MEETING INFO

Housing Options

All housing options at the annual meeting are located very close to one another. What differs from one option to another is privacy, space, comfort, and sophistication. All housing includes bedding, although attendees might want to bring a warm blanket or their favorite pillow to insure comfort.

Dorm room (single or double): Dorms are the least expensive option, and if you have another person with whom you would like to room (or are willing to let the organizer help you find a roommate), you can save some money by choosing this housing option. The dorms contain one or two twin beds, a closet and desk. You will use communal bathrooms that are located either within the same building or immediately adjacent to the building in which the dorm room is located. Dorms tend to be quiet (that is, people don't usually hang around the hallways talking or use the dorm rooms for parties) and quite safe. They are not, however, particularly private, especially in the early morning hours.

Hut: The huts are by far the most rustic and authentic housing experience, and first time attendees are strongly recommended against requesting a hut. There are no bathroom facilities and you are in close communion with nature, which makes the temperature in the hut very erratic and causes frequent close encounters with wildlife. Each of the twelve huts are nearly identical and there is no lighting around them, so bring a flashlight.

Old Cottage: These contain 2-4 bedrooms, a living room, a full bathroom, and a kitchen supplied with basic utensils, plates, and cups. Cottages allow for the greatest level of privacy and comfort. They are a very good option for families.

Upgraded Cottage: Over the last several years, the Friday Harbor Laboratories have upgraded some of the original cottages and added a few new ones. This category also includes some nice apartments.

How do I get there?

The meeting is held each year from a Friday evening to a Sunday morning, typically the first weekend of March (although it is sometimes bumped forward or backward by up to two weeks). The usual course of events at the meetings proceeds more or less as follows:

• On Friday evenings we gather from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm for the keynote address, then have a short reception with beer and pretzels and head down to the dining room for dinner.

• Saturday morning we have breakfast at about 8 am, then start the talks around 9 am. We'll break for about an hour for lunch. Talks generally last until mid-afternoon, then we adjourn for a couple hours of rest, relaxation, or adventure (the choice is yours).

• Saturday evening we meet again at about 5:00 for a reception, followed by dinner and the famed Milosian Banquet.

• On Sunday mornings we wake for breakfast, then head to the ferry.

Travel to and from the meeting must be organized around the ferry schedule, which changes from season to season, so be sure that the schedule you are viewing is for the appropriate time. You can see the schedule by clicking here. You will be taking the ferry westward from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, and there are only a few each day. In 2018 the ferries that will get to the island in time for the keynote leave Anacortes at 10:20am and 2:10pm (arriving at 11:40am and 3:15, respectively). There is also a ferry at 4:50 arriving at 5:55, which will get you to the labs in time for the reception and dinner. IMPORTANT: We recommend making a reservation, which you can do HERE.

Once you have determined the ferry you want to take, work backwards from there to figure out your plane reservations. It is about a two-hour drive from Sea-Tac airport to Anacortes. On the way home, you will not be able to get to Sea-Tac any sooner than around noon on Sunday (generally people heading to Sea-Tac catch the 8am ferry, arriving in Anacortes at 9:05am).

In short, book your flight so that you arrive at Sea-Tac no later than around 11am on Friday and leave no earlier than noon on Sunday.

If you do not have a ride lined up, you’ll have to rent a car at Sea-Tac or take a shuttle from Sea-Tac to Anacortes. The shuttle is slower (but cheaper). For information about the airport shuttle, click here.

There is one more option for getting from Sea-Tac to Friday Harbor: float plane. It might be less expensive than you imagine. For information about flights from the Seattle area (be sure you know where you are leaving from – there are three different options), click here.

This all may sound a little complicated, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. But in truth it is not so difficult to get to Friday Harbor. Once there you will quickly understand why we so cherish the location for our annual meeting.