Pittsburgh FAM Tour (Meeting Planners Only)
Visit Pittsburgh and their city partners are pleased to invite all Meeting Planners attending the CESSE 2010 Annual to come in one day early for a Mini-FAM Visit. This is a wonderful opportunity to do a site visit for a future meeting and to find out what Pittsburgh has to offer - at no cost to your organization!
Click Here to view the Invitation
Opening Reception
Tuesday, July 13 6:30 - 9:30 pm
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Sponsored by VisitPittsburgh
Enjoy the river views as you meet and mingle on the rooftop of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. See for yourself the first green convention center in the world - the beautiful building that hosted world leaders during the G20 Pittsburgh Summit. Enjoy a “Taste of Pittsburgh” and your favorite beverage while overlooking the water and bridges.
Just a few steps away, visit our Cultural District and discover why Pittsburgh is consistently named one of the nation’s best arts cities. VisitPittsburgh invites you to explore this safe, friendly and walkable city. Stop by the opening night reception for a rooftop party that’s sure to bring the house down!
Wednesday Fun Run/Walk
5:45 am Meet in the Lobby of the Omni
6:15 am Fun Run/Walk Begins
Sponsored by Travel Portland, Triumph Exp & Events, Inc. and the Oregon Convention Center
Don't hit that snooze button! Come to the Omni lobby for a cup of coffee and share the dawn of a new CESSE day! This year all proceeds are designated for Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences' Gulf Oil Shorebirds project. Even if you are not a "morning person", choose, "Just Sleep In"and rest easier that your donation of $35 will go toward restoring nature's balance.
Whether or not you take home the winner's certificate, everyone earns respect and a quality Oregon based, NIKE cap!
Wednesday Evening Reception
6:00 PM – 7:15 PM
Omni William Penn Hotel – Grand Ballroom
Sponsored by the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Tourism Toronto Convention & Visitors Bureau
What a perfect way to end the first full day of sessions by joining your friends and colleagues for some beverages and light hors d’oeuvres prior to your open evening dining! A quick elevator ride from your guest room (or a block away from the DoubleTree) to the Grand Ballroom makes for a quick and convenient way to relax and socialize. Our partners from Louisville and Toronto look forward to hosting you and will ensure your evening of dining and fun will get started on the right foot!
Wednesday Evening Dinner On-Your-Own
After the Wednesday evening reception grab your friends or invite some new ones, and take advantage of the many dining opportunities in the Downtown Area - within walking distance of the Omni! Click here to see the Hungry Brochure, or click here to see the Pittsburgh Restaurant List.
Wednesday Evening Afterglow
9:30 PM–11:30 PM
Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh City Center
Sponsored by Hilton Family of Hotels
After dining out in Pittsburgh, cap the night off with friends and colleagues. Hilton Family of Hotels invites you to join them for desserts, coffees, and cordials at The Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh City Center, which is only a few steps away located across the street from the Omni William Penn. Depart out of the Grant Street entrance of the Omni William Penn. The Afterglow will be held in the ballroom located on Lobby Level of the Doubletree.
Thursday Evening Reception and Final Gala
6:30 pm - Midnight
Omni William Penn Hotel - Grand Ballroom
Sponsored by the Omni William Penn Hotel
This year’s annual meeting is being held in one of the most versatile cities in the United States. Pittsburgh has reinvented itself repeatedly, always on the edge of the latest technology. The Omni William Penn Hotel has been able to combine the opulence of the past with the technology of today to create a style – a presence - that remains unique. As the first hotel to have bathrooms in every room, to being the only hotel in the city to have 100 megabytes of bandwidth, the Omni William Penn Hotel invites you to experience the past meeting the future.
Join us for cocktails in the 1929 historic Joseph Urban Room, and then move with us to one of the only remaining two tier ballrooms in the country for dinner. Enjoy the musical accomplishments of Gary Racon and the Studio E Band as they perform for your entertainment. This will be an unforgettable evening in Pittsburgh’s Grande Dame. It is our honor to be hosting the leaders of today’s scientific and engineering community.
Optional Tours
Transportation for all tours sponsored by VisitPittsburgh
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
12:30 pm – 4:30 pm
$20 per person
ww.fallingwater.org
“It’s the most unique home in the world.” Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built OVER a waterfall, Fallingwater was voted the most important building of the 20th century in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects. This masterpiece was entrusted to the Conservancy by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. in October, 1963. Fallingwater was built in 1936 by Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar Kaufmann Sr. and was used as a mountain retreat by his family. The Kaufmanns became acquainted with the Conservancy during their involvement with the early acquisition of Ferncliff Peninsula, the future cornerstone of Ohiopyle State Park.
You will become constantly aware of the rhythmic interplay between interior and exterior space by the numerous terraces, open-air walkways and unexpected views of the trees and water as you move through the house on this guided experience. This tour features all the major rooms of the house and lasts approximately one hour. Photography isn’t permitted during this tour. We have allowed additional time for strolling the grounds and experiencing the Visitor Center. Lunch is NOT included; however, there is a café on-site. Expect considerable walking, and wear comfortable walking shoes.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History & Art
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
9:30 am – 11:30 am
$15 per person
www.carnegiemuseums.org
Carnegie Museum of Natural History is ranked among the top five natural history museums in the country and is world famous for its dinosaurs, including the first-ever discovered T. Rex. Through more than 20 galleries and the Powdermill Nature Reserve research field station, the museum maintains, preserves, and interprets an extraordinary collection of 21 million objects and scientific specimen, instilling a love of science, nature, and the environment.
Carnegie Museum of Art is arguably the first museum of contemporary art in the United States, collecting the "old master of tomorrow" since the inception of the Carnegie International in 1896. Today the Museum of Art is among the most popular and esteemed cultural institutions in the region, providing visitors with access to great works of art, studio art classes, and interpretive programs that inspire, provoke, and delight.
Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Thursday, July 15, 2010
9:30 am – 11:30 am
$15 per person
www.phipps.conservatory.org
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a great steel and glass Victorian greenhouse, has been inviting visitors to explore the beauty and mysteries of plants since 1893. Set amidst one of Pittsburgh's largest green spaces, Schenley Park, Phipps Conservatory stands as a cultural and architectural centerpiece of the city's Oakland neighborhood.
In recent decades, Phipps has evolved into one of the region's most vibrant, thriving cultural attractions, bringing fresh perspectives and artists into our historic glasshouse environment. Phipps has also become a strong advocate for advanced green-building practices, sustainable gardening and a new environmental awareness.
There are many things to see and do on-your-own in Pittsburgh and the surrounding countryside. If you are planning to come in early and stay late, remember to visit www.VisitPittsburgh.com for information to help you plan your trip.