lincasanova

I will be in Boston for some events in May at Fan Pier, and since our son's company is putting him up at Logan , i was just wondering if (since hotels there seem a lot cheaper for us) if it will be VERY expensive getting in to the city everyday, or if staying at Quincy Market area or elsewhere would be TONS better?

Price is important to me, but I don't want to have to take an hour or more to get to Fan Pier and the other tourist walks. What area would you suggest if I can find a bearable rate or for going with Priceline?

Thanks. It seems we have several options of getting into town, but never having done that, (we always stay with friends) I am not sure of the hassle.

emalloy

Go to www.mbta.com I think(or google Boston T) and download the map for the T. The silver line goes out to the airport and for $59 you can get a pass that gives unlimited use of the subway and busses in the area. This will be cheaper than parking a car more than a couple of times or using cabs to get around.

HKP

It's not a place with a lot of atmosphere (other than the Jet-A fuel smell), but it's not all that inconvenient if you're getting to stay there free - are you, with your son?

It's not conducive to coming back to your room for rest or shower or changes of shoes midday before going out again, but between the Silver Line, the Blue Line, and even the water taxi (not cheap but fun for one trip), you can do okay.

yk

Hi lin-

It depends.

1) Which hotel is it at Logan? does it offer good shuttle service to the airport?

2) I looked up Fan Pier, and it's pretty close to the World Trade Center T stop, which is on the Silver Line that goes to the airport. So staying at Logan is not a bad option because once you get on the Silver Line at the airport, it's only about a 10-min ride to get to the World Trade Center stop.

3) I don't know why emalloy brings up the $59 pass. that is the price for a monthly pass, which you obviously DO NOT need for a 3-day stay! Your best option is the 7-day pass which is only $15, which allows unlimited use on subway and buses. It's a better deal than getting a day pass for each of the 3 days, because a daypass is $9 alone.
http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/passes/

4) If you want to stay elsewhere, the closest hotels to Fan Pier are the ones near the World Trade Center T stop. There's a Westin and a Renaissance hotel, and possibly a couple more. Or, if you want something really nice, the new Intercontinental Boston is just across the bridge from Fan Pier.

5) As far as getting from Logan to the city, I really DO NOT think it's a hassle. Thousands of Bostonians use public transportation to get to/from Logan every day.

lincasanova

Thanks. No, I am not staying with him, but was considering, as I need two rooms, trying to save money by staying "out there".

We will have no car, so public transport and taxis will be how we travel.

Fan Pier is part of the trip, but my mother and a friend (both elderly) will be wanting to do some tourist tour.

I will check out those links and maps as it is good news the one line goes near Fan Pier.

I don't know which hotel . Hopefully would win the Hilton on Priceline for very cheap.(ha-ha). Rates are horrendous that weekend, so we shall see how all this evolves.

Thank you for all the fast info.

yk

May is graduation month, so chances are you won't have much luck with Priceline.

Using public transportation in Boston is very simple. With the Silver Line, you can switch to the Red Line at South Station, and the Park Street station on Red line is just 2 stops from South Station. Park Street is where Boston Common is and where all the touristy sites start.

If they don't feel like doing much walking, definitely look into the Duck Tours.

tuckerdc

Several times, we've scored the Hyatt at Logan on Priceline ($100 neighborhood, which is pretty good for Boston lodging). Getting to/from the city wasn't that big a deal and the hotel is very nice - we've had rooms overlooking the harbor and airport and gazing at all the plane/ship traffic sure beats TV during down times!

yk

Oh, Re Priceline, here are the zones you should consider:

ZONE 1 - Waterfront/Convention center - this is the zone that's near the World Trade Station stop and near Fan Pier. You should be safe sticking with the 3.5* and 4* (based on biddingfortravel list)

ZONE 6 - Quincy Market/financial District - close to the historic tourist sites. you will most likely need to take the T to Fan Pier

ZONE 4 - Copley/theatre - closer to restaurants and shopping, a little farther T ride to Fan Pier.

I would stick with these zones only.

If you choose ZONE 1 (ie, near Fan Pier), note that there aren't too much nightlife/restaurants near the hotels. So you'd need to head into the city proper for dinner and then cab or T back to hotel.

lincasanova

There must be a lot going on that weekend. Forgot about graduation. We shall see. Once I know exactly how many rooms we need, I will start bidding.

gail

I was going to marginally be on board with this plan until I read about the elderly mother and aunt.

What airport hotel? Some call themselves airport and are several miles away. How are you going to get from hotel to public transit? Make sure you have that piece worked out.

Fan Pier is not near enough to "tourist walks" to be desirable - although you do mention you have some sort of activities there. It is near Convention Center and Institute of Contemporary Art - t he "Silver Line" is a bus that will take you from there to South Station on MBTA. Walkable to some things, but not with elderly mother and aunt. There are few restaurants walkable from Fan Pier area for those with any mobility issues.

The MBTA has some serious deficits when it comes to those unable to do stairs - many stations only have stairs or the elevators/escalators are so often broken that they might as well not be there. A group advocating for those with disabilities has had successful lawsuit regarding this issue - MBTA's excuse is that they are trying and it is an old system. Whatever the cause, be aware. Park Street can involve 2 flights of stairs if you end up at wrong end of wrong platform.

So look at your budget specifics. Yes, staying at Quincy Market would be TONS better, and cost of getting to downtown is less of an issue than convenience. Check to see if a cab to/from would be within your budget. If hotel website promises a shuttle to either MBTA or downtown call hotel directly during business hours and press them about how likely this really is to run. Too often these are promised but not delivered.

I might try Priceline and see what happens. And I suggest you post here specific hotel you are considering if you do not do Priceline - several of us are from Boston and we can comment on that specific location.

Good luck - Boston is great, but it is expensive.

HKP

In the past, I've had fantastic luck with hotwire for Boston/airport. There are only 2 4-star hotels in the airport area/zone, and they're both right there and very nice. So if you are willing to try that, just don't settle for anything less than the 4-star option on hotwire and you'll be getting a really good price for either the Hyatt or the Hilton. Just make VERY sure to limit the area to the Airport.

HKP

Otherwise, it occurs to me you might imagine that staying "out there" at the airport would be cheaper than downtown. Not really.

buck1116

Do not stay at the airport! I do not know what these people are thinking about. Check out hotels anywhere else in Boston or Cambridge. Don't stay any longer than you have to at Fan Pier (which by the way is only a Pier if you were sitting on the bottom of the harbor looking up. It will not look like a Pier to you--& except for two museums [Childrens' and new Contemporary Art] there is absolutely nothing to do there. Stay in a city neighborhood, walk a little and use the MBTA or the tourist trolley car when you are tired. Many of our attractions have great places to sit and enjoy Boston from a bench or cafe: e.g., the public garden, the courtyard in the Gardner Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts. Take a boat tour of the Harbor Islands. & Don't forget to stroll around a little bit at night. Boston is beautiful. The airport is not.

gail

buck - I do agree with much of what you said, but OP indicated she has some sort of meeting at Fan Pier (?Convention Center), money IS an issue - so no one here is suggesting that Logan is beautiful or convenient - the issue was that how cheap makes it worth it.

If it were me, I would rather stay one less night so that I could stay in the city proper.

djkbooks

Much depends on your dates in May and whether they coincide with graduations or other big events.

You may also want to consider Hotwire. Keep an eye out (and pick up tips or ask for assistance) on www.betterbidding.com And, have a look at www.biddingfortravel.com for Priceline.

Also, have a look at hotel reviews on TripAdvisor, as many offer comments regarding location and transportation

There are almost always better rates at the Seaport/Convention center hotels, as due to their not as convenient (but not inconvenient either) location they're less desirable.

Be aware, if you book conventionally, of the hotels exact location. Many, especially the chain, hotels have "Boston" attached to the name but are NOT well located.

The Seaport hotels have shuttles, which are often reported to be spotty with regard to service. And, there is MBTA bus service (also referred to as the "T" Silver Line). But, if you get a great rate with Priceline or Hotwire, the difference would more than cover a few taxi fares.

With elderly people along, any attempt to save money with a less convenient location will undoubtedly be offset with taxi fares. The bus system is not user friendly with regard to routes and schedules, and the subway involves lots of stairs.

MBnancy

We've stayed a couple times at the Hyatt Harborside at Logan. There is a water taxi right in front of the hotel which takes you to downtown Boston and Quincy Marketplace. We love doing this. The view of the Boston skyline is awesome in the evening from the hotel.

lincasanova

Thanks for all your observations and comments. Will take them all into consideration. Nothing is set yet. When I say "money is an issue" I mean I do not relish the idea of paying towards 250-300 a night for lodging.

I am familiar with Priceline and Hotwire, so will keep looking at Hotwire and also seeing what people have won at Priceline in Quincy area to get an idea.

Nice suggestion about the harbor island boat tours. My mother would love that, as well as myself!

I do hope to save quite a bit by Priceline or Hotwire to help compensate the numerous taxis in town we will need no matter where we are staying.

Anonymous

Why would you stay in Quincy?

lincasanova

I meant the Quincy market area.. or do I have the name wrong?

lincasanova

(It's a name for an area on Priceline)