Monterey FAQs

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erich orser

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Hello All,

This thread will be devoted to answering any questions Tonmoers have regarding the lovely town we've chosen for this first-ever TONMOcon Cephalopod Convention. We'll try to find the answers to whatever you need to know and post them in as timely a fashion as possible!

First up, Kathy wanted to know if TONMOcon and the annual squid festival in Monterey are related. From a marketing standpoint this would have been great, but no, they are actually several months apart. The Great Monterey Squid Festival is a long-running event that takes place the last weekend in May every year at the Monterey Fairgrounds. It's been going for twenty-two years now, and showcases the delicious work of the region's talented chefs. A multitude of local restaurants are represented, with international flavors including Greek, Italian, Thai, Spanish, Mexican as well as local recipes showing-off the ingredients like garlic and artichokes that have earned the region around the bay the moniker "Salad-Bowl of the World".

The Great Monterey Squid Festival
May 28-30
For more information:

(831)649-6544, or
(831) 649-6547

Key Lime Calamari, anyone?

Erich
 
Hi Chrono,

We're still taking a look at the different group-rate options that are available. When we've weighed them and made a decision, it will be posted. Also, if I find out about any individual hotels or inns that haven't sent us information, I'll make sure that ends up here too.

Erich
 
chrono_war01 said:
oh and can we have a TONMOcon Asia OR at the Sea of cortez at Mexico? That's where the Humbolts are caught...

Hi Eric

All of this is possible! The way these things happen usually involves someone with a bit of energy asking around about venues, hotels, participation, and so on.

John Steinbeck wrote The Logbook from the Sea of Cortez about traveling and collecting specimens with Ed Ricketts, from Monterey. Friends and I read this when we went snorkeling in the FRIGID waters there. Our trip was really different from theirs! We saw sea urchins and starfish and other creatures. Sea lion pups seemed to think we were the newest toys in their tub. If your family wanted to travel in the region, this is not far relative to Hong Kong, but it's still a few days in the car or a short flight.

No decisions have been made on hotels, but the hotels that have given us information include the Hilton and the Marriott. The group rates would be between $150 and $199 per night. There are less pricey places, but they don't generally seem to be part of the bidding process arranged by the convention center. Nothing would prevent anyone from looking into other places in Monterey.

Melissa
 
chrono_war01 said:
oh and can we have a TONMOcon Asia OR at the Sea of cortez at Mexico? That's where the Humbolts are caught...

Normally, yes, but this year (at least as of a month or 2 ago) they were off the California coast. I heard a radio report that there was a sport fishing boat hauling them in off in large numbers off of San Francisco (I think near the Farallons), and a number of them beached themselves near Los Angeles. I haven't heard anything for over a month, so they may have moved on, and I have no idea if they'd still be around come August, though.
 
The group rates would be between $150 and $199 per night.....

Anyone looking for less pricy places near TONMOcon? But is 150 for a person are for how many people per room? Anyone mind sharing their rooms? I can pay half. :wink: Really.

Normally, yes, but this year (at least as of a month or 2 ago) they were off the California coast. I heard a radio report that there was a sport fishing boat hauling them in off in large numbers off of San Francisco (I think near the Farallons), and a number of them beached themselves near Los Angeles. I haven't heard anything for over a month, so they may have moved on......

Wait, if they havn't, can we arrange a Humbolt fishing trip or for the next TONMOcon?
 
fishing for Humboldts references

chrono_war01 said:
Normally, yes, but this year (at least as of a month or 2 ago) they were off the California coast. I heard a radio report that there was a sport fishing boat hauling them in off in large numbers off of San Francisco (I think near the Farallons), and a number of them beached themselves near Los Angeles. I haven't heard anything for over a month, so they may have moved on......

Wait, if they havn't, can we arrange a Humbolt fishing trip or for the next TONMOcon?

The radio story about the humboldts off California is available online at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4534688

see also:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/03/17/SPGQ8BQLDA1.DTL

Googling suggests that the boat referred to is called the "Huli Cat" out of Half Moon Bay, which is a ~1-2 hour drive up the coast from Monterey, but according to the sfgate article, "Farther south, off Santa Cruz and Monterey, there are reports the squid fishing has slowed." It also includes the GPS coordinates and the phone # for the boat service.
Home | Half Moon Bay | Huli Cat
is their web page. We could probably do better to charter a boat from Monterey, though, if people were into that, or even perhaps convince a research boat from one of the research stations to go squid-hunting (so they'd have science facilities on board.)

The radio story mentions Bill Gilley at Hopkins Marine Lab as studying them... his web page is
http://www-marine.stanford.edu/HMSweb/gilly.html

perhaps if someone knows him, he could help arrange something, or we could invite him to give a talk about Humboldts at the con, or something... I notice on his web page that he just re-travelled the Ricketts and Steinbeck trip to the Sea of Cortez that Melissa mentions-- I think that would be a great TONMOcon talk, even if we couldn't go out on a squid-boat ourselves. I guess I could send him an email, but it would probably be more credible for either someone who knows him, a pro teuthologist like SOS or Kat, or one of the con organizers to do that, I expect.
 
chrono_war01 said:
The group rates would be between $150 and $199 per night.....

Anyone looking for less pricy places near TONMOcon? But is 150 for a person are for how many people per room? Anyone mind sharing their rooms? I can pay half. :wink: Really.

I have a few places to call in the next couple of days. Been pretty busy at work so Ihaven't had the chance. There are a lot of nice places around that aren't Marriots and Hiltons. Expect something more definite by the middle of next week.
 
I just phoned the administrative offices of the Monterey Fairgrounds. There no longer is a Great Monterey Squid Festival held in Monterey! Although the various Monterey websites my previously-posted information were pulled from are routinely updated, the info regarding the squid fest has not been. It seems it's heyday was past, it was doing disappointing business, and so the festival was done away with. WE are the only squid-centered event in Monterey this year. Sorry!



:oops: :squid:
 
:sad: Disappointing that no one really likes squid anymore.

'They have suckers, arms, tentacles and ink!!! How the hell am I suppose to even like them!?!?! Only Freaks like you like them!!!'

Quoted from a student talking to Chrono.
 
Sure, and where does the shuttle survice from San Fransisco International Airport stop at, I ned to know where I am. :biggrin2:

Thanks a bunch for all the info.
 
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