Parking, Food and Travel Tips
Workshop venue
The Southwest Strings meeting will be held on ASU’s Tempe campus at the Goldwater Center for Science and Engineering. It will take place on the fifth floor of Goldwater, in Room 505.
For maps, please see the ASU Campus Maps page, or the PDF map here:
Parking
We have a limited number of parking passes available for participants, so we encourage carpooling.
We advise parking nearby on campus parking in these two places. Parking is available in several garages on the ASU Tempe campus. The Novus parking garage (marked on the PDF map) is closest to the recommended hotels and also nearby to the workshop venue. The Tyler Street garage is the closest garage to the venue.
Tyler Street Parking Garage (closest to Goldwater, 1 min walk) : https://maps.app.goo.gl/86K5Gu4A7pJdsRFB8
Novus Parking Garage (near to the recommended hotels, 5 min walk to Goldwater) : https://maps.app.goo.gl/tjef9apdaKSPqJw96
When you arrive, you will get a parking ticket from the booth. Later, you will get a parking discount pass from us (more details during opening remarks). The pass will give you a discount so at the end the balance will be zero.
PS: The discount pass is valid for TWO uses, so you should keep it and not throw them away after the first use!
Transportation to Tempe
When flying in you will arrive at the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix (PHX). The airport provides information on ground transportation options, including taxi, light rail, and rental car information.
Rideshares (Uber and Lyft) from the airport to campus typically cost around $15-20 and take about 10-15 minutes. Waymo (self-driving cars) is also available and is usually more expensive, depending on the time.
Alternatively, you can take the free PHX Sky Train to the 44th St/Washington Light Rail Station and transfer to the Valley Metro Light Rail to reach campus (University Dr/Rural Rd Station). It takes about 30-45 minutes and costs approximately $2.
The easiest way to pay for lightrail is to use the Valley Metro App.
Travel within Tempe
Aside from local taxi or rideshares, the city also runs a series of free shuttles in and around campus, known as the Orbit buses. The system map is available here , and the schedule and another details are here.
Directions
Google Maps: PHX to ASU Tempe Campus
See also the PDF map linked above.
Accommodation
Our recommended hotel is the Hyatt Place Tempe/Phoenix/University and Hyatt House Tempe/Phoenix/University at 601 E. 6th St Tempe, AZ 85281.
The workshop location is readily accessible from these hotels (5 min walk).
For access to ASU hotel rate discounts, you may use our travel website (appearing in the registration confirmation message). Once you click "book your preferred ASU rate" under each hotel, it will redirect you to the hotel's website and autogenerate the discounted rates, and then you can book on your own.
Further from campus there are also less expensive options; see the shuttle map above for which areas are easiest to get to.
Nearby Restaurants
There are many restaurants near campus, particularly along Mill Ave, College Ave, and Rural Rd. A few favorites include:
Mill Ave (15-20 min walk):
Caffe Boa - Italian restaurant with handmade pastas and local produce
Cornish Pasty Co - British-style restaurant
College Ave/University Dr (10 min walk):
Green Corner - Mediterranean restaurant, serving shawarma, crispy fries, hummus
Postino Annex - Bruschetta, small plates, and charcuterie; great for casual lunch/dinner
ChopShop - Health food restaurant with salads, bowls, and healthy items
Rural Rd (10 min walk):
CAVA - Mediterranean restaurant, food customizable with greens & grains, pitas & salad
Ahipoki Bowl - Poke bowls with fresh sushi grade fish and vegetable toppings
Novus Place (10 min walk):
Flower Child - Health food restaurant with salads, bowls, and healthy items
Eureka! Tempe - American casual dining serving elevated burgers, craft beer & whiskey
North Italia - Modern Italian with pizzas and pastas