Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I am in the same boat, and I will be calling Employee Services this
    afternoon.  I had planned to take the train to North Station and then
    walk or hop a cab.   Maybe if enough people call...
    
    Penny

    Have you talked to your managers?  I imagine the bureaucracy would
    be more responsive if pressure came from higher levels as well as
    the grass roots.
    
    --bonnie

    I also called this morning only to be told "No Exceptions!!".
    3 people in our group signed up.  One person lives approximately
    4 miles from DECworld!!!  She has to drive 40 miles to MRO to 
    catch a bus to bring her 4 miles from where she lives?????  
    Ridiculous.  The other 2 of us have kids in daycare where we
    drop them off at 7:30 minimum.  Last year the two of us took
    one car to Alewife Station and the train right into South Station.
    It worked out great.  We want to do the same again.  
    
    Can we call someone else besides the Employee Services people who
    probably really have nothing to do with it except administer the
    process??

    From the voice of someone who spent 4 weeks down at the World Trade
    Center.....
    
    I drove down every day. I lived in Metheun (30 miles north of Boston)
    and had no intention of stopping for a bus in Birlington. The amount of
    time I would have had to allowed to get to the bus, wait for it, and
    get going again could have been used to finish driving down town. I
    never took the bus because I had to in the WTC by 8:00am and stayed
    every day until 6:00pm. No bus schedule was going to fit me. 
    
    So long as you are willing to foot the bill (assuming your manager has
    said "no" to covering the mileage costs), there are so many options to
    getting yourself downtown. You can pick up the T by Rt 128 and from so
    many other points. I do commend DEC for trying to keep the traffic out
    of Boston - they want to continue to use the WTC - but I honestly feel
    there is a point where they are not answering the needs of the
    employees who want to attend DECworld. The bus shedule might be good
    for some but for others it may make attendance impossible (and does DEC
    want to have employees limited because of some scheme?).
    
    It would be a shame for employees not to attend because they cannot
    meet a bus schedule.
    
    Just my opinion and if I was going, I'd be calling that DTN right now!
    
    Andrea 

    The bus or subway is not the issue -- they aren't handing out the entry
    stickers unless you take the bus.  And you have to be there in person
    in order to get the sticker -- they wouldn't let my husband pick it up
    for me so that I could take the subway in from ALewife.
    
    Call anyway -- let your opinion be known -- even if you're not going.
    This company sometimes doesn't think things all the way through.
    
    
    /sandy

Boy, do I hear you!  I am going to be accompanying customers throughout the 
ebntire three weeks, and getting out 'on time' is going to be a challenge.  

Fortunately, my hubby is understanding.

However -  one of the logistics 'stuff' we get included a list of hotels that
will have shuttle service to the World Trade Center departing every 15 minutes 
between 6:30am-10am and then again 4-7pm.  Ohter times service will be hourly.

Also, the list includes the closest MBTA stop.  I'll probably take advantage
of this (maybe I can park at the hotels), and also try the Ferry from
 Provincetown when I come up from the cape 
(Fool am I, in January we agreed to take a cottage the last two weeks of July)

Anyway, here's an abbreviated list - if anyone wants the whole list, I'll 
send it to them, or you can call for specifics (DTN 221-5856)

Minda


Here goes:

Back Bay Hilton                      MBTA:  Boston, Auditorium
Boston Marriott - Cambridge          Cambridge, Kendall
Bostonian			     Boston, Government Center
Charles Hotel                        cambridge, Harvard
Copley Plaza                             Copley
Holiday Inn, Government Center       Botson, Charles
Lafayuette Hotel                      Boston, Downtown Crossing
Radisson Boston Nort                 Woburn, commuter rail    ** I don't know
                                                              this one, but it 
                                                               might be a good
                                                              place to leave a 
                                                              car.  
Royal Sonesta                          Cambridge, Lechmere
Logan Airport Hilton	            Airport (shuttle is water shuttle)


Hope this helps.  I give you all a lot of credit for thinking about this 
already.  I have not even started to think about my July 7 training, never
mind the actual event.  Jeepers - June is not even over yet.

    re .6
    
    Yes, Minda, you probably can park at most of those hotels but be
    warned, they are usually extremely expensive (minimum about $15 for 8
    hours, probably averaging about $25 a day). You could take a taxi in at
    that price. They might even only have guest parking. You'de be better
    off parking in a private or public lot either in or out of toen and taking 
    the MBTA to South Station and walking the 10 minute walk. Sorry to rat
    hole.
    
    I cannot believe that you can only get your entrance pass if you get on
    the bus. That does seem a little ridiculous but I understand how they
    are trying to control the number of employee visitors into the WTC. 
    It is a show intended for customers and I feel anyone directly dealing
    with the customers or with the logistics of the show, should not be
    hindered by a "system".
    
    Sorry to ramble.
    Andrea

>    I cannot believe that you can only get your entrance pass if you get on
>    the bus. That does seem a little ridiculous but I understand how they
>    are trying to control the number of employee visitors into the WTC. 
    
    I don't think it's the number of visitors per se that they're
    trying to control so much as the amount of traffic around the WTC.
    Downtown Boston's bad enough without another thousand cars
    dropping off employees.
    
    I don't see why that would stop them from allowing people to use
    the T, though, or why it has to be so rigid there aren't approved
    exceptions . . .
    
    --bonnie

I believe (correct me if I am wrong) that Sandy is talking about Employee Day
at DECworld not a requirement for people "working" at DECworld.  Those employees
attending as "guests" have to come in on the bus.  Workers (at least during the
main part of DECworld) don't have such restrictions.  This nonsense about taking
the bus has come up every time with DECworld.  Every time bureaucracy has won
out over common sense.

I work at ZK and the people up here are just as glad to have me free up
a seat on the shuttle on the day that I will be doing demos.  I will be
taking the train from Needham and walking to the WTC.

Dick

    Well, my husband tried to convince them to change the policy, and
    though they acknowledged LOTS of calls, they can't (won't ?] change the way
    things are.  There will be something like 40 buses leaving MRO - maybe
    I'm glad I can't go after all!!.  YEs, this is for employees who are
    just visiting the WTC, not those working there [thanks, -.1] 
    
    Oh well, maybe next time they'll remember that not everyone is free to
    go at any time.  For those of you who can go, enjoy!
    
    Sandy

    I remember attending Employee Day at the '87 DECworld and being able
    to pick up entrance badges at the World Trade Center lobby. The badges
    were ready for those who had pre-registered; otherwise you couldn't go
    in, as I remember. I even forgot my DEC badge, but I told them my number,
    they verified it on a terminal, I got my badge and off I went for a
    very pleasant day. I wonder why we can't do the same thing this year?
    
    This year's situation sounds pretty absurd. I too live about 3 or 4
    miles from the WTC and don't intend to get there via Maynard!
    
    Lucy
    

    This policy certainly will discourage attendance.  Perhaps that IS the
    point of the policy in addition to discouraging traffic?

Is the bus equipped for the physically challenged?

If not, perhaps you can use that as an example to get through to them about how
all employees cannot be expected to use the bus.

         Carol