One fare covers the airport leg
ZERO TO THREE's LEARN Conference runs 27 to 29 October at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The venue calendar lists the conference in Hall A on 28 and 29 October, and the organiser's programme opens with pre-conference sessions on Tuesday 27 October.
The organiser's Portland page gives the airport leg in one line. The MAX Red Line leaves Portland International Airport and reaches the Convention Center stop in about 35 minutes for $2.80. It runs every 15 to 30 minutes. The organiser's FAQ dates the car trip at 10 miles and 14 minutes. The venue publishes eight miles from PDX.
Book the flight to land by 10 a.m. The 35-minute ride puts the group at the hall before noon, with no car and no parking receipt.
What one tap buys
TriMet prices an adult fare at $2.80 and holds it for 2 1/2 hours from the tap. The same fare covers TriMet buses, MAX Light Rail and WES Commuter Rail. It also carries Portland Streetcar and C-TRAN local and regional buses at no additional charge. Spend $5.60 in a day and the rest of that day rides free. Spend $100 in a calendar month and the month follows.
Payment is a tap on the green Hop reader with a phone wallet or a contactless bank card. That route charges the adult fare and needs no card purchase. Children 6 and under ride free with a paying passenger.
The 2 1/2 hour window covers both legs of a downtown booking. The MAX Red, Blue and Green lines all stop at the Convention Center and reach downtown in roughly 10 minutes, so an airport ride downtown and a second ride out to the hall sit inside one fare.
Three properties inside a 12-minute walk
The organiser measures every distance from 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and lists three properties as walkable. Courtyard by Marriott Portland Downtown/Convention Center sits at 435 NE Wasco St, 0.3 miles and a 7-minute walk. Crown Plaza Portland-Downtown Convention Center sits at 1441 NE 2nd Ave, 0.4 miles and 9 minutes. Jupiter NEXT sits at 900 E Burnside St, 0.6 miles and 12 minutes.
A group that books one of the three drops the garage and the fare from the trip. These are the three shortest walks on the list.
Four downtown addresses and their ride times
The organiser's second list covers downtown. Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown, 319 SW Pine St, is 1.1 miles out with a 6-minute drive and a 10-minute MAX ride. Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland, 422 SW Broadway, is 1.3 miles with an 8-minute drive and a 12-minute MAX ride. Moxy Portland Downtown, 585 SW 10th Ave, is 1.5 miles with a 9-minute drive and a 13-minute MAX ride. Hampton Inn & Suites Portland-Pearl District, 354 NW 9th Ave, is 1.3 miles with an 8-minute drive and no rail time beside it.
A downtown booking runs an airport ride, a check-in and a second ride out to the Convention Center stop. Add the two times and check the total against the fare window.
The Tuesday that ends in pajamas
Tuesday 27 October decides whether a delegation needs Monday night. The three pre-conference forums start at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 3:30 p.m. The HealthySteps Symposium starts at 8:00 a.m. and finishes at 4:00 p.m. A group buying either is in Portland on Monday night.
The main programme opens that afternoon. A screening of Sankofa: Land. Root. Seed. Culture. Community. runs 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. and welcomes all attendees. The opening reception follows at 5:30 p.m. and closes at 7:00 p.m. The organiser bills it as a Llama Pajama Party and encourages pajamas.
Registration on the Tuesday opens at 7:00 a.m., closes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and runs to 6:30 p.m. Land by 1 p.m. and the 35-minute ride puts the group at the hall inside that closure. The desk reopens at 3 p.m., which leaves the badge, the screening and the reception in one afternoon.
Two clocks that set the nights
Wednesday 28 October opens with coffee in the exhibit hall from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. The day ends at a research and science plenary from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Thursday 29 October opens on the same clock, carries a keynote from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. and adjourns at 5:00 p.m.
A Tuesday arrival with the reception and a Friday checkout takes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. A group that skips the Tuesday reception arrives Wednesday morning and takes two nights.
What the building holds for a group
The venue states that MAX stops 300 times a day at its front door. Portland Streetcar's A Loop reaches the NE MLK and Hoyt stop every 15 minutes outside the main entrances. TriMet Bus Line 6 stops at NE MLK and Holladay.
The venue is cashless. Five ATMs sit inside, and a reverse ATM in the MLK Lobby loads a Visa card with no fee. LocketGo lockers at the MLK Lobby, the Holladay Lobby and the Ginkoberry Concourse take a mobile reservation and a credit card. A group parks bags there between a hotel checkout and a late flight.
The garage a car-free group skips
The venue's garage holds 800 spaces at $15 for up to 18 hours with no in-and-out privileges. Event days charge a dynamic $15 to $25 at entry. The venue states that it does not guarantee availability and recommends public transport on busy event days.
Wednesday 28 October carries two bookings in the building. LEARN holds Hall A, and the Functional Fabric Fair holds Halls B-C-D-E through 28 October. Both bookings sit in the building on that day.
The room question at the end
The organiser holds no block. Its hotels page states that the blocks are no longer available and that the seven listed properties are not part of the official ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference room block. A group books direct, and a walking-distance address keeps the car-free plan intact.