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USMC at NPS - Getting here...
For
students checking in, you will report to the Marine Corps Detachment (MARDET)
at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) before reporting to NPS. The
MARDET Admin staff will help you settle your PCS/travel and provide you
with a check-in sheet. They will orient you to Monterey and getting
aboard NPS. However, this may help…
If you
fly directly into Monterey, it’s easy to get here from the airport,
because the airport is close to everything on the Monterey peninsula.
Exit the airport on Fred Kane Drive and turn right at the first traffic
light onto Highway 68 west. Pick up with directions from Highway
68 westbound (below).
If you
drive here (most likely scenario for students coming PCS or air
travelers flying into San Jose, San Francisco, etc.), you will arrive by
one of four overland highway routes:
- From the south you can come up on coastal Highway 1. It's very
scenic, although VERY slow going from San Louis Obispo through the Big
Sur area to Carmel with sharp bends in the road perched high above the
cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
- From the north you can come down on coastal Highway 1 from San
Francisco … that route is easier going than the trip north on Highway
1 from southern California … but equally scenic.
From
the east Monterey is bounded by mountains and there are two overland
highway options for getting to Monterey from the east:
- From Highway 101 northbound exit at Salinas, CA and following the
signs for Highway 68 westbound. The Monterey peninsula exit on
Highway 101 is marked as such and drops you off on Sanford Road in
Salinas. You go RIGHT at the end of the exit ramp and stay
straight on that road until you come to South Main Street where you go
LEFT onto Highway 68 westbound. Highway 68 merges with coastal
Highway 1 in Monterey. To get to NPS, take the Highway 1
southbound ramp (toward Santa Cruz) and follow the "To NPS from
Highway 1 Southbound" directions below.
- From Highway 101 southbound exit at Prunedale,
CA for
Highway 156 west (above Salinas). Highway 156 will merge with
Highway 1 southbound in Castroville, CA and you will just follow the
Highway 1 southbound to Monterey.
Note:
If you are coming in via "The 5" (I-5) northbound or
southbound, exit near Los Banos for Highway 33 westbound which will feed
you into Highway 152 westbound (Pacheco Pass Highway). Highway 152 will
merge with Highway 101 southbound just below Gilroy and you will follow
directions I’ve given above for Highway 101 southbound.
TO
NPS from Highway 1 Northbound:
On
Highway 1 northbound from Carmel,
exit at Aguajito Road in Monterey which is exit 401A.
Go STRAIGHT at the stop light at the end of the exit ramp onto Mark
Thomas Drive, and then go LEFT at the next traffic light onto Sloat Ave. The NPS main gate will be on your
RIGHT after passing under the Highway 1 overpass.
TO
NPS from Highway 1 Southbound:
On
Highway 1 southbound from Seaside take the Monterey exit at Freemont
Street. This is
right after the Highway 68 west exit. The Monterey exit ramp is a
two-lane exit; stay in the RIGHT-most lane and turn HARD RIGHT (180
degrees) onto 10th Street at the stop sign. If you don't stay all
the way to the right as you turn, you will be turning onto Aguajito Road
... so be sure to turn as far to the right as possible. Follow
10th Street all the way to the stop sign at the end and turn LEFT onto
Sloat Ave. Make the immediate RIGHT into the NPS gate entrance.
TO
NPS from Highway 68 Westbound:
At
the merge with Highway 1 in Monterey, take
the Highway 1 southbound ramp (toward Carmel) and follow the "To NPS
from Highway 1 Sorthbound" directions above.
TO
DLI MARDET (all students checking in)…
Use
above directions to navigate to Highway 1 and take the Del Monte Ave
exit (#402A
if northbound and #402B if southbound). Take Del Monte Ave
west PAST the NPS main gate and stay on Del Monte westbound until you
pass the main entrance to Old Fisherman’s Wharf on your right (you will
see the wharf sign as depicted above) and then move to the leftmost
lane. At the next traffic light you will go straight (you must be
in one of the left two lanes). At this intersection you will see
an old fishing boat on display to your right marking the west entrance
to the wharf. This is a five-way intersection with a hard right
turn into the wharf parking lot, and the two rightmost traffic lanes
curve to the right after the light and into a tunnel below some of the
wharf’s commercial property (this is Lighthouse Ave and will take you to
the Cannery Row area of John Steinbeck fame), and the two leftmost lanes
go straight downtown, and there’s a one-way road to the left called
Washington Street that feeds into the intersection.
IF you
end up going through the tunnel by accident: stay to the right after the
tunnel and exit onto Foam Street where the right two lanes veer right,
then go LEFT at the first light, then LEFT again to circle back ... then
make the first RIGHT turn (at the fork) after coming back out of the
tunnel heading east and you’ll be back where you want to be on Del Monte
Ave.
Back at
the five-way intersection at the west entrance to the wharf, go straight
to stay on Del Monte Ave and this will become a one-way street that goes
past the Doubletree Hotel and Monterey Convention Center to your right.
Go straight thru a few traffic lights until you cannot go straight
anymore (must go left or right at a final stop sign) and turn LEFT onto
Van Buren Street. At the next traffic light you will turn RIGHT onto
Franklin Street and follow it uphill all the way to the gate of DLI
(Franklin Street comes to a dead end at the DLI gate.)
Once
you pass through the gate to DLI at the top of Franklin Street, you will
make an immediate LEFT turn onto Rifle Range Road (you will see barracks
and administrative buildings on both side of the street.) The third or
fourth bldg on your left is the MARDET and you will see a large red sign
with the Eagle, Globe & Anchor and "MARDET" emblazoned on it. You want to turn LEFT to get
back to the MARDET parking area JUST BEFORE you pass the MARDET sign, so
be vigilant as soon as you turn LEFT onto Rifle Range Road from the
Franklin Street gate. There is a large parking lot behind the MARDET
for you to park and go check-in.
The
main entrance to the MARDET is marked by a bright red awning above it
and is about half-way down the oblong, barracks-like building. When you
enter you will go up a small flight of stairs and turn LEFT at the
passageway that runs perpendicular to the entry stairs. Go all the way
to the end of the passageway to the last portal on the LEFT and this is
where the Admin Shop’s customer service counter is located. Check-in
here.
After
the Admin Marines process you in, they will direct you to NPS for
check-in with me and the Dean of Students. I am located on the first
deck of Ingersoll Hall, room 116. Ingersoll is adjacent to the Dudley
Knox Library on the west end of the grassy quad aboard NPS.
The Dean of
Students and the Student Services Office is located in the basement of
Herrmann Hall which is the historic old Del Monte Hotel and the central
building on campus. The
Dean of Students will hold a consolidated check-in for all students in
the King Hall auditorium soon after your arrival. Here you will turn in
your medical and dental records and get all the gouge on your NPS tour.
If you
have any other questions about housing or the academic program, I would
first direct you to the NPS website for conducting your own recon and
have you ask any pointed questions you can’t get answered via the
internet.
The
academic info can be found at: http://www.nps.edu/Academics/index.html
Housing
info can be found at: http://www.nps.edu/NewStudents/Lodging/FamilyInfo.html
Other
useful relocation info can be found at: http://www.nps.edu/FFSC/
Good
luck with your travel and transition to NPS. Looking forward to meeting
you when you arrive…
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