Consider taking this opportunity to combine the conference with an exploration of the numerous spectacular areas in Northern California. There are a multitude of places to see and things to do.

Read about the history of Stanford University, location of CSHEMA2000.

Locally, around Palo Alto and Stanford University, there are museums, galleries, historic landmarks, the Stanford Shopping Center, award-winning restaurants of all ethnicities, and entertainment, many within walking distance of the conference site. For more complete descriptions, please refer to the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Web Site. Outdoor activities abound with miles of bicycling along scenic roads; hiking trails, tennis courts and several golf courses are within close proximity.

San Francisco is only 40 minutes from Stanford where the Giant's new downtown baseball stadium is opening this April, two blocks from the train station. The City (a favorite destination of visitors throughout the world) is known for its beautiful vistas, renowned restaurants and cuisines, theaters, galleries and museums, Union Square, cable cars, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Transamerica Pyramid, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park, Palace of Fine Arts and, of course, the legendary Golden Gate Bridge (just to name a few!). For more information about San Francisco, please refer to www.sfousa.com.

The Wine Country is located about 90-120 minutes north of Palo Alto where there are hundreds of wineries, as well as wonderful restaurants, spas, bicycling and more. For information concerning the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, refer to www.napavalley.com and www.sonoma.com.

For the nature lovers, you might consider the Coast southwest of Stanford, only 60-90 minutes away. Hiway 1 will thread you past Ano Nuevo, the nation's largest Elephant Seal Reserve, into Santa Cruz, with great beaches and the Boardwalk; Monterey, with the extraordinary Monterey Aquarium and historic Cannery Row; quaint Carmel, with the 17-mile drive, Pebble Beach, shops, restaurants and beaches; and breathtaking Big Sur, with perhaps some of the most dramatic coastline in California. For more information refer to www.gomonterey.com or www.monterey.com.

And if it's the mountains you want, picturesque Lake Tahoe is about four hours away, as is Yosemite National Park (please note that reservations should be made well in advance for Yosemite as space is limited).