What meetups are potentially planned for this time?
There's a weekly meet up in Berkeley on Wednesdays and a weekly meet up in Mountain View. If you like, you could contact Nisan about having a monthly Berkeley meet up while you're in town.
Will there be a Rationality Bootcamp?
I really doubt it, but there might be some seminars run by the Center for Modern Rationality
Would it make sense to visit any of the "SI/LW houses", even if just to soak up the aura?
Absolutely. Visiting is the highest value thing I can think of to do in the Bay Area.
Where should I try to find a room?
I don't think staying with me would be optimal, but if you wish, I have a free bed in Berkeley.
Should I rent a car?
Yes. The SF/East Bay region is well serviced by public transit, but the South Bay is horrid for the same. You will save a lot of time going by car, just never take highway 101 unless it's after 2 in the morning.
What are your recommendations for less "touristy", underground sightseeing?
Climb a mountain. The Muir Woods are very pretty.
PM sent...
SF probably makes sense if you're visiting both Mountain View or Berkeley. It's also by far the most interesting place in the Bay Area. Depending on your finances and tourism plans it might not be worth paying the premium to be in SF over Berkeley.
You should probably rent a car for when you're in Palo Alto. In San Francisco, parking a car will probably cost $30/day. It's pretty painless getting from SF to Berkeley on BART, more painful to get to Mountain View from SF without a car.
It's about an hour plus/minus twenty minutes combined on the BART and Caltrain to get to Mountain View from somewhere in SF. I don't consider that painful.
So I'm visiting the Bay Area from April 17th-23rd, though I will be mostly busy with work from the 17th-19th. This will be my first visit to the area, and I'm trying to optimize my free time for potential LW/SI events or visits.
Brief background: I am a SI donor, and also a LW meetup organizer for the Research Triangle area in North Carolina (which has been on hiatus since last summer), through which I was introduced to Alicorn. I don't have a technical background, but am just starting to learn programming. I'm also entertaining the notion of transferring to a position with my company in Palo Alto, with the eventual potential for starting or joining a game company (or anything else that seems more interesting and profitable).
I will be staying at and working near a Hotel in Palo Alto at least until the 19th, and might try to find a nice place to stay through AirBnB (or a hostel) for the remaining time. Of course I might be more interested if you or someone you know has space to crash.
Of course, feel free to PM me instead of commenting.
Specific questions:
What meetups are potentially planned for this time? Will there be a Rationality Bootcamp? (I joined the Bay Area and Tortuga Google Groups and am watching out there, but wanted to ask here as well)
Would it make sense to visit any of the "SI/LW houses", even if just to soak up the aura?
Where should I try to find a room? SF seems to make sense if I'm making daily trips to either Mountain View or Berkeley.
Should I rent a car?
What are your recommendations for less "touristy", underground sightseeing? I found this which looks awesome. More like it!
Many thanks!