Planning your Visit
I compiled these links in Spring 2001 when we hosted the American Scientific
Affiliation Annual Meeting here. I hope you find the info useful if you're
planning to visit our home. Manhattan is a small town, but
with its large state university enjoys many amenities unusual in towns
of its size. We've tried to gather here in one place links to local
and regional sites of interest, as well as give you some quick answers
to common travel questions, like "how do I get
there?" and "where should we stay?", not to
mention "what's the weather like?"
and where can I shop and eat.
Please look through this site and let me
know if there are any broken links; there's a good deal more to Manhattan
than meets the eye, and most of it is easily accessible from the KSU campus,
even without a car.
Local Contacts:
Childcare Coordinator
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Ian Douglas Miller
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If your interests include playgrounds, trains, swimming pools and Gummi
Worms, confer with Ian!
Housing options for students: stay at the Konza
Prairie.
Kansas City International Airport construction news: see Transportation.
Photos and brief descriptions of the academic buildings are available through
this link; see the live map for
relative positions. Our talks will be held in the K-State Union;
we will worship Sunday in All-Faiths Chapel. Other sites of interest
include the Marianna Kistler Beach Art Museum, Cardwell Hall (Physics),
Ackert Hall (Biology) and the Dairy Barns (now center of the KSU Gardens.)
The dorms we'll use (Haymaker, Derby complex) are
the group of large buildings at the right edge of the map.
Links to Local Places to Visit
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The Land Institute
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Konza Prairie Biological Station
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Kansas State University Butterfly
House: greenhouse, butterfly house and insect zoo, all on KSU campus.
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Kansas
State University Gardens: a large variety of different gardens, a lovely
place to see God's handiwork.
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Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Hazardous
Substance Research Center
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BioServe Space Technologies
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Eighth Day Books: the proprietor
of this wonderful store will bring some of his wares to sample at our conference.
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Sunset Zoo, Manhattan
(approx 1 mile from KSU) a small but diverse zoo with large spaces for
the animals. A chimpanzee family, snow leopards and a walk-thru kangaroo
and wallaby enclosure.
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Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art
(KSU Campus): "Taking Root: the Art of Patricia Duncan" will be on exhibit;
this artist specializes in portrayals of the prairie. The museum
is open Tues-Sat 10-5, Thurs 'til 8:30 pm, and Sun 1-4 pm.
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J.R. MacDonald Lab
(KSU Physics Dept) atomic, molecular and optical physics research, including
particle accelerators
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TRIGA Nuclear Reactor
(KSU MNE Dept) a research nuclear reactor used here since 1962 and open
to tours
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American Institute of Baking (next
to KSU Campus): where commerical bakers learn the trade
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Manhattan Christian College (next to
KSU Campus): our small undergraduate Bible college, affiliated with the
Christian Church.
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Tuttle
Creek Lake, just outside Manhattan: hiking, swimming, canoeing, birdwatching,
beaverwatching if you're really lucky!
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Jeffrey Energy Center: Kansas' largest electricity generating plant (coal-fueled),
about 30 mins east of Manhattan, is also the site of an experimental
wind farm, two turbines generating approximately 3.6 million kWh of
electricity annually. A visitors' center is open at the turbine site;
tours of the coal plant can be arranged by contacting Terry Biswell, Jeffrey
Energy Center, 785-456-6102.
Recreation Possibilities
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KSU has a fine Recreation Complex,
including indoor swimming pool, weight and exercise equipment, squash,
handball and basketball courts, two indoor tracks and acres of playing
fields. Cost: $4/person/visit to the Rec Complex; $2/person/visit
to the pools.
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Manhattan has several public swimming pools, and one (City Pool in City
Park) is within a 1/2 mile of campus. Hours: 1 pm - 8:45 pm; adult
lap swimming available after 5:30 pm. Cost: approx $2/person.
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Manhattan's City Park also has tennis courts, a basketball court, playground,
baseball diamonds and an outdoor concert stage--all public access at no
cost.
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Check out the Quinlan Natural Area near the dorms, or the KSU
Gardens for some quiet retreat time, or ask Ruth how to find Linear
Trail for a longer walk--all around Manhattan if you want to!
Nearby Cities
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Salina Chamber of Commerce (hotels,
map, airport): location of The Land Institute.
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Topeka, the state capitol: click
"About Topeka" for a list of attractions, including the Kansas Museum of
History, Gage Park, the Topeka Zoo and the Capitol building, modelled directly
after the one in Washington DC.
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Abilene: President Eisenhower's
home and library, Greyhound Hall of Fame and Museum of Independent Telephony.
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Council Grove--some beautiful old
buildings, an inn, restaurant and historic site.
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Wamego--an authentic Dutch windmill, Historical Society and the beautifully
preserved Columbian Theatre.
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Sternberg Museum of Natural History
in Hays, KS (3 hr drive west of Manhattan) is well worth the visit if you're
coming overland to Manhattan from the west or have extra time before or
after the meeting. Recreation of life in Cretaceous Kansas, from
the sea to the beaches; home of the famous "fish-within-a-fish" fossil.
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Omaha, Nebraska is about 3 hrs' drive
north of Manhattan and is home to the Henry
Doorly Zoo, whose Lied
Jungle rainforest exhibit is truly spectacular.
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Wichita, Kansas is 2.5 hrs' drive
south of Manhattan and is Kansas' main "Big City". Exploration
Place is a brand-new childrens' museum there; the Botanical
Gardens are also worth a visit. Kansas' greatest bookstore (in
our humble opinion), Eighth Day
Books is here; if you visit, allow yourself lots of browsing time.
Wichita's airport is one route to Manhattan if you're coming from the south.
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Lawrence, Kansas,
1.75 hrs' drive east of Manhattan, 20 mins east of Topeka, is the home
of that Other University in Kansas.
KU's not all bad; it's the home of an excellent Natural
History Museum and of Monarch
Watch. Lawrence is also full of good eateries and specialty shops,
as well as several major outlet stores, if you're so inclined.
Transportation
Air Travel into:
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Rent a car and drive (2.5 hrs to Manhattan) or take the KCI
Roadrunner Shuttle.
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KCI is in the middle of a major upgrade project. The airport warns
of potential delays in getting into the airport by car and suggests you
may want to allow an extra 1/2 hour of time getting in. It is not
clear how much this will affect people arriving by plane. I suggest
you check the KCI website
before leaving, and inquire on check-in which terminal your flight is scheduled
to arrive at in KCI. At present (April) only Terminal A is affected.
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USAir Express flies six flights daily directly into Manhattan from Kansas
City. Airplanes are turboprop commuters (20 passengers)
and flight time is about 1/2 hour. The flight schedule is on the website
(link above). From the Manhattan Airport, it's a 5-minute drive
to KSU campus. Rent a car, call
a cab, or make arrangements with us
to pick you up.
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US Air Express flies one early morning flight from Salina, KS and one late-night
flight to Salina daily except Sunday.
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You can fly into Salina Airport from Kansas City
(USAir Express) or Denver (United Express).
Airplanes are turboprop commuters (20 passengers) and flight time from
MCI is about 45 mins; from Denver it would be a bit longer. From
Salina, it's a 1.25 hr drive to KSU campus. Rent
a car.
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If you want to stay in Salina, see The
Land Institute's website or the Salina
Chamber of Commerce for hotels and transportation information.
Ground Transportation
Maps and written directions for driving to KSU from Kansas City are available
from the KSU
College of Engineering. Please note on the
map of Manhattan that the KSU Union, site of our meeting, is north
of Anderson Ave at 17th St, a bit south of the labelled Engineering Complex.
On the map
of KSU Campus, the Union is labelled Visitor Information Booth.
The Ramada Inn is on the south side of Anderson
at 17th St. The University hosts a "live"
campus map that you can click on to zoom in and see names and photos
of buildings. ASA is using Moore Hall, part of the Derby dorm complex
on the northeast corner of campus, for housing, breakfast and dinner, and
evening meetings.
Car Rental Companies
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Avis: 1-800-831-2847 (Manhattan, Salina)
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Hertz: 1-800-654-3131 (Manhattan, Salina)
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Enterprise: 1-800-325-8007 (Manhattan)
Cab Companies
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Bell Taxi/Yellow Cab, Manhattan, 785-537-3700 or 1-800-826-8274
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Super Cab, Salina, 785-825-6541
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City Cab, Salina, 785-825-8294
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Provides door-to-door round-trip service from Manhattan and Topeka to Kansas
City International Airport. 10 runs/day; $72 round-trip, discounts
for seniors, students, children and families. Driving time is 2 -
2.5 hours. Call ahead to reserve a seat: 1-800-747-2KCI
Housing
There are a number of Bed -&-Breakfast inns available as well as conventional
hotels near campus. A short list is provided here; a longer list with phone
numbers is on the Manhattan
Chamber of Commerce website. A
map on that website shows location of hotels and Bed-&-Breakfast
Inns in Manhattan, or see the Kansas Bed
and Breakfast Association.
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Ramada Inn: 785-539-7531, 1-800-962-0014 --this one is immediately across
from the KSU Union.
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Casement Inn B&B: (785) 776-6037
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Guest Haus B&B: (785) 776-6543
after 4 p.m.
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Morningstar B&B:
(785) 587-9703 after 4 p.m.
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Prairie Flower B&B: (785) 537-0986
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Windmill Inn B&B (approx
45 mins W of Manhattan, or halfway to Salina): 785-263-8755
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Lost Sheep Farm (approx 25
mins from Manhattan, in Leonardville): 785-293-4471
Attention Students:
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The Konza Prairie Biological Station has rooms available in the farmhouse
(with A/C) at $10/night, priority to students. Also, camping is permitted
at the Konza Station; there is toilet and shower access; cost is $3/site.
For either option, contact the Konza
office directly: Telephone: 785-587-0441, Fax: 785-532-6653, konza@ksu.edu
It is a 10-15-minute drive from the Konza facilities to KSU campus, so
you'd need to have a vehicle. It is a pleasant bike ride.
Weather in
Manhattan in Summer
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Temperatures will most likely be in the 90's during the day. Evening
temperatures will be in the 70's, and whether the lows drop into the 60's
at night will depend on God's whims with us.
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Rain is unlikely, and if it comes it is likely to be thunderstorms in the
late afternoon/evening and/or early morning. July is outside the
typical season for really violent weather, so you shouldn't need ruby slippers,
though a rain slicker may come in handy.
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A very slim possibility exists for an extended cool, cloudy period--we
get these when the Gulf kindly sends the remnants of a hurricane our way.
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A slightly more likely happening is a cool front out of Canada, which would
lower temperatures into the 80's for a few days. Don't plan on it.
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It may surprise some of you to know that Kansas entered the Union in 1861,
and entered the 21st century at the same time as the rest of the world.
We even have indoor plumbing. Yes, ALL indoor venues are air-conditioned,
and you will probably want a sweater or jacket indoors!
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If you're checking Weather.com prior
to the meeting, our Zip Code is 66502.
There are numerous excellent eateries within easy walking distance of KSU
campus. Shopping for Wildcat memorabilia is also within walking distance
if you are so inclined.
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"Aggieville" is the shopping and dining area bounded by 11th and 14th Streets,
Bluemont Ave and Laramie St, just south and east of campus. Wander
about, check out the Dusty Bookshelf Used Book Store, and stop in Espresso
Royale or Java Bakery (coffee shop, soup and sandwiches.) The Mercado
sells imported foods: jams, jellies, coffees, teas and spices. For
lunch or dinner, check out the Texas Star (Tex-Mex), Hibachi Hut (Cajun)
or Coco Bolos (Mex-New Mex). If you have a little time, Say
Cheese, in Cobbler's Alley, serves gourmet soup and sandwiches and sells
fine imported cheeses. Rusty's Last Chance has been named the best
barbeque place in the state, and has a smoke-free room available.
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Manhattan Town Center, our mall, is right downtown at 3rd and Poyntz Ave,
our main street. Along Poyntz between 5th St and the mall are specialty
shops for clothing, toys, outdoor gear, Western wear, etc.
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A Food for Less Supermarket is at 6th and Humboldt, across from the US
Post Office.
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Westloop Shopping Center on the west side of town (Anderson and Seth Childs)
and K-Mart/Walmart/Staples on the east side (Tuttle Creek Dr and/or E Hwy
24) are each a couple miles from campus.
Questions or comments about this page? E-mail me:
Ruth
Douglas Miller.