VISUAL '97
15-17 December 1997
Sea Lodge Hotel, San Diego, California, USA
The construction of VIS represents a radical departure from building conventional systems, and many novel, fundamental, and architectural issues will need to be addressed. The conference will focus attention on the application and management of visual information and will include, but is not restricted to, the following topics:
Accepted papers must be presented at the Conference with the presenting author registering as a delegate in order for the paper to be included in the proceedings. Conference proceedings will be published and distributed to participants at the conference. It is also planned to publish the papers in book form after the conference.
General Chair: Shi-Kuo Chang University of Pittsburgh USA E-mail: chang@cs.pitt.edu General Co-Chair: Tosiyasu Kunii University of Aizu Japan E-mail: kunii@u-aizu.ac.jp Program Chair: Ramesh Jain University of California San Diego, California, USA E-mail: jain@ece.ucsd.edu Program Co-Chairs: Clement Leung Victoria University of Technology Melbourne, Victoria, Australia E-mail: clement@matilda.vut.edu.au Arnold Smeulders University of Amsterdam The Netherlands E-mail: smeulder@fwi.uva.nl Local Arrangements Chair: Dr. Saied Moezzi University of California San Diego, California, USA E-mail: moezzi@ece.ucsd.edu
Visual '97 Conference Secretariat
c/o Ms. Edna Nerona (nerona@ece.ucsd.edu)
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of California
San Diego, California, USA
When members of the Malibu set need a vacation, they head for high-energy, yet charming, Laguna Beach. An hour and a half south of Los Angeles airport by freeway and lush canyon road, Laguna has it all: year-round mild temperatures posh hotels, fine restaurants, and perfect white sands sprinkled over seven miles of idylic beaches and coves.
All roads in the central village converge on bustling MAIN BEACH, the seashore that for many is Laguna Beach. Visitors stroll its promenade, newlyweds get cozy under umbrellas, seniors rest on the wrought iron; teenage girls flaunting their natural sun streaks hide behind Oakley sunglasses, while the guys gather on the sand to spike volleyballs and sip fruit smoothies between sets. Although parking is limited, the accommodations are not -- restrooms, showers, telephones, and frozen yogurt are all within barefoot walking distance. The area is a natural bird reserve, with a close-up view of pelicans, herons, and cormorants.
For a quieter seaside experience, residents picnic at VICTORIA BEACH, one of the least populated public beaches. Hidden at the foot of Victoria Drive, down a few short flights of steps, Victoria Beach is the perfect bodysurfing spot, giving wave riders the ride of their lives. Sunbathers who want to shed their suits head for PARADISE COVE, the town's unofficial nude beach. Divers appreciate WOOD'S COVE, where a huge boulder on the north end was once used as a diving platform. Board surfers ride the waves at THALIA and BROOKS STREET BEACHES, but many international surfers prefer SALT CREEK BEACH or trudge the endless stairs to 1000 STEPS, both with long high breaking waves.
Laguna became renowned as an art colony in 1918, about the same time that California impressionists of the plein air school were painting the sleepy town's misty coves and unique flora. Today the LAGUNA ART MUSEUM (714-494-6531) houses one of the country's most important collections of plein air painters.
Hollywood discovered the beauty of Laguna even before World War 1, and by 1920 the LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE (714-494-8021) had opened as a live performance stage for silent-screen actors. Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and Rudolph Valentino all lived in Laguna; in more recent years the town has been the home to Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand.
The shopping village houses more than 90 art galleries, antiques shops, and consignment stores. For those fueling up for a good browse (many of the galleries open around 10 A.M.), CAFE ZINC (714-497-5282) requires standing in line, but the wait pays off with rich coffee and incomparable huevos rancheros with papaya salsa. Businesspeople who work on Forest Avenue prefer the comfort of RENAISSANCE (714-497-5282) known for its parfait of granola, fruit, and yogurt, and its simple but magnificent latte rich with frothed nonfat milk.
At lunch, hungry art lovers and tourists climb the little hill to LAS BRISAS (714-497-5434) for margaritas and a tostada -- the view is extraordinary, the mariachi music soothes, and the tequila lets everyone forget that the food isn't great. Neither the food nor the view disappoints at SPLASHES (714-497-4477), where out-of-towners and residents lunch on lamb salad, thyme fries, steak sandwiches, and vegetable panini. Surfers head to TACO LOCO, a fast-food stand serving blackened calamari, swordfish, tacos, and mushroom and tofu quesadillas.
Dinner is casual at any of these spots, but it gets a little dressier at the TOWERS RESTAURANT (714-497-4477) nine floors above the water (and above Splashes) at the Surf and Sand Hotel. The menu is sophisticated, with such entrees as lobster souffle soup with scallop carpaccio and vegetable charlotte with spinach and wild mushrooms. Chef Michael Kang's FIVE FEET (714-497-4955) is Laguna's answer to Wolfgang Puck's Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. The catfish beats Puck's at this tiny (reserve a table as soon as you decide to go) art-filled eatery. The two-story SORRENTO GRILLE (714-494-8686) has American bistro fare.