Registration for the GLC officially opens at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, 8 May 2008, with the Opening General Session beginning at 4 p.m. Be sure to plan your flights accordingly. Departure flights may be arranged for anytime starting on Saturday, 10 May 2007.
Situated 25km/15 miles southeast of the city, off Routes 101 and 280, San Francisco International Airport is the 13th busiest in the USA and the 21st busiest in the world, handling an average of 1,000 flights daily.
Airport facilities include banks, ATMs, bureaux de change, numerous bars and restaurants, and gift and specialty shopping, including duty-free outlets. An AirTrain takes passengers to nine airport stations and to car hire operators, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Enterprise, National and Thrifty.
Shuttles, buses, taxis and limousines are all readily available. Taxis are metered, and the fare to the downtown area ranges from US$30-45.
Located across the Bay, 25km/15 miles from The Palace Hotel, Oakland International Airport receives mainly domestic and some international flights and may be a less expensive gateway to the Bay Area.
Airport facilities include banks, ATMs, places for shoe shines, Internet access, travel insurance, duty-free shopping, currency exchange and food outlets. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National and Thrifty.
Shuttles, buses, taxis and limousines are all readily available. Taxis are metered and the fare to the downtown area ranges from US$30-45.
Approximate flight times to San Francisco are as follows:
London – 11 hours
New York – 5 ½ hours
Los Angeles – 1 hour and 20 minutes
Toronto – 5 hours and 20 minutes
Sydney – 14 ½ hours
Ground Transportation
Airport transfer options to and from The Palace Hotel are as follows:
Taxi to hotel: Approximately US$30-45 each way to/from San Francisco International Airport and US$30-$45 to/from Oakland International Airport (taxi stands located outside baggage claim).
Airport shuttles: American Airporter Shuttle (Tel: +1.415.202.0733) provides 24-hour, door-to-door service to/from San Francisco International Airport. Travel times vary between 25 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on traffic. Public transportation leaves from the blue zone on the airport's lower level. About two dozen shuttle services, including Bayporter Express (Tel: +1.877.467.1800), operate door-to-door from Oakland International Airport to surrounding areas. Travel times vary between 30 minutes and 60 minutes, depending on traffic.
Private transportation services can be arranged through the hotel concierge at +1.415.512.1111.
Should you wish to rent a car during your stay, you can reach Hertz at +1.800.654.3131. All EO members are entitled to free membership in the Hertz #1 Gold Club. Please visit www.hertz.com or email Mike Smith for details.
The average high temperature in San Francisco in May is 17°C/63°F and the average low temperature is 11°C/52°F. May is one of the best times to visit San Francisco, since there is typically little of the fog that the city is known for. Because temperatures often drop in the evenings, a light jacket or coat is recommended for warmth. Of course, be sure to check out the latest weather forecast before packing.
The dress code for the entirety of the GLC is business casual:
Health No certificate of vaccination is required for traveling to the United States; however, health regulations are able to change at short notice. It is advisable to check current health regulations with your airline carrier when making reservations. Visitors in transit through the United States should also check health regulations for subsequent destinations to ensure that all necessary valid certificates have been obtained. Check with your personal physician before your departure for any personal health needs. It is always a good idea to carry a description of any prescription medications in the event they need to be refilled.
Entry Requirements and Visas Check with your local United States Embassy for specific requirements on travel into the United States as they pertain to your country of origin. To find the embassy or consulate nearest you, visit the US Department of State website.
All visitors to the USA must have a valid passport, which should be valid for at least six months longer than the intended stay in the USA.
Travelers from countries such as Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom can enter the United States for up to 90 days under a Visa-waiver program if they have a round-trip ticket that is nonrefundable in the United States and have a passport valid for at least six months past their scheduled departure date. All other travelers will need a visitor's Visa. Visas can be obtained at most United States consulate offices overseas.
The United States regularly adjusts entry requirements in an effort to reduce the threat of terrorism. It is imperative that travelers double and triple check current regulations before coming to the United States.
About San Francisco
Welcome to San Francisco— home of cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, unparalleled hotels and restaurants, world-class museums and some of the steepest streets in the world.
Demographics San Francisco is located in the state of California on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and is the focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area. The city and county of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 14th-most populous in the United States, with a 2006 population of 798,680 (estimate). It is the second most densely populated major city in the United States.
History In 1776, the Spanish settled the tip of the San Francisco peninsula, establishing a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi. As a result of the California Gold Rush in 1848, the city entered a period of rapid growth. After being devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt. In ensuing years, the city solidified its standing as a financial capital, and at the height of the Great Depression, undertook two great civil engineering projects, simultaneously constructing the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, completing them in 1936 and 1937, respectively. During the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, startup companies invigorated the economy and brought with them large numbers of entrepreneurs and computer application developers that forever changed the social landscape of San Francisco.
Culture San Francisco is renowned for its months-long episodes of fog, steep rolling hills, an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, its peninsular location (surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay) and its liberal cultural and political identity. Famous hallmarks and landmarks include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, cable cars, the Transamerica Pyramid, Coit Tower and Chinatown.
Time Zone GMT/UTC-7. You can look up current world times here.
When it is noon in San Francisco, it is:
Noon
Los Angeles , CA, USA
3 p.m.
New York , NY, USA
8 p.m.
London , UK
11 p.m.
Dubai , UAE
12:30 a.m. (next day)
New Delhi , India
3 a.m. (next day)
Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia
4 a.m. (next day)
Tokyo , Japan
5 a.m. (next day)
Sydney , Australia
Language English is the official language of the GLC in San Francisco.
Currency and Money Matters Legal tender in the United States is the dollar. There are 100 cents to one dollar, and notes are available in denominations of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $1,000 and $10,000. Automated teller machines (ATMs) can be found almost everywhere and most provide 24-hour cash withdrawal in US dollars. Airport moneychangers calculate rates at the net rate of exchange displayed. You will get the best exchange rate by making purchases with a credit card. In order to properly estimate your currency exchange rate, visit this website.
Visa, MasterCard and American Express are the most widely accepted credit cards in the United States and are acceptable at most hotels, department stores, restaurants and travel agencies.
Tipping Tipping is expected in cafes, restaurants and hotels. The acceptable rate in restaurants is 15% or more of the bill; never tip in a fast-food or self-service environment. Taxi drivers, bartenders and hairdressers depend on similar-sized gratuities.
Electricity The electricity supply in the United States is 110/120 volts at 60 cycles.
Power points are this style: or
Telephones It is expensive to dial internationally from the United States. Your best option is to use a prepaid phone card, a phone credit card or the access line of a major carrier, such as AT&T (+1.800.321.0288) or MCI (+1.800.888.8000). The international access code in the United States is 011 and the country code is 1. Cell phones in the United States use GSM 1900 or CDMA 800, operating on different frequencies from systems in other countries. The only foreign phones that will work in the United States are tri-band models, operating on GSM 1900 as well as other frequencies. If you have a GSM tri-band phone, check with your service provider about using it in the United States, but beware that calls will be more expensive than using your home network (because of the US service provider's charges). Your mobile phone number stays the same, and callers at home will be connected to your phone automatically.
or 
