----------------------------Original message---------------------------- If you're attending ALA in Los Angeles, you might keep in mind that UC Santa Barbara is about 110 miles west of L.A.; so if you'd like to tour the Map and Imagery Lab and seldom make it out to the West coast, this might be a good time. If you're interested, let me know; I'll inform each of you who else is interested, so that you could perhaps carpool. The 2 best ways to get from LA to SB are: a. take the train (it's a beautiful trip; goes through Santa Susana Pass, where all those early Western movies were filmed) b. rent a car; if you do this on a week day, the best times to head west are probably between 9:30 and 11am, and after 7pm (afternoons before 3pm are doable if you're accustomed to heavy city traffic. Yes, SB has an airport, but the the distance is so short from LA to SB that it's small planes (I'd advise bringing earplugs if you go this route). United has direct connections to Denver, San Francisco, and probably other places as well; also, it's so close to LA that you might be able to get a round-trip ticket for close to same price as arriving at and departing from LA. Mary L. Larsgaard, Map & Imagery Lab, Library, University of California, Santa Barbara 93106 [log in to unmask]; fax 805/893-8799