We will be staying in the Waltham area for Brandeis orientation. We want to visit restaurants in the North End and have a reservation at Antico Forno Sat. @ 7:30 p.m. I am not wild about driving around big cities with which I am not familiar. I looked at the MBTA site and it looks like there is a commuter train from Waltham @ 6:15 that will get us to the North station. Where is the station in Waltham? Will I be able to park easily? Can we buy our tickets on the train or is there a station where we need to buy them in advance? We are staying at the Doubletree on Winter St. There doesn't seem to be a return train until 11:30 p.m., which is too late for us. Any other suggestions on how to get back to Waltham around 10:00 p.m.? Thanks!

aliska...I'm not sure about the commuter rail but you should consider the green Line which begins in Riverside. Riverside is right off Rt 128 (95) in one of the Newton exits just south of Waltham. The hotel can tell u the actual exit. The cost is $3 to Boston and you can get off at Government Center which is a short 15 min walk to the North End. That way you dont have to worry about when to return. There is a large parking lot in Riverside. Good luck ...Brandeis is a great school.

fromMA makes a great suggestion, but be aware that it is a long (but very interesting) ride in on the Green Line, especially if the Red Sox are playing that night. I would allow AT LEAST an hour each way (I used to work just across 128 from Riverside).

Another approach would be to drive in and park at the Haymarket, Government Center, or Quincy Market garages. They are right off I-93 and well marked. It is an easy walk to Antico Forno from any of them, and you will like the food!

You seem to be doing quite well with figuring out transportation - I am assuming you have found mbta.com website, a very useful resource.

Riverside on the green line is a good option - go back to mbta website and click on "directions and station info" - Riverside is right off Rt 128 (you by this time are familiar with that road, since it was part of your trip from Manchester Airport). Lots of parking there and green line trains run much more frequently.

Red Sox are away this coming weekend (I think you said that was date of your trip). I would probably not drive in - there is always some big street festival in North End (I think this coming weekend is St. Anthony, the biggest one). And your daughter will have a practice run on public transit into Boston.

For future reference, you can always buy train tickets (purple line) on the commuter rail train, but they cost a little more. Most stations have some sort of ticket sales open at limited hours - usually in a convenience store, coffee shop, etc., sometimes well marked as such, sometimes not.

For the regular trolley/subway lines (red, blue, green, orange - and sometimes silver) there is a maddening transition going on right now from tokens to electronic fare cards. There is no human being alive who currently knows which lines and stations are using which system and when each will change. However, the more remote locations, like Riverside, still use tokens that you buy from a guy in a booth.

northendboston.com will give you info about festivals.

Your daughter will be an instant hit in the dorm if she brings some pastries back from North End to share - connolis from Mikes, filled while you watch, would be my choice.

I have to admit, I don't take the t all that much...but my friends who used to live in Waltham always drove to the Alewife station and took the red line into town. There is more parking at Alewife, its a shorter drive, and the red line trains are bigger, faster, and more frequent. On the other hand, going to the north end you will have to change trains once, so maybe its a wash.

Drive north on 128 to route 2. Take route 2 east to Alewife station.

Take the redline inbound to Park Street, then change to the Greenline. Take the Green line to North station.

Forget the commuter rail! it just doesn't work well for anything outside of commuter hours. Too few trains, too easy to mis. better you should drive.

Are you staying in a hotel that offers a shuttle to and from the T station, ie Riverside? That would be simplest of all options, IMO.

Train departures are fewer on weekends and vary depending upon your destination.

If you want to return to Waltham, you could easily enjoy a couple of hours exploring the North End after dinner, enjoying coffee dessert on an outdoor terrace, watching the passing parade, or walk over to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace and walking all over, before heading over to North Station for "home".

djkbooks presents another reasonable option - although since you are new to the area, taking the last commuter train of the night might make me nervous.

The distance is about 12 miles; take a cab.

Well, I was all set to take the T from Riverside, when I went to the MBTA site, I saw this note about the Riverside station for this Sat & Sun:

Sat, Aug 26thth and Sun, Aug 27th, 2006
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Maintenance of Way Department will be performing necessary track work on the D-Line beginning with the start of service on Saturday and continuing until the end of service on Sunday. During this time, bus shuttle replacement service will be in effect between Riverside Station and Reservoir Station.

Shuttle buses will be available at Riverside Station and Reservoir Station making all local stops. MBTA personnel will be on hand throughout the weekend directing customers to shuttle bus replacement service.

This diversion may result in a commute that is 10-15 minutes longer than usual. The MBTA thanks you for your patience and cooperation as we work to improve your daily commute.

DOES THIS AFFECT US? Is there another T station we should take? We are pretty set on public transportation

This does effect you. Substitute shuttle bus service is rarely as good as they promise.

Go to plan B - mentioned above, that is Alewife Station on red line.

Route 128 north to Route 2 East. Continue on Route 2 until you come to a rotary/traffic circle. You want to take first exit off rotary - actually it will feel like a right merge or right turn. Very shortly on your right is Alewife MBTA station - you will see a big parking garage - that's it.

Forget to tell you where to get off. Two options - take red line to Park Street and green line to north station as suggested above.

Or take red line to orange line. Then take orange line to Haymarket (that is probably the one I would pick).

It is easier than it sounds - go back to mbta website and it will make more sense.

Don't overlook the option of taking the Commuter Rail into Boston, arriving right at North Station of course, and then taking a cab back, which would avoid lots of MBTA transfers and hassles. On Saturday nights the T runs less often so the hassle factor, especially with transfers between lines, is magnified.

Also, the upperclassmen at Brandeis will have lots of detailed information about public-transit options, including bus lines. Some area colleges include info about the T in their orientation materials. Have you tried using the MBTA's Trip Planner?