amelia

I'm doing another tour in the ol' "search for the perfect college" in a few weeks. If my daughter is serious about the Boston area--and she insists that she is--then we're doing it without the car!

Therefore, what Boston hotel would have the best access to both Logan and to all the colleges we're visiting--everything from BU, to BC, to Harvard/MIT and on to Wellesley?

yk

amelia-

All these colleges are easy to get to by the "T" - which stands for the subway. Wellesley is kind of far out, but I think it is reachable by commuter rail.
BU & BC are on the Green Line of the "T", while Harvard, MIT & Tufts on the Red Line.

The "T" is very easy to navigate, and most Boston hotels are usually close to a "T" station.

You probably would want to stay in Back Bay area, or in Downtown, or in Cambridge. I believe most hotel websites will tell you how far it is from the "T" station.

Here's the link to the MBTA website.
http://www.mbta.com/index.asp

yk

amelia-

All these colleges are easy to get to by the "T" - which stands for the subway. Wellesley is kind of far out, but I think it is reachable by commuter rail.
BU & BC are on the Green Line of the "T", while Harvard, MIT & Tufts on the Red Line.

The "T" is very easy to navigate, and most Boston hotels are usually close to a "T" station.

You probably would want to stay in Back Bay area, or in Downtown, or in Cambridge. I believe most hotel websites will tell you how far it is from the "T" station.

Here's the link to the MBTA website.
http://www.mbta.com/index.asp

BTW, I went to college in Boston, and it is a great city to be in!

Kehsutton

I think you want to be near the Park St. T station which is where the Green line and the Red line connect. The Red line also goes to South Station which is where you'd pick up the commuter rail out to Wellesley. BTW, I applaud your efforts to do this sans car...Boston was never meant for vehicles, the only way to really "see" the city and all that it has to offer is by the T.

Anyway, the Radisson, 15 Beacon, Beacon Hill Hotel are all close the Park St. They aren't cheap, but convenience always come at a cost. Good luck!
(boston resident for 10 years)

Anonymous

There are lots of pleasant hotels in the Back Bay area, and it's not so much trouble to pick up the Green Line subway there and switch to the Red Line at Park Street. Or pick up the Orange Line at the Back Bay subway station and switch to the Red Line at Downtown Crossing (which is also the stop for Filene's Basement, the original one).

In fact, for MIT you'd be better-off getting the bus that goes up Massachusetts Avenue from the Back Bay into Cambridge; it goes all the way to Harvard, so if you're visiting both those schools on the same day the bus wouldbe handy. The Kendall Square Red Line station does indeed serve MIT, but it's at the far end of campus from the areas that prospective students want.

The Commuter Rail train that goes out to Wellesley does originate at South Station, which is served by the subway Red Line, but it also makes a Back Bay stop.

The colleges you've named have very little in common besides their general geography -- they're very different in academics, competitiveness, settings, best majors etc. Perhaps your student needs to think a bit more about fit in addition to visiting motley places.

If you haven't yet set the dates of your trip, be sure to factor-in spring breaks, and do NOT come on Patriots Day weekend.

amelia

Thank you,Kehsutton! Exactly the info I needed.

Thanks for appreciating, too, that I wanted to use mass transit for lifestyle reasons. If my daughter goes to school here, she's not going to have a car, so she's going to have to see these schools from "her feet" as well as her eyes. We're doing NYC schools two days prior, so she'll have something to compare the city life to (we did DC schools last spring).

Thanks again for doing "pinpointing" for me!

clarkgriswold

www.hotelatmit.com

Might even have special rate for prospective students.

amelia

Anonymous--I saw by former posts that you know something about Providence, RI. No one is responding to my plea about baggage check at the Providence, RI train station, so I'm hoping if you check back at this post you might comment.

As I said in my station question, we're trying to go from New York to Boston with a stop to do a tour at Brown. I'd rather not show up at the Admissions office with our luggage, so knowing whether there's baggage check or not at the train station will be the deciding factor between renting a car or taking the train from NYC.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I'm going to be staying at a Holiday Inn Express in Cambridge (Monsignor O'Brian Highway) that looks to be 2 blocks from the Lechmere end of ALL green lines ... I'll write next week about the place. All the college visits you are doing must be costing a bit ... my niece & her boyfriend had a private room at the HI/AYH hostel on Heminway Street near the Hynds Convention Center & said they enjoyed it, plus it was nearby a couple of the schools.

Look at the MBTA schedules too for commuter rail from Providence to Boston and you'll probably spend about a quarter of what Amtrak costs if there are trains at times you can use. You might want to call Amtrak to get # of the Providence station (I couldn't locate it at website) to answer your luggage question.

amelia

Dear RB: Yes, it's costing me a mint. But I have a younger kid in tow who will have to be making the same decisions in three years, so I'm look at the tour as a "two-fer." And the older kid in question has worked her butt off to get the grades and resume required to look at these schools, so I just keep reminding myself it's a lot cheaper than paying for drug rehab!

I did find phone numbers on various websites for the Providence Rail Station. One was disconnected, another was constantly busy and yet another didn't answer. I finally had the "light bulb" moment and called the Providence Chamber of Commerce. They called someone while I was on the line, and confirmed there's a baggage counter there. So that's solved.

I'm still stuck on Boston hotels. After considering the advice here, I think I like Back Bay area best, and that would be convenient for the rail travel I need to do, but we have to get to Logan awfully early on the day we leave for yet another college destination. That means the Blue Line would be my best assurance to make that connection easy. Any other input is certainly welcome!

yk

amelia-

If your flight is that early from Logan, you might want to just splurge on a taxi ride. On Logan's website, their estimate of metered taxi fare from Back bay to the airport is between $15-$20.

If you stay at a hotel on the Blue Line, you will still need to take an airport shuttle bus from the T station to your terminal, which can take an extra 15-20mins on top of the T ride.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Amelia - The Holiday Inn Express cost us a small bit more than the Revere Rodeway Inn we had planned to stay at, but with the free breakfast buffet, that part "evened out". Where the Lechmere stop is located, we merely walked to our left (west) up the street about 1/4 mile to the hotel, on the same side of the street as the T. Maybe 4 very short blocks with good sidewalks. The Rodeway Inn we'd originally reserved had free shuttles to/from the airport and at the last T station on the Blue line, but we never stayed there, nor traveled in that neighborhood -- maysome some locals can post something -- it appears it could be an economical stay, but convenient to the airport. Also, look at Woburn hotels near the Anderson Transportation Center. You'd use the "Lowell Line" commuter railroad to get to town, and there's the "Logan Express" (bus shuttle) to get you to the airport. I agree that Back Bay is convenient, but not inexpensive.

Anonymous

With 3 people and luggage for an early flight, I'd say DEFINITELY take a taxi. Logan is pretty close to downtown, unlike some other major airports.

Commuter Rail is definitely far cheaper than Amtrak for getting between Prov and Boston -- my daughter makes the commute a couple of times per week.

Amtrak often has great deals. Did you know about their Campus Visit 2-for-1 deal? You and your daughter can pay just half of Amtrak's quoted fare if her guidance counselor signs the Amtrak form. (Or perhaps even if they don't -- we were never asked to show ours.) I took my daughter and a friend from Boston to Washington DC for $240 total, round trip!

Please don't consider staying in a distant suburb, or at a second-class hotel in an inconvenient location, rather than just bidding for the Back Bay or Downtown on Priceline.

Anonymous

Found the link for Amtrak's campus-visit discount:

http://www.campusvisit.com/amtrak.htm

cmcfong

Just a thought, the Newbury Guest House in the 200 block of Newbury is exactly the center of the universe, easy to reach mass transit plus it exemplifies all that makes Boston a wonderful college town. Besides that it is reasonably priced, comfortable and has breakfast included.

amelia

Thank you everyone for wonderful advice. Anonymous, I can't believe I hadn't come across the 1/2 price Amtrak offer before. It just saved me a chunk of change from NYC. And I'll probably take the commuter rail from Providence to Boston after we're done at Brown. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

As you can see by my other post regarding the Lenox, I'm taking your and yk's advice and opting for the taxi to the airport so that I can take advantage of the other recommendations for the Back Bay's central location. My husband seconded your suggestion--he said that if I'm leaving town before rush hour, there's no reason to use mass transit to Logan. I got a good deal on the Lenox, so I'm hoping there's nothing wrong with it.

btv120

I am doing the same tour at the end of March. Boston - Providence - Connecticut. We planned on using cabs in Boston, and renting a car when we get to Providence. Do you have any helpful tips from your trip Amelia?

Anonymous

Well, I'm not Amelia, but I would recommend that you use the bus/subway/train system (popularly known as "The T") instead of cabs as much as possible, since this is a part of the Boston student experience.

Parking is very tight at Brown and some other Providence-area schools. Depending on exactly which schools you're visiting, you might consider cabs or buses in Providence.

soccr

Have you left already, Amelia? If not, I can suggest you look into the John Jeffries Hotel, which is on Beacon Hill right AT the Charles St. T station on the Red Line out to Cambridge - but one stop away from the Park Street hub stations.

I consider it one of the gems when I travel -- both continental breakfast and in-room kitchenette in some of the rooms. Comfortable and surprisingly quiet considering the "T's" just outside the front door. Some rooms have a nice view of the river, and it's nice to walk around Beacon Hill, too.