkeley)

(For more info http://bayporter.com and online reservations)
For Bayporter, upon arrival at either SFO or OAK call 510-467-1800 to arrange a ride.  It is recommended, however, that you make reservations ahead of time by calling or on line.  The fare from SFO-BERKELEY is $32, from OAK-Berkeley $25. 
For Super Shuttle, call (800)258-3826 or go to http://www/supershuttle.com 

Other vans http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/transp-serv/to-eb/dtd/html  (from SFO)

TAXI

If you are arriving after about 11p this may be the only transportation available.  The last  BART train leaves SFO at 11:53p.  It is a Pittsburg/BayPoint train and you must transfer to the Richmond train.  At Oakland 12th St. the transfer schedule is arranged so that you can transfer between these trains at 12:37am.  The Richmond-bound train then arrives in Downtown Berkeley at 12:51am.  The van services stop at 10p.  Taxi is an alternative, but it is quite expensive.  A one-way trip SFO-Berkeley can be $60 or more.  We recommend BART or BayPorter. Of course, if you have two or more in your group splitting the taxi fare is more cost-effective.