Boston
 

Hi, I am bringing my daughters to Boston to look at colleges, and also some sight seeing. I am staying at the Whyndam in Chealsea (hopefully a good choice). We are planning on buying weekly T passes. Going to the Aquarium, USS Constitution, Freedom Trail, maybe a beach?, and BU, Northeastern, and Lesley. Any advice on the T, or anything pertaining to my trip would be most welcome.

This hotel is not close to the T. You will need to have a rental car or rely on the hotel's shuttle to get you to the T to see Boston and do the things you want.

Call them to make sure the shuttle bus can get you to the T even on weekends and at night because a taxi will not be cheap.

I assume they will drop you and pick you up at the airport stop on the Blue Line. This is going to be really inconvenient.

I hate to rain on the parade since you probably got a terrific rate but you really should try to find a place to stay and not out on the Route 1 strip. Have you used Priceline? You. Can usually get good rates in the Back Bay or Financial District.

Also, www.lastminutetravel.com is a good resource for Boston. The hotels are not identified but if you check on a tablet or zoom in on the map, you can usually identify the hotel. Some of us can help by IDing the hotel by the photos. Do check it out. The Wyndham, Chelsea, is not convenient to Boston as Ackislander mentions above.

Gosh I could kick myself for not checking one of these sites before booking. I do not plan on renting a car{there would definitely be crying involved}Is there a stop within walking distance? It is really difficult to tell by the map.

Best way to get your bearings is to go to Google maps and type in the Wyndham in Boston, Chelsea - then put in a place you will likely go and have it figure out directions via public transportation.

Have you pre-paid? If it is only reserved and not non-refundable prepaid you can always cancel and book someplace better.

If you have prepaid, it's not the end of the world. They have a free shuttle to the airport station on the Blue Line which will take you quickly into Boston. Treat it as a place to sleep because there is really nothing else in walking distance from the hotel.

It does get good reviews and has an indoor pool.

Check www.mbta.com and the route planner to find your way to the schools. The Blue Line will bring you to the waterfront area of Boston, where you can walk the Freedom Trail and visit the Aquarium.

While the Wyndham Chelsea is not close to the T, it is an 8-minute walk to the Chelsea commuter rail station.

That might or might not be helpful, depending on when and where you want to travel. The frequency of train service varies with the time of day. The schedule for the commuter rail is at http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_ma...route=NBRYROCK

If you time things right (and the train is on time), the time to get to at least some of your destinations will be about the same as going to the Airport T station in the hotel shuttle and catching the Blue Line in (especially if you have to wait for the shuttle).

The hotel is also just a short walk from bus stops.

I stayed at the Wyndham Chelsea about 10 years ago, and got into Boston using a mix of commuter rail and taking shuttle to airport and catching the T, so it can be done. Didn't take the city bus any.

Coming back can be tricker, especially if it is after dark. If you choose to stay there, talk to the hotel about the best way to come back in the evenings. Trains do not run as frequently in the evening, so you might want to take the T to airpot and then call the shuttle to pick you up (but you might have to wait a bit for it to arrive).

By the way, if you do decide to keep the reservation there, ask for a room as high up as possible to avoid street noise (there's quite a difference between the 6th floor and the 2nd floor).

We stayed here last November. We had no hassles with the shuttle taking us to the blue line airport stop. We did have to wait about 20 minutes to get picked up from the airport on one occasion but mostly we were happy.

This hotel is not near anything except train tracks, a Dunkin Donuts, the high school and a gas station. There are not even any restaurants within walking distance (exception - I think Tommy Floramos rib place is still there). It is on a busy street. I would not walk around it at night (I used to work a half mile away).

If there is a shuttle, not the end of the world. I have too often stayed at hotels that promised a shuttle that was unreliable - "sorry, Joe called in sick today" kind of thing.

What colleges? Some are difficult, time consuming or impossible to reach on MBTA.

I have already paid and is non refundable. I was worried but sounds like with a little patience we can get where we want to go. We have tix to the aquarium and a whale watching jaunt, but other than that our schedule is open and flexible. We want to visit BU, Northeastern and Lesley. Another question, does the weekly pass that can be purchased from the MBTA cover the bus and commuter rail?

Those colleges will be easy and even fun to get to by T.

Lesley is (mostly) in Cambridge, just out of Harvard Square, so be sure to allow plenty of time to visit this interesting area.

Northeastern is on the same T line as the Museum of Fine Arts, Symphony Hall and the luxury stores of Copley Place. BU is strung out along Commonwealth Avenue from Kenmore Square (just around the corner from Fenway Park) all the way to Brighton.

Going via the Airport/Blue Line will not be awful, just allow extra time.

The hotel itself gets good ratings.

You will be fine you just have to suss out which T line you need to get where you want to go. There are maps at all the stations, and the hotel also has brochures showing the subway lines.

It looks as though the Chelsea commuter rail stop is in zone 1A which is covered by the weekly pass, along with buses and subways. So that pass is probably your best bet.

Northeastern is on the "E" Green Line train and BU is on the "B" Green Line train. Lesley is on the Red Line to Harvard or Porter Square. Check to see where you'd be visiting.

appreciate all your help!