SallyKate

I have taken the advice of those on here and booked my hotel via Priceline. I won with the Wyndham at Billericay.

Could anyone give me an idea of what this hotel is like and how far away it is from central boston and how easy it is to get to central boston using public transport.

Thanks
SK

bm

Do you mean Billerica?
If so, the hotel is about 4 or 5 years old and is smack dab in the middle of an office park. Not much else around there. You'll need a car to get to the MBTA (unless they have a shuttle?). Not sure about commuter trains, but you're nearest subway station would probably be Alewife in Cambridge-about a 20 minute trip. Check out www.mbta.com for public transportation info.

Melissa

There is a commuter train station in North Billerica. However, that is pretty far from where you are staying. Your hotel is at least 20 miles out from central Boston. You are going to need a car. Agree that Alewife/Cambridge is probably your best bet for a T stop. With the car you are going to need to park it-no small feat for the crowded Alewife garage.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think you won with your hotel at all. I know your intention was for budget accomodations, but now you will be paying the price in time and money for transportation into the city.
Make the best of it, and accept that you are going to have to shell out for a car, unless the hotel has a shuttle-and for your sake I hope it does.

CarolB

To see the commuter rail schedule go to mbta.com. The North Billerica station is on the Lowell line. The web site will show you where the North Billerica station is. You can also see the T (subway and trolley) schedules for Boston there. The commuter rail takes you into North Station, which might be a long walk from what you want to see in Boston.

Anonymous

Just as a lesson for us all, would you mind telling us which parameters you gave to Priceline, especially geographically? Billerica is an astonishingly bad choice for a Boston trip.

doc_

Billerica is more than 20 mins.from Alewife. Does priceline consider this a Boston hotel? Thats criminal.

Anonymous

No, in Priceline's defense, I checked their Boston hotel offerings, and these distant suburbs are not there -- the farthest-out "areas" offered under Boston are Revere, Meford/Somerville, and Brookline.

So I entered Billerica as a destination and got a map featuring it as the farthest-out of several Metro-West choices (others were Newton, Lexington, and Bedford).

I suspect that SallyKate didn't look at the maps that Priceline provides, since they clearly show Billerica to be outside the Route 95 (i.e., Route 128) loop. Or perhaps she's staying out there for some other reason and just wants to make one day trip into Boston.

SallyKate

Ooops! I have obviously made a big error, being a bit of a priceline baby : (

Thanks for all that have given you advice on how to navigate to Boston, looks like Im going to be spening a lot of time communting!

soccr

Sorry you gotcha'd yourself on this one, SallyKate. But a suggestion: go ahead, spend a day or so in Boston but otherwise take advantage of the fact that you are in the North Shore area. Rent a car (will be much cheaper out there than at Logan) and drive to Salem/Marblehead. Then drive down to Walden Pond, DeCordova Museum, Longfellow's Wayside Inn and the old grist mill, etc. You are even within shouting distance of southern NH/Maine. Then go back to Boston another time (and if you insist on staying outside the city, book directly with the Grove St. Holiday Inn in Newton, which is at the end of one of the T lines).

Anonymous

Soccr, Billerica isn't exactly North Shore -- it's northWEST of Boston, roughly equidistant from Salem and from Boston! But you're right -- all those day trips would be lots of fun and a much better use of SallyKate's time, rather than riding on the commuter rail into Boston.

soccr

I knew where Billerica is -- =not south shore or west suburb (no matter what Priceline tries to pass it off as) -- just wanted SallyKate to think in terms of what she could do to see the New England/Mass. that isn't downtown Boston, since I think it would take her a lot less hassle to drive north(east) to Cape Ann/M'head area or south-ish to Lexington/Concord/Wayland area.

CarolB

SallyKate, I don't know of any attractions in Billerica (though if you go to the town center and stand on the green and really use your imagination, you can sort of see what a New England town used to look like). But just up the road is Lowell, a classic mill city. The Mill and Canal Tour is relaxing and educational. It's not glitzy or over-produced; it just shows you what was here. Not something I'd do in the winter, but you didn't say when you're coming. There are also indoor museums (about textiles, not surprisingly). Information at http://web.ci.lowell.ma.us/visitors/historicpark.htm.

And it's not hard to get into Boston via the commuter rail . . . some of us do it every day!