IETF-71: Philadelphia - 2008

Comcast’s 100Gbps Network to IETF 71

Jason — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:50:23 +0000

We’re very excited, in cooperation with Nortel, to provide a 100Gbps link to the IETF 71 meeting. This has been supplying bandwidth to the meeting since it started on Sunday. Some press articles are here and here. Official press release is here.

IETF in Lights, Pt. 2

Jason — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:43:32 +0000

As noted here, we had an IETF message scrolling across the top of the PECO building earlier in the week. Thanks to Alex Petrescu, here are some pics of this.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j8/petrescu_2006/_MG_8784.gif

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j8/petrescu_2006/_MG_8651.gif

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j8/petrescu_2006/_MG_8835.gif

Espresso Recommendation

Jason — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:14:15 +0000

A few of the IETF 71 attendees have recommended:

Spruce Street Espresso, 1101 Spruce Street (corner of 11th & Spruce Streets)

Several attendees have rated this in the top 5 espresso bars they have been to in the U.S. So if you love espresso, check this out.

One attendee wrote: This is a brand-new shop (their grand opening is on Saturday). They use Counter Culture beans, Rio grinders, and a 3-group La Marzocco machine with a bottomless portafilter. Very nice macchiato and espresso. They are roughly 6 blocks from the hotel.

Restaurant and Bar Update

Jason — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:07:40 +0000

We finalized all our updates to our local guide to eating and drinking. Use the navigation at the top or check out restaurants here and bars/pubs here. See you soon!

Laptop Invasion in Philly

Jason — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:41:35 +0000

The Philadelphia Business Journal has run a story about the IETF coming to town.

Free Digital Photo Printing

Jason — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:26:14 +0000

When we were planning IETF 71, we realized that when we travel to IETF meetings ourselves we often have a digtal camera. This is especially the case when we travel overseas, as so many attendees of IETF 71 are. So we got to thinking it might be cool to be able to print photos at the IETF meeting itself, rather than back at home. So since we’re in charge of sponsoring IETF 71, we decided to do something about that!

Thanks to HP, our business partner in releasing Comcast SmartZone, there will be free digital photo printing available in the terminal room. There will be two HP Photosmart A826 printers located in that room, along with sufficient photo paper and ink to print approximately 2,400 high-quality digital pictures.

Win Ice Hockey Tickets

Jason — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:41:21 +0000

Thanks to HP, our business partner in releasing Comcast SmartZone, we are raffling four club box tickets to the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey game on Wednesday night. We’ll be raffling TWO sets of two tickets each.

To enter the raffle, drop a business card in the entry box at the Comcast table in the registration area. This is the same table where you will be picking up your t-shirts, starting on Sunday. The game is at the Wachovia Complex, and is accessible via subway from the Marriott.

The raffle will close on Tuesday, 3/11, at 3:00pm ET, and winners announced at that time.

IETF 71 Meeting Announcement

Jason — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:57:50 +0000

ISOC sent a press release announcing the 71st IETF, and you can see that release here.

ISOC Welcomes Comcast as Platinum Sponsor

Jason — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:55:03 +0000

We are pleased to support the Internet Society. You can see the press release here.

Audio Streaming @ IETF-71

Jason — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:27:36 +0000

Eight parallel tracks will be broadcast starting with the commencement of working group sessions on Monday March 10 at 0900 EST (UTC-5) and continue until Friday at 1130 EST. Additionally it is the IETF’s intention to broadcast the IEPG meeting occurring on Sunday the 9th starting at 1000 EST.

The links for streaming sources and the schedule will be available thanks to the continued support of the Network Startup Resource Center in their traditional location: http://videolab.uoregon.edu/events/ietf/

IETF in Lights

Jason — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:33:02 +0000

Most people hope to see their name in lights one day. The IETF gets their name in lights soon, if all goes according to plan.

One of the taller buildings in the skyline is the PECO building (Philadelphia Electric Company). The have a big light board across the top of their building that scrolls messages across that you can see from a great distance, from dusk until dawn.

We’re expecting them to display “Welcome IETF-71″ from Sunday, March 9th, to Wednesday, March 12th.

Hopefully someone gets a picture or two of this!

Here is what it looks like: http://phillyskyline.com/photo/snow/snow03_eagles.jpg (text scrolls from right to left)

Phila. Flower Show - Sunday of IETF

Jason — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:21:25 +0000

For those folks that arrive early, the Philadelphia Flower Show runs through Sunday at the start of the IETF week (at 6pm). This show is at the Philadelphia Convention Center, which is directly NEXT to the IETF venue.See: http://www.theflowershow.com/home/index.html

The Philadelphia Flower Show, the world’s largest indoor flower show of its kind, is produced by The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS). It attracts something like 200,000 people over the course of the week, which is why Sunday is such a big check out day at our hotel.

Sightseeing

Jason — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:28:00 +0000

We updated the sightseeing page as well. You should check out this itinerary from National Geographic, which recognized Philadelphia as one of their next great cities.

See their itinerary here, with great ideas for stuff to do and see.

Good Shopping: Rittenhouse Row

Jason — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:25:19 +0000

A short walk from the venue, along Walnut Street, starting at Broad / Ave. of the Arts and heading west to Rittenhouse Square.

See this page for more info.

Philly Beer Week During IETF!!

Jason — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:17:27 +0000

Philly Beer Week is happening during the IETF!!

Philadelphia celebrates its beer-drinking roots with a week-long festival
Date: 3/7/2008 - 3/16/2008

The city of Philadelphia has been brewing beer for more than 300 years. So deep are its sudsy roots, Philadelphia has even been called “the best beer-drinking city in America.”And this year, we’re proving it with Philly Beer Week, a week-long suds fest taking place March 7 through March 16.

10 Days of Special EventsPhilly Beer Week invites beer lovers to try special dinners and tastings, go on tours of Philadelphia’s best pubs and breweries, watch home-brewing technique demos, catch a cask ale festival and more.

Click here to see a full schedule of special Beer Week events.

The events provide great opportunities to sample local brews like Yards, Victory, Triumph and Sly Fox while experiencing Philly’s great neighborhoods.

Visit Philly Beer Week for ticketing information, details and a schedule of events.

Hotel Lounge / Bar

Jason — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:43:51 +0000

The lobby of the Marriott is under renovation, so that bar is closed. There will be an IETF Lounge & Bar open starting at the afternoon break onward on the 4th floor. Other bars nearby: Champions Sports bar is in the building, Loews bar and lounge is directly across the street. Champions is more of a “bar” whereas the Loews has a lot of tables and couches and is more lounge-like.

Social Sold Out - Waitlist Available

Jason — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:03:18 +0000

The social is sold out but there are still ~150 people who have not yet paid. It is safe to assume that some of them will not do so, which means some tickets will be opened back up. You can get on the wait list here: https://www.amsl.com/ietf/socialwaitlist.py

Social Menu Finalized

Jason — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:51:43 +0000

See the social page for more info. The menu is now totally finalized.

We also pushed the start time from 6:30pm to 7:00pm.

Social Reminder

Jason — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 18:35:40 +0000

The social is filling fast, and is limited to 500 people. If you’d like to attend, please register as soon as possible at http://ietf71.comcast.net/?page_id=12.

Hotel Booking Reminder

Jason — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 20:20:21 +0000

This is just a reminder to book your hotel room SOON! See the notice regarding the Philadelphia Flower show on our hotels page here. If you want to check in before Sunday, you should read this notice and book ASAP.

Big Restaurant Page Update

Jason — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:47:32 +0000

In the “Eating” section on the nav bar above or directly here. We’ll keep adding to this (particularly to the lunch section), and will organize the list better as well. You will be well fed in Philadelphia!

Best Cheesesteaks

Jason — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:09:47 +0000

This is always a difficult thing to address, given that everyone has their favorite! But Gridskipper put together a list of places to check out here. My own two cents: Pat’s and Geno’s are located right next to each other, so you could try both at once. But these are also major tourist attractions, so often busy and a popular spot though a bit remote. Jim’s is on South Street, which is easy to find and is in a shopping / dining district so that there’s other stuff to do nearby. Sonny’s and Campo’s are at 2nd and Market Streets, which means it is just a 15 minute walk from the IETF venue, so probably worth trying for that reason alone. They are also located in Old City, a very popular drinking and dining area.

When trying a cheesesteak, consider whether you want cheese and what kind. Some folks get Cheese Wiz (aka wiz), of which I am not a fan. There’s also usually Provolone (my choice) and American — or no cheese at all. You should also decide if you want sauteed onions or not. And then you decide if you want it with Italian sauce (aka a Pizza Steak = provolone + sauce) or not. If you do not get sauce, people either put ketchup on the steak, or go without anything extra. You can of course get lots of other toppings, from mushrooms to peppers, but these are your major choices.

Common orders:
1 - Cheesesteak with onions and cheese wiz
2 - Cheesesteak with onions and provalone
3 - PizzaSteak with onions

Yum…

SoundAbout Philly - MP3 Audio Tours

Jason — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:57:42 +0000

The new SoundAbout Philly site, available here, is a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corp. You can download several audio tours of the city, from history and the founding of the nation, to the city at night and a restaurant tour — all integrated with Google Maps. Check out the following audio tours:
* History Unplugged
* Philadelphia Flavorhoods
* MyPhilly
* Philly Noir
* Once Upon a Nation
* Vintage Philly
* A Foodie’s Philly
* Hands-On Fun
* Literary Philadelphia
* Haunted Philly
* Left of Center
* India Meets Philadelphia

Vegetarian Food in Philly

Jason — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:44:40 +0000

Be sure to check out our eventual restaurants page. In the meantime, for vegetarians, check out Gridskipper and a recent article of top vegetarian spots in the city at http://gridskipper.com/travel/philadelphia/top-picks-going-veggie-in-philly-299017.php.

Social Event Details Announced

Jason — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:30:02 +0000

We’re planning a truly unforgettable social event for IETF 71. Check out the newly published social page here or click the Social link on the navigation bar above. The social will take place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with access to the main museum’s collections, as well as a special Frida Khalo exhibit. There will be an open bar with premium beers, wine, and liquor, as well as great food that ranges from Mexican-themed items related to the exhibit, sushi, lamp, beef, chicken, shrimp, and vegetarian selections.

Hotels at IETF 71

Jason — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:11:27 +0000

We have created a detailed page with hotel information for attendees. You can check that out by clicking the link above, or going here. Please let us know if you have any unanswered hotel questions!

Please take special note of the fact that the Philadelphia Flower Show is taking place the weekend before the IETF. This may booking a room for Saturday night somewhat challenging, so please read all of the information on the hotel page and book as soon as possible.

Traveling to IETF 71

Jason — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 05:19:45 +0000

We have created a detailed page with travel logistics for attendees. You can check that out by clicking the link above, or going here. Please let us know if you have any unanswered travel questions!

Download the Social Venue Survey Results

Jason — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 20:00:18 +0000

Thank you to everyone who completed our social venue survey. As a result, we have selected the Philadelphia Museum of Art as the social venue. You can download a copy of the survey results, including all comments here.

IETF-71 Site Live

admin — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:46:23 +0000

Welcome to the IETF-71 website. We will soon be posting all of the relevant logistical information, as well as everything you need to know about the event. This will include such things as how to get downtown, where to eat, where to drink, etc. We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia next year!