Boston Area recommendation - Mom and 16 year old daughter
Sep 1st, 2013, 04:45 PM
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Boston Area recommendation - Mom and 16 year old daughter
Greetings,
We are going on a college visit the first week in October. Flying into Boston late on a Wed. night - we don't land until 11:30 pm.
Would like to spend the night in Boston that night - see Boston (neither my 16 year old or I have been to Boston) on Thursday...
This is where it gets a little messy, the visit in scheduled @ Gordon University on Friday, October 4th. We need to be on campus @ 8:30 am on Friday for a full day of a visit. I understand it is about :40 minutes from the city (I assume that is with no traffic).
Wondering if we should drive out of the city on Thursday night and stay at a hotel closer to the campus to eliminate stress but would like to enjoy Boston as much as possible? On the Gordon Website there are recommended areas to stay... in Peabody or Danville.
So questions are:
Transportation from BOS to Boston City (knowing we land at 11:30 pm - rental car as we will need one on Friday/Sat)
looking for hotel recommendation - try to stay at Marriotts due to having points
Leave on Thursday night - stay closer to school ? or get up early and head out? (prefer not to move hotels if possible???)
Drive back to Boston after visit on Friday? Day ends about 3:30 pm/4:00...
Fly out of BOS on Sat around 3:00 pm.....I do not have any more time due to work constraints.
Restaurants? Cool areas? My daughter is sort of "hipster" bookwormish, biology major to be ...wants to pursue medicine, pescetarian...
Thanks in advance!!!!
We are going on a college visit the first week in October. Flying into Boston late on a Wed. night - we don't land until 11:30 pm.
Would like to spend the night in Boston that night - see Boston (neither my 16 year old or I have been to Boston) on Thursday...
This is where it gets a little messy, the visit in scheduled @ Gordon University on Friday, October 4th. We need to be on campus @ 8:30 am on Friday for a full day of a visit. I understand it is about :40 minutes from the city (I assume that is with no traffic).
Wondering if we should drive out of the city on Thursday night and stay at a hotel closer to the campus to eliminate stress but would like to enjoy Boston as much as possible? On the Gordon Website there are recommended areas to stay... in Peabody or Danville.
So questions are:
Transportation from BOS to Boston City (knowing we land at 11:30 pm - rental car as we will need one on Friday/Sat)
looking for hotel recommendation - try to stay at Marriotts due to having points
Leave on Thursday night - stay closer to school ? or get up early and head out? (prefer not to move hotels if possible???)
Drive back to Boston after visit on Friday? Day ends about 3:30 pm/4:00...
Fly out of BOS on Sat around 3:00 pm.....I do not have any more time due to work constraints.
Restaurants? Cool areas? My daughter is sort of "hipster" bookwormish, biology major to be ...wants to pursue medicine, pescetarian...
Thanks in advance!!!!
Sep 1st, 2013, 05:44 PM
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Have you thought about just staying near the airport that first night, since you arrive late? Then you could take public transportation into Boston the next day for a look around. Stay as long as you like. Then head back to your hotel (that would hopefully have stowed your bag for the day) and then shuttle to the airport to get a rental car, and then head north. Boston is a very difficult driving city!!! I've driven in most major big cities from coast to coast, and Boston is my least favorite one to try to maneuver.
I've stayed at a Marriott Courtyard, which, I believe was in or near Danville. The location was good. I'd spend Thursday and Friday nights up north (but that's just me) and then return to Boston on Saturday to return the rental car. Boston traffic can be a real problem IME.
Leaf peeping season will be getting under way and hotels will definitely fill up. I'd get something booked ASAP if it were me. Our BOS GTG is the following weekend after your visit, and our "host hotel" (a Marriott in the western burbs) has oversold already! I'm not from BOS but will be flying into the area for the GTG, landing in Manchester NH rather than Logan (that's how much I dislike Boston driving...
)
I've stayed at a Marriott Courtyard, which, I believe was in or near Danville. The location was good. I'd spend Thursday and Friday nights up north (but that's just me) and then return to Boston on Saturday to return the rental car. Boston traffic can be a real problem IME.
Leaf peeping season will be getting under way and hotels will definitely fill up. I'd get something booked ASAP if it were me. Our BOS GTG is the following weekend after your visit, and our "host hotel" (a Marriott in the western burbs) has oversold already! I'm not from BOS but will be flying into the area for the GTG, landing in Manchester NH rather than Logan (that's how much I dislike Boston driving...
)
Sep 1st, 2013, 06:20 PM
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Simpson thank you! I noticed the prices are sky high ... Booking right away is a good idea! I am thinking of staying up north wed, Thursday & dropping rental car off Friday after visiting Gordon and spending the night (Friday) and sat am in Boston...
I hate city driving on a good day,.. So I am there with ya!
I hate city driving on a good day,.. So I am there with ya!
Sep 2nd, 2013, 12:52 AM
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If you have enough Marriott points or $, I would stay at the Marriott Long Wharf - a really nice hotel but not cheap. Take a cab to hotel upon arrival. Tour around Boston on Thursday. There is a Hertz car rental place near Park Plaza - but there are probably others even closer and I am guessing hotel can give you advice. Pick up a car on Thursday evening and rent it for 24 hours. From the Marriott Long Wharf it is very easy to get on to I93 North, which is what you will be taking to start your trip to Wenham.
Since you are returning to Boston on a Friday late afternoon when traffic might be heavier and since you are already on the north shore, use your time and car to have dinner in Glouceser, Rockport or someplace else near the water.
Drive back into Boston - I know it will be dark, but again access to hotel from I93 south is not that bad - get exact directions from hotel since GPS directions can make it worse. Drop off car.
Spend Saturday AM sleeping or touring, take cab or water taxi to airport from Long Wharf.
If you stay "up north" Wed, Thurs and in Boston just Friday, you see very little of Boston but that is certainly a possibility. Hotels would be less expensive, travel less traumatic.
I have no idea where Danville is - other than a town in New Hampshire but you and another poster mention it. Do you mean Danvers? Do not make a mistake and stay in Danville - it is not near where you are going.
Since you are returning to Boston on a Friday late afternoon when traffic might be heavier and since you are already on the north shore, use your time and car to have dinner in Glouceser, Rockport or someplace else near the water.
Drive back into Boston - I know it will be dark, but again access to hotel from I93 south is not that bad - get exact directions from hotel since GPS directions can make it worse. Drop off car.
Spend Saturday AM sleeping or touring, take cab or water taxi to airport from Long Wharf.
If you stay "up north" Wed, Thurs and in Boston just Friday, you see very little of Boston but that is certainly a possibility. Hotels would be less expensive, travel less traumatic.
I have no idea where Danville is - other than a town in New Hampshire but you and another poster mention it. Do you mean Danvers? Do not make a mistake and stay in Danville - it is not near where you are going.
Sep 2nd, 2013, 04:54 AM
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Yes, Danvers - it is recommended by Gordon (that courtyard) as one of the hotels.
Gail & Simpson Thank you!
Happy that is good to know!
Okay...so thinking of maybe staying Wed night in BOS - (taking a cab from the airport) to the hotel, exploring Thursday, renting later that day- headed out to Danvers and staying there Thursday night and Friday night - and exploring the local area - having dinner some place near the water...
I am trying to minimize the travel moving around etc as much as possible - we have a short time and I really do want to give my daughter a taste of Boston but also of the area closer to Gordon which does "look" pretty (via the web ha!)
Choices... choices... want to figure it out before I head back to work tomorrow
Gail & Simpson Thank you!
Happy that is good to know!
Okay...so thinking of maybe staying Wed night in BOS - (taking a cab from the airport) to the hotel, exploring Thursday, renting later that day- headed out to Danvers and staying there Thursday night and Friday night - and exploring the local area - having dinner some place near the water...
I am trying to minimize the travel moving around etc as much as possible - we have a short time and I really do want to give my daughter a taste of Boston but also of the area closer to Gordon which does "look" pretty (via the web ha!)
Choices... choices... want to figure it out before I head back to work tomorrow
Sep 2nd, 2013, 05:33 AM
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Your idea of staying in Boston on Thurs, then in the Danvers area on Fri and Sat, makes the most sense to me. Trying to get back into downtown Boston on a late Friday afternoon is bad enough for someone familiar with the area -- if you're not sure where you're going, it could be really unpleasant.
Wenham is in Cape Ann, and it's an especially nice area. Rockport has a particularly charming downtown area; Newburyport, a few miles further north, is also a great place to visit. If the weather turns out to be awful, a trip to the Peabosy-Essex museum in Salem would be perfect.
Wenham is in Cape Ann, and it's an especially nice area. Rockport has a particularly charming downtown area; Newburyport, a few miles further north, is also a great place to visit. If the weather turns out to be awful, a trip to the Peabosy-Essex museum in Salem would be perfect.
Sep 2nd, 2013, 05:41 AM
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OK - new plan. Arrive at Logan, rent a car (check to make sure how late car rental places are open - some may not be 24 hours at Logan). Drive to Danvers. At that hour traffic is obviously not an issue. Bring a portable GPS. You can do it. Spend Thursday on Cape Ann (research here - using that or Gloucester or Rockport as a search). I am not a Salem fan, but Peabody Esses Museum is great - skip the witch stuff.
Lodging - several Marriotts in the area. Danvers is very close. And trying not to run an ad here or risk being banned, but if you wanted to email me - putting "send" in front of my screen name and then at comcast.net you would reach me and I could direct you to a very cozy beach house at very cheap rent for those 3 nights.
Lodging - several Marriotts in the area. Danvers is very close. And trying not to run an ad here or risk being banned, but if you wanted to email me - putting "send" in front of my screen name and then at comcast.net you would reach me and I could direct you to a very cozy beach house at very cheap rent for those 3 nights.
Sep 2nd, 2013, 05:45 AM
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Sounds like that is the best plan Don... I think I will take a cab to downtown when we arrive - that is the easiest I imagine, it will be late - enjoy Boston on Thursday and rent a car some place downtown... head north some time on Thursday.
I am glad to hear that Wenham is a nice area. Rockport looks charming from the research I have done. Gordon is selective 39% acceptance rate - so could be all for naught...
I am glad to hear that Wenham is a nice area. Rockport looks charming from the research I have done. Gordon is selective 39% acceptance rate - so could be all for naught...
Sep 2nd, 2013, 05:56 AM
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I am going to be cutting it close... it appears most rental car places are open till midnight - I get in at 11:30 pm. That is a tight situation. I ran into this in Richmond when we were going to see another school for her, and it we ended up opting to spend the night at an airport hotel and rent a car in the morning.
Sep 2nd, 2013, 06:35 AM
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If you drive by [*I* would would make a special trip there] stop in for some yummy treats:
http://www.putnampantry.com/
They have really good candy but their ice cream!!! WOW
I lived near Danvers for a year, back 2 lifetimes ago. You will be in town for Topsfield Fair, which is the oldest agricultural fair - I had never been to one before living there!http://www.topsfieldfair.org/
http://www.putnampantry.com/
They have really good candy but their ice cream!!! WOW
I lived near Danvers for a year, back 2 lifetimes ago. You will be in town for Topsfield Fair, which is the oldest agricultural fair - I had never been to one before living there!http://www.topsfieldfair.org/
Sep 2nd, 2013, 06:54 AM
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That is cool Deb! I never knew you lived there .
Okay, Gail, if my daughter does end up there I will take you up on that low cost rental. I think with arrival at 11:30 pm on Wed we will take a cab and stay here
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ntown-seaport/
explore Boston on Thursday - rent a car and head to Danvers - staying a the Marriott Courtyard for two nights. See Gordon on Friday day - and Friday afternoon/night head to Rockport - not sure on Sat am - we need to be back at BOS by around 12:00 or so for a 2:00 pm flight back to the Big D...
Fast trip, but hopefully a good taste of the area! I wish I did not have to work Sunday am but I have missed a lot of work recently and only have a limited time off.
. Okay, Gail, if my daughter does end up there I will take you up on that low cost rental
. I think with arrival at 11:30 pm on Wed we will take a cab and stay here https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ntown-seaport/
explore Boston on Thursday - rent a car and head to Danvers - staying a the Marriott Courtyard for two nights. See Gordon on Friday day - and Friday afternoon/night head to Rockport - not sure on Sat am - we need to be back at BOS by around 12:00 or so for a 2:00 pm flight back to the Big D...
Fast trip, but hopefully a good taste of the area! I wish I did not have to work Sunday am but I have missed a lot of work recently and only have a limited time off.
