Contents:
Transportation Around Champaign-Urbana
The easiest way to get around town is by car. For those staying at Value Place, we've worked out a carpool system. For those without a car, your two main options are taking a bus or taxi.
Value Place Carpooling
A small number of cars have been provided with campus parking passes to allow Value Place guests to share rides to/from Siebel every day. For more information, contact Daniel Jumper (jumper1@illinois.edu, (325) 260-6281), or talk to one of the current drivers listed below
Current drivers:
- Pedro Montuenga - (631) 974-3384, montuen2@illinois.edu
- Milap Patel - (321) 437-6254, mrpind@iastate.edu
Busses
Champaign-Urbana has a reasonable bus system that can get you most places you want to go, although not always very quickly and sometimes requiring short walks to/from a stop. Each bus ride has a flat $1.00 fare with a monthly pass available for $15.00 (the monthly pass is unfortunately tied to the calendar month however. more details on fares and passes available here). Below are some useful links form the bus system website (cumtd.com)
- Interactive trip planner: plug in a start location and destination and it will suggest specific bus routes. NOTE: routes can change depending on time of day and weekdays vs. weekend - so time of the trip is important
- You can find maps and schedules of a specific line, or of all lines for a specific time at this page.
- Here is a Complete booklet of maps and schedules. (a bit harder to use than the website)
Busses to/from Value Place Inn
There is a bus line that stops at Value Place Inn (Lavender 3) and travels to the Illini terminal (downtown champaign) which is a hub for many other bus lines, which can then take you to most other places in town. This is a useful way to get around without a car during the days, but the line only runs ~7:30am-6:00pm (see cumtd schedule website for more details). The yellow and red lines stop in the shopping area north of Value Place requiring a moderate walk. In the evenings, the yellow line is the only option that will bring you close to Value Place.
Taxis
There are several taxi services available in Champaign-Urbana and you can get most place for $10-$20 per trip. Below is a list of a few of the possible taxi services. Please note: some of these are small businesses so availability may be inconsistent.
- Black Cab & Limo - (217) 693-2468
- Wilbur's Taxi - (217) 781-0310
- C-U Taxi - (217) 359-8634
SpinFest Location: Siebel
The main meeting room will be Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science (201 N Goodwin Ave, Urbana IL 61801), Room 1214 on the first floor. (here is a plan)
Parking
Metered parking and a paid parking garage are available close to Siebel. There are metered spots available on Goodwin and Springfield Avenue. The "Lot B4" Garage is located on the South West corner of Goodwin and University. The rate for either is $1 per hour (bring lots of coins!)
Free parking at Loomis is limited. The parking lot adjacent to the building requires a permit during weekdays but is free to park at after 6pm and on weekends (more details here). The only other option for parking is the residential area North-East of Loomis. This is free, but spaces are very limited and parking tickets are STRICTLY enforced (do not park at all past "no parking" signs and park at least 5 feet from driveways).
Below is a map showing the metered parking areas in red, and the free to park residential area in green.
Food and Shopping
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Prospect Rd North of Hwy 74(Around Value Place):
There are several restaurants and shopping available within walking distance of Value Place. Below is a map showing Target (for groceries or other shopping) along with some of the closest restaurants. In general this is the main commercial area in Urbana Champaign so there are many stores and restaurants close together.
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Around Loomis:
You can get lunch within walking distance of Loomis on Green st. There is a row of popular campus restaurants on Green street between 4th St. and Wright (see the map below). Likely we will all go for lunch here daily. See also the list of reccomended restaurants below for more choices near loomis.
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*Bold indicates a better environment for groups and discussion.
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Downtown Urbana:
- Black Dog - Some of the best BBQ in America (VERY busy!)
- Courier Cafe - Cafe(Burgers) & Milkshakes
- Crane Alley - Bar & Food
- *Rainbow Garden - Chinese
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Downtown Champaign:
- Blind Pig - Bar
- Farrens Pub - Burgers & Bar
- *Sushi Kame - Sushi & Japanese
- *Golden Harbor - Chinese
- *Destihl - Restaurant and Brewery
- Radio Maria - Bar & Tapas
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Nearby Loomis:
- *Basil Thai - Thai
- *Timpone's - Italian
- *Panera Bread - Sandwiches
- *Don Juan - Mexican
- *Mandarin Wok - Chinese
- Zorba's - Gyros; a Chambana classic
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Other:
- Papa Del's - Chicago Pizza; a Chambana classic
- Jarlings Custard Cup - Popular dessert shop (cash only!)
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Downtown Urbana:
Other Links
Links
Talks (Indico)
UIUC Physics Department
PHENIX
CDS Agenda
Evo
News
- 07/23: Slides from the lectures are now being added to the indico page as we progress
- 07/21: Lecture times have changed! Please check the Indico page for more details
- 07/18: Starting on Monday 21 July, the new location for SpinFest Meetings will be 1214 Siebel
- 07/15: We've added a lot of useful information to the Champaign-Urban Page. Check it out for details on transportation, parking and food.