Gas and Galaxy Evolution: Directions to NRAO Array Operations Center & Guest House in Socorro, NM

If you are staying in one of the conference motels, please follow the other set of directions.

Note that the Array Operations Center (AOC) is some 50 miles east of the VLA (the actual telescope).

• From Albuquerque airport to Socorro
• From Las Cruces to Socorro
• Finding the AOC in Socorro
• Finding the NRAO Guest House in Socorro
• Schematic map of Socorro: finding the AOC & Guest House
• Map of New Mexico (GIF)
• Map from Albuquerque, NM to Socorro, NM (GIF)
• Map of Albuquerque, NM (GIF)
• New map of Socorro, NM (GIF) [will also be distributed at registration]
  also available as postscript
• Old map of Socorro, NM (GIF)
• Another old map of Socorro, NM (GIF)

  If you get lost, call one of the following:

  • Michael Rupen (LOC chair): 505/838-7464 (cell phone), 505/835-7248 (w), 505/835-0171 (h)
  • Skip Lagoyda: 505/838-7407 (cell phone), 505/835-7318 (w), 505/835-4625 (h)
  • Terry Romero: 505/835-7315 (w), 505/835-2250 (h)

  ---

  From Albuquerque airport to Socorro

  1. Leave airport on Sunport Blvd. -- stay to your left on the exiting lane of the parking lot; you will then be heading West. Sunport Blvd. isn't on the Web map, but there are obvious signs posted at the airport.
  2. Cross over the bridge and turn left at the stop sign -- this will put you on I-25 going South.
  or
  1. Leave airport on Yale Blvd, which will get you heading north (you have no choice on this).
  2. The second stoplight on Yale will be Gibson Blvd. Turn left (West).
  3. After a few blocks, you'll see I-25. Take it going South (a left turn).
  Finally,
  4. When you see the exit for Socorro (exit 150), take it. This will put you on California Avenue, the main street in town, going South.

  Socorro is about 75 miles south of Albuquerque, and the trip should take a little over an hour.

  ---

  From Las Cruces to Socorro

  1. Take I-25 north from Las Cruces, and take either the first (exit 147) or second (exit 150) exit for Socorro. Exit 147 will put you on California Avenue, the main street in town, going North; exit 150 will put you on California Avenue going South.

  Socorro is about 150 miles North of Las Cruces, and the trip should take somewhat over 2 hours.

  ---

  Finding the AOC in Socorro

  1. If you are coming from the North (Albuquerque):
     • Exit 150 from I-25 drops you on the main street, California Avenue.
     • Continue on California (South) until you reach Bullock. This will be the second stoplight. Bullock is just past the Taco Bell and just before the Kentucky Fried Chicken; if you pass Subway, Denny's, or Pizza Hut, you've gone too far. Take a right (west) on Bullock.
  2. If you are coming from the South (Las Cruces):
     • Exit 147 from I-25 drops you on the main street, California Avenue, heading North.
     • Continue on California (North) until you reach Bullock (currently the fifth stoplight). Bullock is just past the Kentucky Fried Chicken and just before the Taco Bell; if you pass McDonald's, you've gone too far. Take a left (West) on Bullock.
  3. Heading West on Bullock, you will stop at two stop signs. After the second, you will see the campus of New Mexico Tech on your left.
     • Before 10:30pm: go straight on. After another block, the road will curve to the left. As it does so you will see a sign on your right saying National Radio Astronomy Observatory and/or Array Operations Center. Turn into that parking lot -- it will be the first possible turn during the curve, on your right -- and park anywhere. Walk north to the AOC.
     • After 10:30pm various barricades go down and block the simple route outlined above. So instead, turn left at the second stop sign on Bullock, just before the Tech campus. Continue (South) along this road, passing New Mexico Tech and the soccer field on your right; then turn right (West) at the second stop sign (Neel Street). Neel Street circles around the NMT campus from the other side, and changes names, becoming Olive Lane at the first stop sign (you bear left). Continue along this road past another stop sign, and turn into the second parking lot on your left. Directly ahead you will see Macey Center, the NM Tech music center; to your right, through the parking lot, is the AOC. You can park anywhere, but you might as well park as close to the AOC as possible -- this parking lot serves both Macey Center and the AOC.
  4. During business hours, check in with the receptionist at the front desk; otherwise, use the phone outside the front door to call the VLBA correlator operator at 835-7252, and (s)he'll let you in.
  5. Once you're inside, check your mailbox for a packet containing various instructions, a card-key to the building, and possibly a key to your room if you're staying at the guest house. The mailboxes are located behind the big staircase that confronts you when you enter; visitors' mailboxes are on the far right.

  If this is confusing, see the map of Socorro below.

  ---

  Finding the NRAO Guest House in Socorro

  These directions assume you're arriving in Socorro and heading straight for the Guest House. MOST PEOPLE WILL GO TO THE AOC FIRST, to pick up their room keys; the packet with those keys includes a map of Socorro with directions to the Guest House.

  1. If you are coming from the North (Albuquerque):
     • Exit 150 from I-25 drops you on the main street, California Avenue (Highway 85/60).
     • Continue on California (South) until you reach Bullock. This will be the second stoplight. Bullock is just past the Taco Bell and just before the Kentucky Fried Chicken; if you pass Subway, Denny's, or Pizza Hut, you've gone too far. Take a right (West) on Bullock.
  2. If you are coming from the south (Las Cruces):
     • Exit 147 from I-25 drops you on the main street, California Avenue (Highway 85), heading North.
     • Continue on California (North) until you reach Bullock (currently the fifth stoplight). Bullock is just past the Kentucky Fried Chicken and just before the Taco Bell; if you pass McDonald's, you've gone too far. Take a left (West) onto Bullock.
  3. Heading West on Bullock, you will stop at two stop signs. After the second, you will see the campus of New Mexico Tech on your left. Turn left at the second stop sign on Bullock, just before the Tech campus. Continue (South) along this road, passing New Mexico Tech on your right; then turn right at the second stop sign (Neel Street). Neel Street circles around the NMT campus from the other side. After you've completed about a quarter circle, turn left (West) onto Vista Drive; this heads up a gentle hill. The Guest House will be the first building on your left; turn left into the parking lot.

  If this is confusing, see the map of Socorro below.

  ---

  Schematic map of Socorro: Finding the AOC & the Guest House

  Map for finding the NRAO Array Operations Center & Guest House: only the roads with STOP signs are marked.

  
  * indicates a STOP sign
  O indicates a stoplight
  X indicates the boulders blocking the East end of Campus Drive (no, we're
    not kidding!)
  
  XXXXX
  X GH X  indicates the GUEST HOUSE
  XXXXX
  
  .----------
  |          |
  | NRAO/AOC |  indicates the Array Operations Center (AOC)
  |          |
   ----------
  
  NOT TO SCALE!
  
  
                           |                 |
                     V\    |                 |
                      i\   |                 |C
                       s\  |                 |a
                        t\ |                 |n ---------
                         a\|                 |y | Macey |............
                           |V                |o ---------            .----------
              \      XXXXX |i       Olive Ln |n    |       parking   |          |
               \     X GH X|s    ____________*_____|_______  lot     | NRAO/AOC |
                \    XXXXX |t   /                          \    .....|          |
                 |         |a  /                            \  /      ----------
            ------------------*                              \/
                /     Neel    |C                              \
                |N            |a      NM Tech                  >--Lopezville Road
                |e            |m        Campus                 |
                |e  Soccer    |p                               |
                |l   field    |u                               |
                |             Xs                               | 
            ----*-------------*--------------------------------*--Leroy Place
               /   Leroy Pl.  /            |                   |
             N/              /             |C                  |B 
            e/              /              |o                  |u 
           e/              /               |l                  |l 
          l/               ----------------*l------------------*l-El Camino Real
          /                                |e                  |o 
                                           |g                  |c 
                                           |e                  |k 
                                           |                   |  
                                           |               KFC | Taco Bell
             ------------------------------O-------------------O---------------
                                           | California Ave.         McDonald's
                                           |             
                                              NORTH ==>
  
  

  
  

  ---

  [an error occurred while processing this directive]