It’d be with the X-ray clusters/scaling relations/SZ people (so you can probably take a guess at names from that… 
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I have lots more questions for people, but right now I have to get a fellowship application sorted (no taking anything for granted over here!), so I’ll be back later to ask more/answer things…
OK, so it seems I’m going to be visiting Huntsville soon then. The tentative dates that I’d be meeting with the group are 16/17/18 Feb… So, anyone up for catching some dinner?
I should be free at least one of those nights.
When you have a better idea of when your free let me know, maybe scr4 or other dopers will be free as well.
Hope to see you in about a month!
Osip
Sounds good to me! I’m hoping to fly in on the Sunday and give a seminar on the Monday if that works for my hosts, so maybe, depending on when my flight gets in, dinner on the Sunday night?
Reasonable people can disagree as to what constitutes significant cultural opportunities.
I am not slamming Huntsville, just trying to offer a realistic view. Rachmaninoff died in 1943. I am glad your m-i-l got a chance to see him, but the chances of a return engagement for him are, shall we say, slender. The justifiably famous Alabama Shakespeare Festival is in Montgomery, 200 miles from Huntsville. As for F. Scott and Zelda, I don’t know where they met, but I hope things work out for those crazy kids.
And yes, Alabama does have beautiful beaches, although as you pointed out they are 7 or 8 hours away. So moving to Huntsville for its beaches would be a bit like moving to Zurich…for its beaches. In fact, Zurich is a quite a bit closer to the beach than Huntsville is. Huntsville isn’t even on the interstate highway system, for heaven’s sake. (Yes, I am aware of the 565 spur).
Huntsville may be a lot of things, but a cultural mecca it ain’t. There are plenty of unsophisticated ways to have a good time in the greater Huntsville metropolitan area. Pack a sack lunch and head out to the Wheeler Dam to watch the gravity locks letting the boat traffic up and down the Tennessee River. Or grab your checkbook and head up to Scottsboro to the Unclaimed Baggage Center, the largest lost luggage thrift store in the US. But if you see a shady character scalping Rachmaninoff tickets outside the Von Braun Center, just keep walking.
Angua, I hope you enjoy your trip to Huntsville and that you will share your impressions when you return.
Wonderful when the time gets nearer we can figure out the when and where.
Looking forward to it!
I should be free on those days, and probably my wife a well - we’d would love to join you for dinner. Keep us posted…
And be sure to let your host(s) know that you won’t be renting a car, so they can make arrangements for transport and/or convenient lodging. Unfortunately the only lodging that’s arguably within walking distance of NSSTC is the university’s Bevill Center, about 1km away. But there’s nothing else nearby (stores, restaurants, etc), and a recent guest of our group who stayed there didn’t seem to like it very much. My suggestion would be to get a hotel in a more convenient location, and have someone give you a ride to/from there every day. My personal choice would be the Fairfield Inn - my parents stayed there several times and it seemed nice. I suppose The Westin is an even more convenient location (part of a newly completed shopping complex), but I understand it’s pretty expensive.
OK, it looks like the Sunday is out – am getting in around 10:30 in the evening (and being met by my potential new boss at the airport – so no pressure there!). My hotel is apparently on campus, so I won’t be renting a car – so I guess it’ll be the Bevill Center. Am not sure how the rest of my visit will pan out, so we may have to play it by ear a bit.
I worked in Huntsville for one summer, twenty years ago, so things have probably changed. But when I left, I told several people that if I was never addressed as “little lady” again, it would still be too soon. I had a coworker (at a big defense contractor) say to me, “You go to MIT? Is your Daddy, like, president of the university?” At least he knew what it was. It boggles my mind that there are people with engineering degrees in this country who honestly have never heard of MIT.
All that said, when I had occasion to interact with people at Marshall, it felt like coming home. They were much, much less provincial.
Good luck in your search!
By ear will be fine by me. My schedule is rather open in the evenings. I sent a PM with my cell number.
Osip
Cheers. I did get your PM and was meaning to respond, but got so caught up with work! I’ll post again/make phonecalls when I know what’s going on.