GrCI Workshop Details

Hotel Accomodations

GrCI does not make hotel arrangements or set aside blocks of rooms. But many of the hotels nearby will give you a better rate just for asking for the “Cal Poly Rate.” Here is a short list of hotels where other workshop attendees have stayed in the past. Hotels in Pismo Beach or Morro Bay are a nice option if you'd like to stay by the ocean—both are approximately 20 minutes from campus. Rates are approximate. Confirm with hotel directly.

Parking at Cal Poly

If you choose to drive your rental car or personal vehicle on the Cal Poly campus to visit the Graphic Communication Institute, please see the important parking information that follows: There are a limited number of parking meters available, but most are for 90 minutes only—so it's best to arrange ahead of time for a “Sponsored Guest” parking permit, which will allow you to park for the entire day in any Sponsored Guest, Staff or General parking space (Please contact GrCI at least 1 week in advance of your arrival to request a Sponsored Guest parking permit). If you have arranged for a parking permit ahead of time, you can pick it up when you first enter campus by stopping at the Visitor Center booth on Grand Avenue, located on your right as you enter campus. From 8 - 10 am this booth can be quite busy, so please allow 5-10 minutes for this process during peak periods.

If you have not made arrangements in advance for a parking pass or if the Visitor Center is closed, please purchase your own “General” parking pass from one of the machines located on campus. General use parking permits can be purchased at several locations, such as the bottom floor of the parking garage or in many of the larger parking lots on campus. Unfortunately, none of these machines are located near the GrCI classroom in building 26 - your best option is to enter the parking garage (on the left approximately 400 yards after the Visitors Center), drive down to the bottom floor, purchase your pass, then drive back up to the top floor and exit the garage. (You may also park in this garage and walk; exit from the bottom floor and take the sidewalk to Perimeter, cross the street and walk left down the hill to building 26.)

For another parking option that is slightly closer to building 26, from the Visitors Center continue west on Grand Avenue until it stops at a stop sign. Make a left onto Perimeter Road heading south until the road ends at College Avenue. Turn left onto this one-way street, then make the left turn at the yield sign onto Campus Way. Bear slightly left as you pass through the stop sign to proceed onto Cuesta Avenue; more parking spaces are available on both the left and right sides of Cuesta Ave. If you park on Cuesta, just walk down the hill until you meet Perimeter Road, cross the street then turn right and walk about 100 yards to building 26.

Once you've located building 26, the entrance closest to the GrCI/ RR Donnelley Learning Center (room 221) is at the northeast corner of the building (along Perimeter, near the recycling containers - see the photo shown below); this entrance will bring you in on the second floor of the building right next to room 221. If entering from the ground floor entrance at the southeast corner of building 26 (under the big KCPR-FM sign), take the hallway on the right until it ends then either walk up the stairs or take the elevator to the second floor.