As folks probably well know by now, I’ve been involved with the ACSAC conference for years, primarily as Tutorial Chair. This year I’ve got the additional responsibility of being Local Arrangements Chair because the conference will be at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort. With this hat comes the responsibility of planning the special event… and that’s where you and your opinion come in. As a data point, remember the conference is the week of December 8-12, and the typical weather in Anaheim in December is a high of 70°F, a low of 46°, and there are only (on average) 4-6 rainy days in the month. Also note that we break on Friday for the special event around 11:30am to noon.
I initially came up with four possibilities for special events:
- Downtown Disney/Shopping/Disneyland. Through the hotel, we can get twilight tickets for Disneyland, usable only after 4:30pm. These are about half price. I was thinking we could walk over to Downtown Disney for lunch (perhaps the Hard Rock), do shopping either there or at the new Anaheim Gardenwalk, and then go to the park as a group after 4:30pm.
- Whale Watching. This activity would include lunch at a suitably uniquely Californian restaurant, following by a 2hr Whale Watching cruise. Supposedly the Grey Whale migrations are in December.
- Art Museum. This activity would include lunch at a suitably uniquely Californian restaurant, following by a visit to either the Bowers or Laguna Art Museum.
- History. This activity would include lunch at a suitably uniquely Californian restaurant, following by a visit to Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace.
Right now, my inclination is the Whale Watching activity. This is good because we could return to the hotel in time for folks to use Twilight Tickets if they want. It is also something pretty unique to California (I don’t think there is Whale Watching from Miami or Orlando). If we do the Whale Watching, then comes the opinion of which service to use, and where to eat.
So, to that end, I’d like your opinons on the activity. Think in terms of someone from outside Southern California coming here for a conference. Note that if you have personal familiarity with any of these services, I’d love your opinions in the comments.
