Accommodations

Participants should make their own arrangements directly with the properties listed below. Special rates for the meeting have been negotiated and are available at the properties shown below for the period of October 12-14, 2012. When making reservations participants should state that they are with the AMS/Tulane meeting. Unfortunately, there are two citywide conventions in New Orleans at the same time as our meeting, so room blocks in the following hotels will sell out. Please book early. Hotels have varying cancellation or early checkout penalties; be sure to ask for details when making your reservation. The room rates listed do not include applicable taxes; the current tax rate on hotel rooms is 13% + US\$1 per night.

All of these properties are within one to two blocks of the St. Charles Streetcar line, which goes through the beautiful Garden District and directly by the Tulane campus. The street cars run approximately every 20 minutes, 24 hours per day. The fare is US\$1.25 each way (exact change), or you may purchase a Jazzy pass from the conductor, good for unlimited rides from the time of purchase until about 4:00 a.m. the next day for US\$3 (exact change required).

Hampton Inn-Garden District Hotel,3626 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70115; phone: 504-899-9990; fax: 504-894-6414; www. neworleanshamptoninns.com/garden- district. US\$139 for a king standard room; there is no charge for a second person. Rooms are equipped with a coffee maker and microfridge. Rates include complimentary hot breakfast buffet or on-the-run breakfast bag, free wireless Internet access, complimentary tea and cheese reception each evening, access to Touro Hospital Fitness Center, outdoor lap pool, and complimentary parking. Distance to the meeting site is 2.35 miles. Hotels have varying cancellation or early checkout penalties; be sure to ask for details when making your reservation. The deadline for reservations is September 12, 2012.

La Quinta Inn & Suites, 301 Camp St., New Orleans, LA 70130; phone: 504-598-9977; fax: 504-598-9978; www.lq.com. Please ask for Group Reservations. US\$79 for king or double; coffeemaker in room. Rates include complimentary hot continental breakfast, free wireless access; fitness center and outdoor pool on premises. The distance to the meeting site is 4.75 miles. Hotels have varying cancellation or early checkout penalties; be sure to ask for details when making your reservation. The deadline for reservations is September 21, 2012.

Maison St. Charles, 1319 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130; phone: 504-522-0187;fax: 504-529-4379; www.maisonstcharles.com. US\$145 for a double queen room (one or two persons). Rates include free wireless Internet access throughout the hotel, complimentary continental breakfast, fitness club access, and outdoor swimming pool with spa. On-site gated parking is US\$17+tax/day. The distance to the meeting site is four miles. Hotels have varying cancellation or early checkout penalties; be sure to ask for details when making your reservation. The deadline for reservations is August 28, 2012.

Bed & Breakfasts in the Garden District on or near the St. Charles Streetcar line: While no contracts have been made with the following properties, and neither the AMS nor Tulane University can vouch for the suitability of them, participants may wish to check availability. Be sure to ask if rooms have private baths. Please note that the range of rates quoted may be seasonally adjusted and not available at the time of our meeting. Also be aware that these properties usually have a 30-day cancellation policy (one night's deposit will be forfeited), so please be sure to check. Some rates include taxes.

Avenue Inn Bed & Breakfast, 4125 St. Charles Ave; 504-269-2640; US\$99-299.

Creole Gardens Guest House, 1415 Prytania St.; 866-569-8700; US\$89-350.

Green House Inn, 1212 Magazine St. (downtown but two blocks from streetcar line), 504-525-1333; US\$89-189.

Mandevilla Bed And Breakfast, 7716 St. Charles Ave., 800-288-0484 (toll-free) or 504-862-6396; US\$99-179; about eight blocks from campus.

Magnolia Mansion, 2127 Prytania St., 504-412-9500; US\$159-229.

Maison Perrier, 4117 Perrier St., 888-610-1807 or 504-897-1807; US\$170-225 inclusive of all fees/taxes (three night minimum).

Park View Guest House, 7004 St. Charles Ave., 888-533-0746 (toll-free) or 504-861-7564; US\$169-189; across from campus.

St. Charles Guest House, 1748 Prytania Ave., 504-523-6556; US\$45-105.

Sully Mansion Bed and Breakfast, 2631 Prytania St., 800-364-2414 (toll-free) or 504-891-0457; US\$119-230.

Terrell House, 1441 Magazine St., 866-261-9687 (toll- free) or 504-237-2076; US\$150 and up.

Many other inns/bed and breakfast listings for the New Orleans area may be found at www.bedandbreakfast.com/new-orleans-louisiana.html. Be sure to check if your selection is on the St. Charles Streetcar line for the easiest and least expensive accessibility to the Tulane campus. For checking locations and the distance to campus using an Internet navigation tool (Google maps, Mapquest), please use 6823 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118, as Tulane's address.

Dining on/near Campus

The Food Court in the Lavin-Bernick Center will be open on Saturday and Sunday. There is also dining on the Loyola University campus next door to Tulane in the Danna Student Center (Orleans Room and Flambeaux's Grill) and La Divinia Gelateria in the bottom floor of Carrollton Residence Hall.

Local Information and Maps

The Tulane Department of Mathematics and Statistics website is found at http://tulane.edu/sse/math/. A campus map is found at http://tulane.edu/about/visiting/uptown-campus-map.cfm.

Other Activities

AMS Book Sale: Stop by the on-site AMS bookstore and review the newest titles from the AMS, enjoy up to 25% off all AMS publications, or take home an AMS t-shirt! Complimentary coffee will be served courtesy of AMS Membership Services.

AMS Editorial Activity: An acquisitions editor from the AMS book program will be present to speak with prospective authors. If you have a book project that you would like to discuss with the AMS, please stop by the book exhibit.

Parking

Parking on Saturday and Sunday is free in all campus lots and in metered spaces. You must avoid loading zones and other marked, restricted places.

Registration and Meeting Information

The meeting will take place on the uptown campus of Tulane University. Invited Addresses, meeting registration, and the AMS book exhibit will be held in the Lavin-Bernick Center. Special Sessions and Contributed Talks will be held in Jones, Boggs, and Newcomb Halls.

The registration desk will be open Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 8:00 a.m.-noon. Fees are US\$53 for AMS members, US\$74 for nonmembers; and US\$5 for students, unemployed mathematicians, and emeritus members. Fees are payable on-site by cash, check, or credit card.

Travel Information

The nearest airport is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), 900 Airline Dr., Kenner, LA 70062; http://www.flymsy.com. The airport is about 12 miles from the campus, a 25-minute drive.

A cab ride costs US\$35-40 from the airport to the Central Business District (CBD) or to campus for one or two persons and \$14 (per passenger) for three or more passengers. Pickup is on the lower level, outside the baggage claim area. There may be an additional charge for extra baggage.

Airport Shuttle: Shuttle service is available from the airport to the hotels in the CBD or Garden District for US\$20 (per person, one-way) or US\$38 (per person, round-trip) with a limit of three bags per person. Call 1-866-596-2699 or (504) 522-3500 for more details or to make a reservation. Advance reservations are required 48 hours prior to travel for all ADA accessible transfers. Please call in advance of your travel date for the specially equipped shuttle to be reserved. Ticket booths are located on the lower level in the baggage claim area. www.airportshuttleneworleans.com.

Driving Directions to Campus from I-10: As you enter the downtown area, follow the signs to Hwy 90 Business/West Bank. Exit at St. Charles Ave./Carondelet St. (do not cross the bridge). At the second traffic light turn right onto St. Charles Ave. and follow for four miles. Drive about four blocks past Gibson Hall and its half-circle driveway and turn right at the stoplight at the intersection of St. Charles and Broadway. Drive up Broadway about 3/4 mile (about eight blocks) and turn right onto Willow St. Drive two blocks and turn right onto Newcomb Drive. You may park anywhere along the roadside or in the lots; metered spots are free on weekends. The Lavin-Bernick Center is about a block away from the parking areas.

Car Rental

Hertz is the official car rental company for the meeting. To make a reservation accessing our special meeting rates online at www.hertz.com, click on the box "I have a discount", and type in our convention number (CV): 04N30002. You can also call Hertz directly at 800-654-2240 (U.S. and Canada) or 405-749-4434 (other countries). At the time of reservation, the meeting rates will be automatically compared to other Hertz rates and you will be quoted the best comparable rate available.

Weather

October in New Orleans is beautiful. The weather is cool and dry with bright blue skies overhead. Average high is 72°, average low is 63°, and the rainfall is low.

Information for International Participants

Visa regulations are continually changing for travel to the United States. Visa applications may take from three to four months to process and require a personal interview, as well as specific personal information. International participants should view the important information about traveling to the U.S. found at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/biso/visas/ and http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html. If you need a preliminary conference invitation in order to secure a visa, please send your request to dls@ams.org.

If you discover you do need a visa, the National Academies website (see above) provides these tips for successful visa applications:

* Visa applicants are expected to provide evidence that they are intending to return to their country of residence. Therefore, applicants should provide proof of “binding” or sufficient ties to their home country or permanent residence abroad. This may include documentation of the following:

- family ties in home country or country of legal permanent residence

- property ownership

- bank accounts

- employment contract or statement from employer stating that the position will continue when the employee returns;

* Visa applications are more likely to be successful if done in a visitor's home country than in a third country;

* Applicants should present their entire trip itinerary, including travel to any countries other than the United States, at the time of their visa application;

* Include a letter of invitation from the meeting organizer or the U.S. host, specifying the subject, location and dates of the activity, and how travel and local expenses will be covered;

* If travel plans will depend on early approval of the visa application, specify this at the time of the application;

* Provide proof of professional scientific and/or educational status (students should provide a university transcript).

This list is not to be considered complete. Please visit the websites above for the most up-to-date information.