Lodging || Transportation || Meeting Location || Schedule || Dining || Tourism
|| Africa At Boston University ||
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Brookline for May 3 - 6, 2006. The conference rate is $129 plus 9.7% tax per night (single or double). Call 617-277-1200 for reservations, and specify BU African Studies Library as the group. Reserve by April 3, 2006. There are 10 rooms set aside for Wednesday, 30 for the rest of the days.
The hotel is located at 1200 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA.
Other Lodging
Anthony's Town House. 1085 Beacon Street, Brookline 02446. 617-566-3972. The web site doesn't give rates, but it used to be very reasonable. I checked it out years ago for visiting scholars - a bit idiosyncratic, but I was told it was comfortable. Very convenient to the library.
Beacon Inn. Two locations: 1087 and 1750 Beacon Street, Brookline 02446. 617-566-0088. Rates run from $89 to over $200. The 1087 Beacon Street location is quite close to the library (next door to Anthony's Town House), the other is a longish trolley ride, then a short walk.
Beacon Street Guest House 463 Beacon Street, Boston 02215. 617-536-1302. $79-$139/night. Near Kenmore Square (at corner of Beacon and Massachusetts Avenue ["Mass Ave"], a short walk from the library.
YMCA: Berkeley Residence, 40 Berkeley Street, Boston 02116. 617-375-2524. The link goes to a site with more hostels. It doesn't give rates. The Berkeley residence is in Back Bay, easy subway ride to the library. Others are on public transportation.
Best Western Terrace Inn 1650 Commonwealth Ave. Boston 02135. 617-566-6260. I've had mixed reviews about this place. It's on the B Green Line, so convenient to BU, although farther out than the Holiday Inn. I thought I'd dropped the block of rooms, but I just got a call that they are holding 25 rooms. The price is a bit lower than the Holiday Inn.
Hotel Buckminster 645 Commonwealth Avenue ["Comm Ave"], Boston 02215. 617-236-7050. The web site doesn't give rates, but a couple of other web sites mention it as "economical". It's right at Kenmore Square, not far from the library.
Courtyard Inn (Marriott). 40 Webster Street, Brookline 02446. 617-734-1393. Near Coolidge Corner, Brookline. A moderate trolley ride and short walk to the library. They have a BU rate, which I think was $129, but it would have been higher if I reserved a block of rooms.
Oasis Guest House 22 Edgerly Road, Boston 02115. 617-267-2262. Deborah LaFond has recommended this place in the past. In Back Bay, it seems to be close to public transportation, and a short subway ride to the library.
Boston is served by most major airlines through Logan International Airport. The hotel does not have a shuttle; taxi and MBTA (subway) are the best transport options. Information at: http://www.massport.com/logan/getti.html. You can get a visitor's pass for the subway system: http://www.mbta.com/footer/visitingboston/index.asp#viitorpass
The cost of a visitor's pass is $18 for three days. To help you decide if this is worthwhile, here is an outline of the rather convoluted Boston subway fare system. The fare at any underground station is $1.25. (There are a few exceptions, but none you will be likely to be encountering.) Thus it will cost you $1.25 to get from the airport to the Holiday Inn. If you opt to take the T to the library, it will cost you $1.25 on all inbound (eastbound) trips. If you get it above ground going outbound there is no charge. If you go downtown for dinner and return by T, it will cost $1.25 each way (because you will be starting your return trip at an underground station.) If you don't get the pass, you will need exact change for the trains when you board above ground. You can also buy a supply of tokens at any underground station for use on trains above ground.
HOWEVER, Boston is in the midst of converting from tokens to a ticket system like DC's Metro or San Francisco's BART. The tickets are called Charlie cards (Remember the Kingston Trio and Charlie on the MTA? it's MBTA now, but still as confusing.) You'll get one at the airport. The Green Line (the one you'll be using most) is the last line to be converted, and all stations should still be using tokens when you are here. The trains say drivers don't accept dollar bills, but they really do. Most of the time. Come with a supply of quarters. Consider it a challenge.
Boston can also be reached by Amtrak.
The hotel is a moderate walk from the library. MapQuest puts it at 1.39 miles, but gives you driving instructions. Ignore MapQuest. Walk east on Beacon to St. Mary Street, turn left, walk down to Commonwealth Avenue; cross Commonwealth (Say "Comm Ave" if you ask anyone for directions). Barrister Hall is in the Law School Building (#16 on the campus map: http://www.bu.edu/visit/maps/campus/map-closeup04.html. Walk through the arcade to the left of the Chapel, and toward the river. We'll put up some signs to direct you. The library is next to the Law building (#15 on the campus map: http://www.bu.edu/visit/maps/campus/map-closeup03.html.
You can also walk down St. Paul Street (the hotel is on the corner of St. Paul and Beacon) to Commonwealth, then walk east (turning right) and crossing Comm Ave whenever convenient, continuing east until you get to the student union/library/law school area.
If you don't want to walk, take the T (subway, but it's above ground here) inbound (east) to the St. Mary stop, then walk down St. Mary St. to Comm Ave. Or go all the way to the first underground stop (Kenmore), go up stairs and down to the other platform and take a B train outbound to BU Central. It says Boston College because they're at the end of the line.
General Information: the Boston Globe site Includes weather and a clendar of cultural events.
Museums
For those of you with a Bank of America or MBNA card or account, selected museums in Boston will be gree of charge during May. See their site for a full list. It contains my favorite, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum , as well as the old standbys - Museum of Fine Arts, the Kennedy Library, and the Museum of Science.
Boston Athenaeum: Gilbert Stuart's Washington portraits will be on display
Institute of Contemporary Art is not far from the library.
Sports
Red Sox Home Games: May 3 & 4, 7:05 p.m.: Toronto; May 5 Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.; May 6 Baltimore, 2:05 p.m.
History
National Parks in the Boston area: http://www.nps.gov/bost/; Boston Harbor Islands; for others, see: http://www.nps.gov/applications/state/ma/ Of particular interest is the Boston African-American National Historical Site. This site includes the restored African Meeting House, and the Black Heritage Trail.
Music
For listings of musical events of all genres check out WGBH's Events Calendar
The BU School of Law is located near to Mugar Memorial Library, home of the African Studies Library. The African Studies Center is at 270 Bay State Road. Actually, these three locations are part of BU's not-too-subtle way of testing the quality of prospective students. If you can find these buildings, you deserve to matriculate. If you get lost....
We nurturing types in the library aren't quite so harsh. We provide maps (if you can find them on our web site). The street numbers (771 Comm Ave for Mugar, 765 Comm Ave for the Law School) are meaningless. They don't appear on the buildings, and the buildings are really facing the street.
(Please note the local patois: Commonwealth Avenue is "Comm Ave". Massachusetts Avenue is "Mass Ave". If you go far astray, you will learn that Dorchester Avenue is "Dot Ave". Don't ask me why. Probably for the same reason that Boston's North End is south of East Boston, and the South End is no where near South Boston.)
Barristers Hall is in the School of Law. If you are coming from off campus, get yourself to the BU Central T stop (where St. Mary's Street dead-ends on Comm Ave). You will be facing Marsh Plaza, distinguished by a sculpture of a flight of birds dedicated to Martin Luther King, pink granite paving, and BU students playing frisbee. Set back from the street is Marsh Chapel, which looks like a chapel. On either side of the chapel is a covered arcade leading toward the river. Go through this on the left side of the Chapel, and the tall building on your left is the School of Law. Barristers Hall is off the main entrance.
I have reserved Room 503 in Mugar Library for any breakout meetings that are necessary. Mugar is slightly west (left) of the Law School. To get to Room 503, go all the way to the interior of the library (past all the computer stations and the reference desk, turn left before you get to the circulation desk and you will be at the North Elevator. Do not take the South Elevator, since it doesn't go to the correct end of the fifth floor. Room 503 is on the fifth floor. You can also use ASL for breakout meeting space, since it shouldn't be crowded at this time of year. In any case, come and visit. Take the same elevator up to the sixth floor. There are also stairs.
The African Studies Center is at 270 Bay State Road. Don't worry that the map doesn't show Bay State Road going as far west as 270 -- it really does, but by that time it's an access road, and the BU cartographer evidently didn't think it was worthy of his/her ink. The Center is in a U-shaped brick building, and occupies the fourth and fifth floors. The reception will be in room 416, on the fourth floor.
Africana Librarians Council/CAMP meetings
Boston University
May 4-6, 2006
Unless otherwise noted, all meetings in Barrister Hall, BU School of Law
Thursday, May 4
1 p.m. – 2 p.m.: Book Donations Committee
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.: Title VI Cooperation
3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Forum: Future of African Studies.
Speakers: Pearl Robinson, Professor of Political Science, Tufts University, ASA Vice President
Diana Wylie, Professor of African History, Boston University
John Mugane, Professor of African Languages, Harvard University
Moderator: James Pritchett, Director of the African Studies Center, Boston University.
5 p.m. - ??? Reception at ASC, 270 Bay State Road
Friday, May 5
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.: ALC executive meeting in Room 503, Mugar
8:30 a.m.: Coffee, etc. in Barrister Hall
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Bibliography Committee
10:30 a.m. – 12 noon: Catalog Committee
12 noon – 1:30 p.m. Lunch: Buffet served in Barrister Hall
1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Discussion Groups (Time for any small group meetings, including CAMP subcommittees, any issues arising from the Committee meetings, etc. We can use corners of the Barrister Hall, or get space in Mugar Memorial Library. Groups that have scheduled meetings: LC's CAP program participants; CAMP Subcommittee on African Archives; CAMP Subcommittee on Newspapers. Locations to be announced.
3 p.m. – 5 p.m ALC Business Meeting
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. ALC exec in room 503, Mugar
Evening: Dinner Chez Westley
Saturday, 6 May
8:30: Coffee, etc in Barrister Hall
8:30 – 9 CAMP Exec
9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CAMP
11:30 – 12 noon CAMP Exec (or longer, in room 503)
African Presidential Archives and Research Center