jkr

Husband, 13yr daughter & myself heading east late July.

Boston – What times suggested to avoid driving in and out? Arriving Thursday afternoon and leaving Friday afternoon or evening. Don’t want to waste time sitting in traffic both driving in and out.

Looking for hotel suggestion. Clean hotel with good bed, Free WIFI be nice and need parking too. Looks like Back Bay would be good location. I had found a hotel that sounded neat but can't find now. Newbury Guest House is sort of like it but not it. We can do historical or Marriott. A good bed after 5 days in tent will be most important.
Hear Priceline is something to look into but have not used before. I see prices for most hotels are over $200 but many get them for $150. Is Priceline the only way?

Want to walk Freedom Trail, see Fenway Park (not sure if time for tour), see one of college campus and what ever else we can fit in. What college(s) campus is closest to area we are in that we could walk?

gail

Arriving Thursday early-mid afternoon should be fine. Friday afternoon is the worst traffic of the summer, so if you can wait until evening - after 6 PM - you will be happier.

Will leave the hotel question to others or a search on this board. Your budget is likely to be a bit low for summer tourist season. Undoubtedly you are going to get responses telling you not to have a car - but it seems it is already your car and will be packed with camping equipment - so I understand that is not an option. If I understand, you are only going to be here for 24 hours - so if you can afford a decent hotel in downtown/faneuil Hall/Back Bay/ Copley area - that is where you shold stay. Priceline has some odd zones for Boston, so be careful - do not pick South End, South Boston, Waterfront on Priceline - some of those hotels are not where you want to be for 1 night stay.

Colleges - nothing major is really walking distance of downtown, but if you do a Fenway Tour you are just blocks from Boston University - which is not a campus in the traditional sense of the word but a truly city campus along Commonwealth Avenue stretching for almost a mile. Walk along Bay State Road (parallel and perhaps meter parking for cheap during your Fenway Tour) to see some calmer nicer old college buildings.

Ackislander

There is more information that we need to answer your questions.

1. Where are you coming from?
2. Where are you going when you leave?
3. What are your dates?

All these make a big difference.

Looking at a college, any college, will tell you zip. There are seven colleges within easy distance of Back Bay and Fenway: Emerson (arts and theater); Berklee College of Music; New England Conservatory; Northeasten University, Mass College of Art; the Museum [of Fine Arts] School; and Boston University. You won't even be able to tell anything about the students since most of the summer school students go elsewhere during the year. See more of Boston. The Emerson campus is divided between the theater district and Beacon Street. Northeastern is the nearest and most compact large university.

Priceline is a great way to get rooms in Boston. Bid only on 4 star hotels in the Back Bay. If you don't get one, add 4 star hotels in the theater district and raise your bid a bit. If you need to raise again, add 4 star hotels in Brookline. There aren't any, but it allows you to raise your bid. Be aware that parking will add about $40 to your hotel bill.

cw

You can also check Hotwire. Does Priceline allow for 3 in one room? Check that.

Also look at lastminutetravel.com.

If you stay near the Prudential Center, you can download a coupon for 24 hours of parking for $25, if you pay with a credit card. http://boston.centralparking.com/Bos...t-Parking.html

Not sure what would be like the Newbury Guest House, though there are smallish B and B's and inns, mainly in the South End, but they're not necessarily inexpensive.

absolutkz

Priceline is not good for 2 beds. If you put 3 ppl for hotwire, it may be 2 beds, or could be a bed and sofa or bed and a cot.

yk

If you don't want to try Priceline or Hotwire, you can look at Residence Inn on Tudor Wharf.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...n-tudor-wharf/

If I'm reading your post correctly, you only have ONE DAY in Boston. You have to choose what you REALLY want to see/do on that one day - either Freedom Trail, OR Back Bay/Fenway tour, OR college visit. You can't do it all.

I agree w/gail that Fri afternoon/eve traffic will be terrible on summer weekends. Definitely wait until after 6 or even 7pm before trying to leave.

jkr

I know our time is so short. How bad is rush hour coming in from Maine on Thursday 8/4? I don't think we can be in the city before 3pm.

How does stay in Back Bay area, walk over by Fenway Park since game will be on to see the activities & around Back Bay Thursday evening. Next morning walk the Freedom Trail and what ever else we can do. We are walkers so will move pretty quickly.

College visit it out. I thought maybe Harvard or Radcliff was near and we could walk around but I see they are in Cambridge and not sure where that is in relation to where we will be in Boston.

Will head out of the city on Friday at 7pm as suggested. We will be headed towards Iowa. I've made a separate post for ideas of place to stop once we are out of city. Maybe drive 2 or 3 hours.

Thanks for the parking tip. I'm not sure how long hotels will let us park and we need 24-26 hours. I do not want to waste time moving car.

Hotel recommendations near Prudential Center? Priceline is out because we need 2 beds. Any tips on Hotwire? May end up calling hotel or booking directly

absolutkz

There is a Hilton and also a Sheraton next to the Pru. Westin Copley is on the backside, as well as the Colonnade Hotel. Fairmount Copley is across the steet from Westin. Radisson is on Stuart St near Park Plaza. Back Bay hotel is also on Stuart St, though I think it's pricey.

absolutkz

Forgot there is also a Mariott Courtyard by the Pru as well.

gail

OK - I have just come up with a plan on how to spend your time and money (although the money part I think is over your budget).

Just checked on Expedia. You can get a room that will sleep 3 at John Hancock Hotel for $189 for that one night. Have never stayed in that hotel, it gets fair reviews, but great location - you are just sleeping there anyway. Arrive mid-afternoon TH as planned.

In a perfect world, you would then walk over to Fenway Park (about 3/4 - 1 mile) but a nice walk. You can get bleacher seats to the Red Sox - Cleveland game on Ace Tickets website (of same name) for about $50/ticket - I know, too much, but I am spending your money, not mine. They are a reliable ticket broker and you can pick up your pre-ordered tickets at their storefront across from Fenway.

Enjoy the game, cheer for the Red Sox, walk back to hotel or take MBTA (probably faster to walk after a game). (Plan B if you don't want to go to the game would be to check into hotel, take MBTA to Harvard Square. Look at where Harvard is (Radcliffe is really only a cluster of buildings now - women apply to and receive degrees from Harvard). Eat dinner in Harvard Square)

A little geography. Boston and Cambridge are separated by the Charles River - which empties into Boston Harbor to the east. Cambridge is mostly on the northern side of the River. The MBTA or "The T" is the public transit system in Boston. Their website actually has a fairly good routing mapping system - you enter begin and end points and they tell you how to get there. I find it a bit "bus intensive" - tell it to not include buses when you route yourself - since the buses can be confusing and late.

In the AM get up and head towards Boston Common (just blocks) and walk some of the Freedom Trail. By lunch time you will be near Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall area and can either get lunch at one of the zillion places there or walk into the North End (that is where Freedom Trail will take you anyway) and get some Italian food there. At this point keep walking to see USS Constitution, or walk along the waterfront along Rose Kennedy Greenway (which I have actually not seen yet). View Boston Harbor. If you did not spring for the Red Sox tickets, spend that money (less) and take a 1-2 hour Boston Harbor cruise.

Take MBTA back to hotel/car (I know, you already had to check out in the AM). By then your feet will be tired anyway. Plan to drive out of Boston about 6 PM. No clue how you get to Iowa from Boston except that it is west - so you will likely be taking Mass Turnpike. This is easy to get on from Prudential area. 1 hour west will put you in Worcester area, another hour Berkshires and then Albany area - plenty of cheaper chain hotels along that route.

I knew I could manage Fenway, Freedom Trail and a college in your brief stay. Hopefully your daughter will so love Boston that you can return when you drop her off at college in 5 years.

Have a nice trip - there are a small group of opinionated Bostonians who frequent this board who would be more than happy to offer advice.

yk

Brava to gail for coming up with such a well thought-out itinerary. I wouldn't change a thing.

jkr

This is so helpful. I'll check out hotels everyone has suggested.

I'm still trying to figure out when we will arrive at Boston hotel from Southern Maine of our trip. It may be late afternoon and then with traffic...

Not going to plan a game with our tight schedule though my daughter is a huge Red Sox fan. She saw the Red Sox this year at spring training but they were not the home team so no memorabilia items were available. Hoping to find something in Boston. She wants a sweat shirt. Any suggestions on places to shop?

That night could we take the T to Harvard then walk back to our hotel via Fenway Park?

How much time should we allow to walk from Backbay following Freedom trail to USS Constitution?

We take I-84 then I-80 to Iowa. Is Berkshires in Massachusetts?

wyatt92

You won't hit traffic coming into the city from Maine on Thursday afternoon/early evening. Take 95 to Rt 1 South over the Tobin Bridge. I've done a similar drive tons of times and traffic isn't an issue.

jkr

Does anyone know if the Pru parking coupon for 24 hours for $25 work if the Red Sox are playing? On the coupon they say not valid during special events and show a Red Sox special event coupon for $16.
http://boston.centralparking.com/Bos...t-Parking.html

yk

I use central Parking & their web coupons a lot when I drive into town. However, I usually avoid driving when there's a Red Sox game in town, so I don't know if the coupon will work if you're there for 24 hours. The same fine print (not valid during posted/special events) also applies to other nearby garages such as 100 Clarendon and 10 St James St.

Since you need to park for probably 26-27 hours, another thing to note is that you may have to leave the garage before the 24 hours is up, then re-enter and park for the next 2-3 hours, in order to qualify for the coupon rate. I'm not 100% sure. Perhaps you can ask the garage attendant when you arrive.

pupchic

I absolutely agree with the person who remarked Priceline is a great way to find a well-priced and nice place to stay in Boston. I used it last year for Labor Day weekend when my husband and I were heading to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. We found a great deal! I don't think Priceline works well at all times and in all locations, but for Boston, it's ideal!

cw

You could also try the Midtown Hotel. It's quite near the Prudential Center and has parking (though you have to pay). It's a solid no frills but convenient place to stay and may come in cheaper than the other places.

John Hancock Conference Center would be fine as well. Rooms are not large but you won't be in the hotel except to sleep.

You could go to Harvard and return by taking the #1 bus from Harvard Square (final destination is Dudley Square). Get off of the bus at Massachusetts Ave. and Commonwealth Ave. and walk west to Kenmore Square and then around Fenway Park. You will see the lights of the Park and walk towards them.

Ackislander

gail, brilliant!

gail

You can not take the MBTA to Harvard Square and walk back to your hotel via Fenway (well - I guess you could, but too far). Not sure the attraction of going to Fenway area during a game if you are not actually going to the game. You will encounter crowds, vendors and then the game starts and it is not an interesting area.

If you are not going to the game, then spend your short time doing something else than a walkby of Fenway.

jkr

Last minute travel website had the Hilton for $150. Any tips on using this website or hotel?
Is Red Sox memorabila available around stadium, in back bay area or is it everywhere?
Is Harvard campus very large?
Is it safe walking around/to & from Harvard, Fenway and Backbay at night before 11pm?