The Lay of the Land
- Before all else, most important! In the Quad Cities Area (QCA), the Mississippi River runs east and west, not north and south – don’t let it confuse you!
- To see or print an excellent map of the area visit: http://www.visitquadcities.com/site/pdfs/map.pdf
- The Quad Cities are five cities: two in eastern Iowa on the north side of the river (Davenport and Bettendorf) and three in western Illinois on the south side (Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline).
- If you think of the QCA as a square, divided into four quadrants, you will find Davenport in the northwest quadrant, Bettendorf in the northeast quadrant, Rock Island in the southwest quadrant, and Moline and East Moline in the southeast quadrant.
- The Quad Cities International Airport is in Moline, south of the river.
- Although there are differences resulting from the two-state, multi-city nature of the area, the entire QCA is one metropolitan area.
- The Centennial Bridge connects Davenport and Rock Island. The Radisson is close to the north end of the bridge, and the Holiday Inn is close to the south end.
- The I-74 Bridge connects Bettendorf and Moline.
- There are outlying bridges connecting Iowa and Illinois on I-280 (at the far southwest corner of the QCA) and on I-80 (in the northeast portion of the QCA). The I-80 bridge may be under construction in April, and delays are possible. You may want to avoid this route.
Location of the Conference Hotel
The Radisson City Plaza, the conference hotel, is located in the heart of downtown Davenport, between River Drive (Highway 67) and 2nd Street at 111 E. 2nd Street.
- Note: East 2nd Street, not West;
- Main Street is the central North–South street;
- There’s a zero-hundred block in each direction, East and West!
There are many roads from all directions coming, like wheel spokes, into the Quad City Area. All intersect or cross I-80 (north of the cities) or I-280 (south of the cities). We highly recommend that you use either an electronic or paper map to find your way to the conference hotel. However, here are two common routes.
From the north, via Highway 61
- From I-80, take Exit 295A onto Highway 61 (initially called Brady Street, then Welcome Way, and then Harrison Street).
- Proceed south on Highway 61 approximately 2.5 miles into downtown Davenport.
- When you are down the hill and nearly to the river, turn left (east) onto West 2nd Street.
- Cross Main Street and Brady Street.
- On your right you will find the Radisson.
From the south, via I-74
- From the airport, follow the signs for I-74 W (going North).
- Follow I-74 W north across the Rock River and then across the Mississippi River, entering Iowa.
- Exit at the Iowa end of the bridge onto 14th street, go north for one block while changing into one of the left hand lanes, and turn left onto Grant Street, following signs to Davenport.
- Grant Street merges into East River Drive, which will take you into Davenport.
- Once in Davenport, continue into downtown along River Drive and take a right (north) onto Brady Street.
- Go one block north on Brady Street; turn right (east) onto East 2nd St. and you will see the Radisson on your right.
