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Conference Program

For Attendees

Attendees: Banquet Information

The SIGMOD/PODS Banquet will be held Wednesday July 1st at the Newport Yachting Center in historic Newport Rhode Island.

Pickup for the banquet will be from 17:30 to 18:00 at the Westin Streetside.

Attendees will enjoy a seaside New England Lobster Boil (non-seafood and vegetarian options are available) at the Newport Yachting Center, located in the heart of downtown Newport. The picturesque location offers an unparalleled waterfront experience with breathtaking views of historic Newport Harbor, dotted with sailboats and the iconic Newport Bridge. The Yachting Center’s location is steps from Newport’s famed cobblestone streets, lined with quaint shops, restaurants and galleries.



Tour Option I: Harbor Cruise
Sit back and enjoy the beautiful sights of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay aboard the luxurious Vista Jubilee, Newport's premier luxury yacht for charter.  A professional tour guide will point out the spectacular sights during your one hour tour. The ship’s full service beverage and snack bar is always available throughout the cruise. The first class amenities of the Vista Jubilee combined with the unsurpassed beauty of Rhode Island's Newport Harbor & Narragansett Bay make for an unforgettable experience on the bay.


Tour Option II: Scenic Narrated Tour of Newport 
A visit to Newport would not be complete without a tour of the area. The narrated tour will include the colonial section, with its many authentic historical buildings and restored homes...the world famous Ten Mile Ocean Drive, renowned for the rugged beauty of its spectacular coastline...and Bellevue Avenue, the most magnificent collection of homes in the country, where the millionaires built their fabulous ʺsummer cottagesʺ. 
 

A Brief History of Newport

Newport was founded less than 20 years after the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, MA. Rhode Island was the only colony with religious freedom – founded by Roger Williams, so many people including those from the Massachusetts Bay settlement came to Newport. By the 1700’s there was about 10,000 people in Newport and it was rated one of the five richest cities in America along with Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Charleston, its sister city.  

In 1775, during the War for independence, 10,000 British troops came to the town of Newport and stayed for about 2 ½ years. Because of the very cold winters, there was a strong need for firewood; the British troops used half the colonial homes in Newport for firewood. Eventually they left due to the cold winter. Many of the colonial homes that were left standing are still here today and marked with a plaque with the year it was built. Sometime afterwards, the French soldiers brought 8,000 troops to Newport and stayed only for 1 year. Even today the taverns and headquarters that they frequented are still standing.

Newport then became a quiet fishing village for about 100 years. So, when the big factories and textiles came to Providence and other areas in Rhode Island, Newport remained unspoiled. The city then was found by the NY millionaires to get out of the city and became an area for their elaborate summer homes. Hundreds of millionaires came to Newport via steamships. This time became known as the “Gilded Age,” which continued until WWI. During this time, palaces were built on Bellevue Avenue to house the rich, including the Vanderbilts & Astors, for two-to‐six weeks out of the summer. Newport became the Queen of resorts. Newport’s “Gilded Age” lasted a generation and a half due to the instatement of taxes in 1913, the Stock market crash in 1920, the invention of the automobile, air conditioning and eventually, airplanes, which could fly the rich to tropical destinations.

From the 1940’s to the1960’s the “palaces” were vacant and some turned into schools. Most palaces became vacant again and after the Navy left Newport, the town was left very rundown. Finally, in the 1960’s and 70’s Newport had a huge recovery, including the building of the Pell Bridge (better known as the Newport Bridge) built in 1969.

Today Newport is a haven for tourists from all over the world. Newport now has 25,000 residents with a flow of about 4.5 million visitors per year. Now a contemporary city with a rich heritage, Newport has something for almost everyone ‐ from mansion tours, to tennis history, lovely beaches, sailing, the world‐famous ʺCliff Walkʺ, interesting shops and restaurants, museums, and art and jazz festivals.


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