Practical Information
A Google Map with the locations of many of the places mentioned here has been prepared by presenter Periklis Georgiadis.
El Paso International Airport is served by nine airlines: American Airlines, US Airways/America West, Continental, Delta, Express Jet, Frontier, NWA/KLM, Southwest, and United.
The Hilton Garden Inn El Paso, SIGDOC 2007’s conference hotel, offers complimentary shuttle service from El Paso International Airport. Taxi service is also available. The drive from the airport to the hotel is about nine miles. Attendees can now make reservations for SIGDOC at the Hilton Garden Inn using the group code “ACM”.
El Paso’s elevation is about 4,000 feet and the climate is dry. Remember to avoid sunburn and to drink plenty of fluids.
Bridges to across the Rio Grande to Ciudad Juarez are on the south side of downtown El Paso, about two miles southwest of the hotel. American citizens can cross back and forth with a driver’s license; foreigners will need a passport. The El Paso Trolley Company, leaving from the Civic Center in downtown El Paso, offers convenient “border jumper” service to many popular locations in Juarez.
There are many restaurants within easy walking distance of the Hilton Garden. Most of these are in the Cincinnati entertainment district across Mesa Street from the University. Recommended restaurants include:
- Casa Jurado, 266 Cincinnati St., authentic Mexican food
- GeoGeske, 2701 North Stanton, a lively bar and grill
- Ardovino's Wine Gourmet: 206 Cincinnati, thin-crust pizzas
- Q8-Café,2400 North Oregon, Middle-Eastern cuisine
- Sinbad's Middle Eastern Café, 2716 N. Mesa, Middle Eastern cuisine
- Mesa Street Grill, 2525 North Mesa, El Paso, modern American cuisine
- Dane's Steak House, 2711 North Stanton, drinks and steaks, spendy
- Crawdaddy's Bar and Grill: 212 Cincinnati, Cajun cuisine
There are also numerous fast-food restaurants in the area, mostly on Mesa Street, north of University Avenue.
There are several good restaurants at some distance from UTEP, if you have a car. Recommended restaurants include:
- Mi Piaci Ristorante Italiano 5222 Doniphan Dr, currently the best restaurant in town, reservations essential
- Ardovino’s Desert Crossing, (our banquet site), 1 Ardovinos Dr, Sunland Park, NM, excellent upscale Italian cuisine, terrific location and ambiance
- Greenery Restaurant, Sunland Park Mall, huge menu ranging from Cordon-Bleu cuisine to sandwiches
- H&H Car Wash and Coffee Shop, 701 E. Yandell, hugely authentic Mexican food cooked right before your eyes, an El Paso institution—UTEP’s president takes people here (only open for breakfast and lunch)
- L&J Café, 3622 E. Missouri Ave., a rough-and-tumble tavern serving great Mexican food
- Billy Crews, 1200 Country Club Rd, Santa Teresa, NM, like eating in a country club restaurant circa 1965, received recent rave review in NY Times, extensive list of wines at reasonable prices
