This page is intended to help you find answers to some of your questions. 
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Getting to the Venue

• How to get to NIH.
  • NIH's official Visitor Information site & Getting to NIH page.  
  • Tips on using Public Transportation

    • Please note that visitor parking is extremely limited, so participants areencouraged to use public transportation.
    • The Metrorail subway system (Metro .M.) has the convenient (red line) Medical Center Metro Station at the entrance to the NIH Campus.  Note: Metro provides trip planning tools (including schedules and maps) which may help you learn about this system. 
    • Additional public transportation information is available, such as Metrobus and the Montgomery County Ride On Bus and Transit Services
  • Taxi/Rideshare

    • The Washington DC area has very good and a lot of taxi and ridesharing (Uber/Lyft) services available.
    • If you get a ride to NIH, ask to be dropped off at the Medical Center Metro Station - which is right in front of the NIH Gateway Visitor entrance.
  • Some Parking Information

    • For visitors who drive to campus, enter the NIH Gateway Center complex through "NIH Gateway Drive," just south of the intersection of South Drive and Rockville Pike (a.k.a. Wisconsin Avenue or Route 355).
    • The NIH Gateway complex houses a 342-space, multi-level underground parking garage (MP-11). This visitor-only lot is the primary visitor parking for the NIH main campus.   
    • The cost to park in this lot is $2 per hour for the first three hours, $12 maximum for the entire day. This is the same rate currently charged for all visitor parking at the NIH.
    • Once you have parked in this lot, make your way up to the NIH Gateway Visitor Center.

• How to get into campus.
  • All visitors must enter via the NIH Gateway Visitor Center.

    • Please allow at least 45 minutes for passing through NIH security, as sometimes there are lines on days with scheduled on-campus conferences and other events.
    • Visitors will be required to show one form of identification (a government-issued photo ID such as a driver's license, passport, green card, etc.), to state the purpose of their visit and bags will be will be screened.
    • In preparation for your arrival, you are encouraged to review the detailed Campus Access and Security requirements.

• Making your way to the BioEd Summit!

  • After you get through the NIH Gateway Visitor Center, you should make your way to the event at the Natcher Conference Center.
    
    • This is a 5-minute walk from the NIH Gateway Visitor Center (see map below)
    • or a short trip on the (purple) Campus Limited shuttle bus which you can hop on - just behind the NIH Gateway Center and take to the first stop.

At the Natcher Conference Center (Building 45)

The Natcher Building, completed in 1994, includes office space for 600 NIH Staff from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the state-of-the-art multi-use Natcher Conference Center.  The Natcher Conference Center hosts events such as meetings, workshops, multi-day conferences, exhibitions, scientific counselor sessions, broadcasted and interactive teleconferences, and multi-language, simultaneous interpretation meetings and serves 315,00 to 360,000 patrons per year.

Travel Support from the NNLM Region 3 Office

We are particularly grateful for the NLM Office of Engagement & Training and the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Region 3 Regional Medical Library (RML) for their support for this event.
If you have been awarded travel funds to participate in the BioEd Summit, please work with these great folks for reservations and reimbursements. Please work through their website and contact them directly, if you have any questions or need assistance.  

Tips for getting around & things to do

• Transit Tips
  • Getting around the NIH Campus

    • NIH is a very walkable campus. There's even a "HeartWalk" with a map for you to follow marked off in the map and on the pavement (reportedly) in 0.1 mile increments.
    • If you want to plan ahead, there is a virtual tour of the campus!
    • NIH Shuttles for transit around the NIH Campus
  • Getting around the Washington DC Metro area

    • The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) provides trip planning tools (including schedules and maps) for the Metro train/subway .M  as well as Metrobus systems. Using either or both of these public transit options is a really convenient way to get around Washington DC and to many areas in the Maryland and Virginia Suburbs. 
    • Additional public transportation information is available - such as the Montgomery County Ride On Bus and Transit Services.
    • Rideshare services, such as Uber & Lyft, are plentiful and taxis are also available.
• Food Tips
  • Food places on the NIH campus

    • Natcher Conference Center
      • In the lobby there is a convenience store with snacks, some prepared foods, drinks and coffee.
      • There is a food court with several options for pre-made or to order sandwiches, salads, hot entress, sushi, soups and a small salad bar.
      • On occasion, there are even food trucks parked in the back of the building's green space.
    • You can walk or take a campus shuttle to other NIH food service facilities in Buildings 10, 31, or 35.
    • Apparently, NIH has same-day mobile ordering available with Eatify for pick up in Buildings 10, 31, or 35. (We don't know much about this just yet.)
  • Food places in Bethesda

    • Bethesda Urban Partnerhip has an up-to-date Dining Guide
    • Washingtonian Magazine has some recommended Best Restaraunts in Bethesda
    • And there's some great prepared foods at the local Harris Teeter & Trader Joe's

• Some fun things to do in Bethesda or around the Washington DC Metro area

  • The various Smithsonian Institution and Museums & The Spy Museum
  • National monuments
  • The Capital, Library of Congress, White House, etc.
  • The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • Paddle boats at the Tidal Basin
  • Great Falls (for hiking and rock climbing - VA & MD sides)