reader33

My mom (70ish)?and I (50ish)booked a spontaneous trip to Boston July 14-21, 2017 from West Coast. We are history buffs who love to travel and eat locally. We are going very basic on accommodations to focus on food, tours, and attractions. We get a deal with a specific hotel chain and can either stay Comfort Inn 900 Morrissey or newer hotel on Revere Beach Pkway, Everett. Neither ideal (last minute mistake), I know, but which would be more convenient to city? Is Uber a reliable way to get around to save my mom some walking? We have a tour booked for Freedom Trail, Lexington and Concord, are going to MFA, and Harvard walking tour. We are considering day trip to MV or fast ferry to Salem and would love restaurant/must do recommendations. Thanks for input.

bachslunch

Driving into Boston is not advised as traffic and parking are awful.

Which hotel is the one in Everett? I doubt it's convenient to public transport regardless.

The Dorchester hotel is not that convenient to public transport either, though possible. Your best bet appears to be taking the 210 bus to the North Quincy red line stop, and from there into town. You could also drive and park for the day at the North Quincy stop and take the red line in -- not sure if the parking routinely
fills up or not, but it's worth a call to see. I would avoid anything going to Field's Corner (like the 202), as the area around that stop is not good. No vouching for the hotel's neighborhood, sorry to say -- could be dicey or okay, not familiar with this section of Dorchester.

Lexington and Concord are probably best driven to from here, and a must if you're seeing both in one day unless a guided tour is provided. Using public transport to get to either town from Dorchester or Everett will be possible, though time consuming.

NewbE

I am not familiar enough with the area to comment on your hotel choices, but I can tell you that we used Uber several times when were in Boston and it worked great--lots of cars available every time we checked.

Macross

https://www.johnjeffrieshouse.com/ check them just in case they have an opening. Parking in the lot by there is 45 a day though. We didn't but a freind met us for the ball game and that is what she paid.

The ferry to Salem is wonderful. You can also take a ferry to Province town. Great ride along the coast. We bought the trolley ride with the ferry ticket. It was ok but we ended up walking on our own instead of waiting for it at stops. Best thing was taking it on a loop and seeing the hocus pocus house and other interesting areas we would not have walked.

I love Concord.

reader33

Thank you for the input. This is what I get for last-minute planning. I found a room that at the enVision Hotel -Longborn. It is closer to hospitals and Fenway, but very close to public transportation. We are not going to rent a car due to the parking. I appreciate suggestions.

bachslunch

Checked the location for the en-Vision Longwood. It is indeed right by the Green Line's E-line, though last I knew (a few years ago now) the area is not great. I'd avoid coming back late to the hotel, myself. But if you keep your travel during daylight hours, you're probably going to be okay.

If you don't have a car, you'll need to see Concord and Lexington on separate days unless you're doing so as part of a tour. Last I knew, you need to take a bus from Alewife Station (red line) to Lexington, and it only runs Monday through Friday. Concord is reached via commuter rail from North Station, and it's a bit of a walk from the station to the attractions.

DebbieDoesDulles

EnVision has only been open for a couple of months. It's in an industrial zone, so noisy on weekdays & lots of traffic. A 5 min walk brings you to a bus stop and you can take the bus to the T. Or you can Uber to the T, or just Uber all the way into Boston (under $20).
Downside is there's nowhere to dine in the neighborhood other than some fast-food, but you are probably planning all your meals in Boston anyway.

gail

You are within walking distance to Green Line of MBTA Heath or station called "Back of the Hill" which I am not familiar with. I would feel safe walking to either. When you return on Green line, you must take E branch - or you will end up nowhere near you want to be. MBTA.com has an excellent routing page and an OK phone app to help you navigate the system. But agree that Uber is great in Boston.

Your hotel is in Boston - but nowhere near anything a tourist might like to see. I would consider buying a day tour if you want to go to Lexington and Concord. It is in theory possible with MBTA, but so tedious and distance from stations long enough to make for a long and annoying day in the summer heat. Even if you are not a bus tour person, I would do it for this. but re-reading your post, you may have already done this.

There is a walking food tour of the North End (bostonfoodtours.com) that is fun and excellent.

HappyTrvlr

Instead of a day trip to Martha's Vineyard, it is much easier to take the ferry from Boston out to Provincetown on the Cape.
Restaurants- Back Bay- Sonsie's, Tapeo, Le Voile
Seafood- There are many Legal Seafoods but their newest one is in Seaport area, Legal Harborsde and is on the water, even nicer. All of them have wonderdul seafood.
Island Creek Ouster House-book in advance! My favorite place in Boston.
North End-Saraceno, Hanover Street, excellent, authentic Italian.
Cambridge- Harvard Square- Alden and Harlow, Harvest.
Oleana- fabulous Turkish inspried, one of the Bosron area's top restaurants.

Ackislander

The hotel is just kitty-corner from Back of the Hill Station on the E-Line trolley.

If you haven't taken a trolley before, you will have plenty of chances because this line is all trolley, all the way to Symphony Hall. The good news is that it stops at the corner by the MFA and only two blocks from the Gardner Museum. It is an interesting ride all the way, though somewhat edgy toward the end beyond the Longwood hospitals if you are not used to urban life.

The bad news above is that there isn't much of anywhere to eat out that way. You could take any of the other Green Line trains to Kenmore and eat there or in the neighboring Fenway before taking Uber back to the hotel. There is a cluster of places to eat at the St Mary's stop on the Green C Line. Taberna de Haro has excellent tapas, and there is a small Whole Foods market across the street if you want to takes some goodies back to the hotel. Again, Uber from there to the hotel.

Why Uber and not a taxi? Taxis in Boston stink, often literally. The founder of Uber is reputedly a swine, and it is hard to support his trashy behavior with your money, but the vast majority of the drivers are just trying to feed their families and there are tons of them. Just be aware that their prices go way up at rush hour and in bad weather.

You will have a good time despite all this!