RWOT13 has unfortunately been cancelled.
TRAVELING TO VENTURA
How to make sure your stay here is well organized and comfortable.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
California is in the United States with laws similar to the rest of the country. The most important things to know for international visitors are collected here.
Additional tips for California at https://www.visitcalifornia.com/ and for Ventura at https://visitventuraca.com/
VISA
Most International visitors can get a visa waiver through the ESTA program for a stay up to 90 days. https://www.usa.gov/visa-waiver-esta Each approved ESTA application is generally valid for two years and allows multiple visits to the U.S. within that period without having to apply for another travel approval.
HOWEVER, if you have traveled to countries of concern, such as Cuba, you may not qualify for an ESTA. In that case, you’ll need to apply for an expedited VISA with an interview at your local US Consulate. If your consulate has a backlog for interviews, you can request an emergency interview. Our team member who ended up using this option was able to get his visa in plenty of time for their planned travel.
In any case, we recommend you do not delay in investigating if you qualify for an ESTA waiver or, in fact, need to get a formal visa.
GETTING TO VENTURA
The event will be located in Ventura, which is in California on the Pacific Coast, about 70 miles north of Los Angeles.
Our recommendation is to fly into Los Angeles (LAX) or Santa Barbara (SBA), then get a rental car or take a shuttle to Ventura. For domestic travelers, Burbank (BUR) and train service are also good options.
You have many options to get to the event.
By Air
Ventura does not have its own airport, but it is connected by train and freeway to nearby airports of Santa Barbara (SBA), Burbank (BUR), and Los Angeles (LAX), with LAX being the most typical entry point for international travelers, with common routes to SBA through San Francisco and other international US airports.
Shuttles
There are a number of shuttle services that will take you directly from LAX or SBA to ventura.
For LAX, we like the Airporter Shuttle http://venturashuttle.com/ Price: $50 per rider.
For SBA, there no longer seems to be reasonable shuttles, although the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) does offer fixed route buses that can get you from SBA to Ventura in ~2 hours. (Google Maps is your best planner for such a trip.) A rental car or ride share is likely your fastest option. You may also take the train from SBA to Ventura, but the timing might be tricky.
For BUR, there is a convenient train stop that will get you up to Oxnard or Ventura (there are several trains that go to Oxnard but not all the way to Ventura).
Ride Share
Lyft https://lyft.com has the best coverage in Ventura, likely because it was started in nearby Santa Barbara.
We recommend Lyft for local transportation. It can also get you from SBA or LAX in a pinch, but a shared shuttle will be much more cost effective.
By Rail
Ventura Amtrak station is located on the main coastal train routes of Pacific Surfliner from destinations north and south. https://www.amtrak.com/stations/vec
You may also reach the nearby Oxnard station via the Amtrak Coast Starlight or the Metrolink Ventura County Line from Los Angeles. https://www.amtrak.com/stations/oxn
It’s a lovely train ride in either direction, from Los Angeles and San Diego to the south and Alameda, California in the San Francisco area to the north.
The biggest downside to rail in this part of the world is that the trains just don’t run that frequently.
By Car
Ventura is located on the 101 freeway, with easy access from the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the San Francisco area. You may also reach the 101 via US Interstate 5 from the north, either by taking the 146 across to Paso Robles, then the 101 south, or by taking the 5 to the 126 to the 101 in Ventura proper.
Taxi services are also available. As always, take a good look at the prices in advance.
GETTING AROUND VENTURA
The curse of Southern California is that it was built for cars, not public transportation. We recommend either getting a rental car or lyft for the simplest transportation management.
HOWEVER, we do have options thanks to multiple services provided by Ventura County. https://maps.google.com is your best option for trip planning on public transportation.
ACCOMMODATION
There are many hotel options in the area.
The nearest hotels are roughly two miles from the venue.
The closest four star hotel is the Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach https://www.zacharidunes.com/ (~$260/night)
The two three star hotels we recommend are
The Pierpont Inn https://pierpontinn.com/ (~$190/night)
Clocktower Inn Ventura https://www.clocktowerinn.com/ (~$130/night)
Venue
The workshop with take place at 1956 Palma Drive #Suite J Ventura, CA 93003, in a small black-box theater. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ENYpvJLVAHfJuTJd6
ENHANCING YOUR STAY
The Central Coast of California is beautiful in October. We encourage you to grab the weekend before or after to explore this unique location.
Here are a few nearby activities you might consider.
Channel Islands
Just across the channel is an wonderfully preserved national park with hiking, camping, snorkling, scuba, and kayaking one of the longest sea caves in the world.
https://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm
https://islandpackers.com/
Ojai
Just a bit up the road from Ventura is the quaint town of Ojai, with numerous galleries and shops.
Disc Golf
Nearby disc golf courses include Lake Casitas and Evergreen Open Space in Goleta.
Beach Biking
Most coastal cities up and down California offer some form of beach bike rentals, often offering electric-assist bikes for longer, easier rides. For the Ventura beachfront, try Wheel Fun Rentals next to the pier: https://wheelfunrentals.com/ca/ventura/ventura-pier/
Hiking
The nearby hills offer an incredible array of hiking options, many with stunning views of the local coastline. See https://www.alltrails.com/us/california/ventura for some of the best (including several out on the Channel Islands).
Santa Barbara
Lovely Santa Barbara is the next major city up the coast from Ventura, with world famous Mission style architecture, a courthouse that is a national historical landmark, one of the most well preserved Spanish missions, as well as a lovely downtown with upscale boutiques and restaurants offering local wines and seasonal fare.
Just a bit further up the coast is Santa Barbara Wine Country, including the town of Santa Inez, Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Happy Canyon, and Lompoc. Also home to the Danish town of Solvang. https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/an-intro-to-santa-barbara-wine-country/
Los Angeles
Since many of our participants will be coming in through LAX, we’d be remiss not to highlight some of the many attractions that might be worth an extra day or two.
First, Los Angeles is home to an astounding array of some of the world’s best museums (in alphabetical order)
- Broad https://www.thebroad.org
- Getty Center https://www.getty.edu
- Hammer Museum at UCLA https://hammer.ucla.edu
- Holocaust Museum LA https://www.holocaustmuseumla.org
- Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Gardens https://www.huntington.org
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) https://www.lacma.org
- Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) https://www.moca.org/
- Museum of Tolerance https://www.museumoftolerance.com
- Norton Simon https://www.nortonsimon.org
- Peterson Automotive Museum https://www.petersen.org
Second, Los Angeles is home to some of the world’s best amusement parks:
- Disneyland https://disneyland.com
- Universal Studios Hollywood https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com
- Knott’s Berry Farm https://www.knotts.com
- Six Flags Magic Mountain https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain
- Legoland California Resort (San Diego really) https://www.legoland.com/california
Los Angeles is home to so many amazing pockets of delicious food, we can’t even start. If you’re a foodie, consider taking some time to sample something different.