Travel Suggestions

[locitamd]

Thought it might be helpful to start a travel suggestion thread. Information that would be helpful: airport shuttle info, hotels close to the hospital, etc. Current med students as well as applicants might have a wealth of info.

To start, if anyone has information regarding UNC & Einstein, I'd be deeply appreciative.

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[valedictorian]

Which "Einstein" are you talking about?

 

[locitamd]

Oops: AE in the Bronx.

Also, heading to NC on Thursday so if anyone has any hotel recommendations, I could really use them. Thanks again.

 

[toxic-megacolon]

Thought it might be helpful to start a travel suggestion thread. Information that would be helpful: airport shuttle info, hotels close to the hospital, etc. Current med students as well as applicants might have a wealth of info.

To start, if anyone has information regarding UNC & Einstein, I'd be deeply appreciative.

If going to the University of Minnesota, your best bet is stay at the Radisson (the one on campus, at the resident rate they give you). You can take the light rail train directly from the airport to the Metrodome Station. From there, you can call the Radisson, and they'll pick you up and take you to the hotel with a free shuttle. Same thing to get back to the rail station/airport. Paying 1.75 for a train ticket sure beats the 30 bucks for a cab or rental car!

 

[fishmonger69]

if you're using airline miles construct your trip to have multiple cities. as long as you never come back to your home airport you can travel the entire trip on 1 free ticket. i know this works on delta, continental. you may have to jump on the horn to get it done, but it can save beaucoup bux. good luck.

 

[Espion]

If you are going to Kansas City, bear in mind that the airport is way north of the med center (or at least it felt that way). At any rate, a taxi will be expensive. I stayed at the Ghetto Inn (*ahem* the Sun Inn) which is directly across the street from the building in which you will interview. (I just walked across the street and left my rental car in the hotel parking lot.) There are nicer hotels, but this one was so convenient and not that terrible.

I also highly recommend taking them up on their offer to let a resident pick you up for the social the night before. The PD's house is rather hard to find. And if you somehow end up in Missouri in the dark, good luck with all the one-way streets. You'll need it.

 

[locitamd]

Just came back from an interview and have a few thoughts:
The Holiday Inn Express although cheaper ($10) than the regular Holiday Inn is not actually in Chapel Hill like the name claims; it's in Durham. If you stay in any of the hotels on Rt 54 (Hamptons Inn, Best Western, etc) then it's probably a good idea to rent a car. I got one from Enterprise for $50 and it's a quick 20 min drive from the airport to Chapel Hill.

One other thing about the interview: the pre-interview social wasn't dinner (lots of standing around milling with residents) and although informative, left most of us pretty hungry. You might want to nibble on something before you go. g'luck!

 

[Espion]

For what looks like the one other person traveling to Univ of Nebraska...

I stayed at the Wingate Hotel, which will provide a complimentary shuttle from the airport as well as a shuttle to the Upstream Brewery (where the social the night before is hosted). To get to the med center, I just called a cab the night before and had them meet me at 7:45. It'll cost ya around $12.

 

[shag]

If interviewing in multiple cities, considering spending the $50 to join one of the rental car "clubs". I used Hertz, and it was helpful in avoiding long lines and I often got free upgrades.

When trying to figure out where to stay, it is easiest to stay at the place recommeded by the program you are visiting. This is especially true if they have functions or are running a shuttle from the hotel. Otherwise, consider using mapquest to make sure that your hotel reservation is actually close to your interview location.

Call the residency office when making hotel reservations to ensure that you don't end up in a "roach motel" or in the red zone between 2 rival gangs. You want to visit the program as an interviewee, not as a trauma patient .