DS

Hi, I plan to stay at the Hampton Inn in Revere, Mass. when I'm in the Boston area. Does anyone know if this is close to a T station.. and if so which one? I will be depending on public transport when I'm down there. Looking to go mostly downtown, Harvard campus and MIT.

Thanks in advance.

Jen

Why not ask the hotel themselves?

Revere has a couple of stops on the MBTA's Blue Line subway. You could go to www.mbta.com, get the addresses of the stations, then check directions on www.mapquest.com to see how far they are. But the hotel might have a shuttle to the subway.

How did you happen to choose this hotel? It's very inconvenient for Harvard and MIT, since they are on the Red Line of the subway, which doesn't intersect with the Blue line, so you'll have to make two changes. You might be better-off taking your chances with Priceline and getting something in the Back Bay/Copley area.

The hotel is also not near the airport, either, despite its name.

Linda

I am from the Revere area.... It is a pain to take the T over to Harvard or MIT from this area. It usually takes me up to an hour depending on the timing of the trains arriving. I start from Maverek Station on the blue line in East Boston.

Your hotel is on Rt 1A with the closest train station being Suffix Downs (or maybe Beachmont). I am not sure how far of a walk this is, but my guess is at least 10 or 15 minutes.

I would agree that you should choose a hotel in the city. This is not a great location given your agenda and dependence on public transportation.

DS

Thanks Jen and Linda. Hmm.. I was having a real hard time to find a place within my budget and (during that may weekend) inside of boston and hence chose this one. And since I heard Boston has pretty good train connections, I didn't think it would be too bad. Are the subway trains pretty frequent? I do believe though that the hotel has some kind of shuttle to the T station. Just curious, how long would it take to get downtown from Revere?
Thanks again.

gail

MBTA in Boston area uses bus, regular train, subway, trolley. Train schedule from many places is scheduled primarily with commuter in mind. Subway (from Revere it would be blue line) is good and reliable. The issue is getting to the subway stop. Do not know how far your hotel is from blue line, but many areas in Revere are not practical to walk - you would be walking along rushing traffic. May is college graduation weekends in Boston, so rates are as high as summer tourist season. When I have looked on internet for rates, some hotels call themselves things like Revere/Boston - pay close attention to actual location and, as above, call hotel and see what are arrangements into Boston or to MBTA.

Jem

Well, DS, what IS your budget? As I mentioned earlier, you might want to just bid on a hotel on Priceline -- for under $100, people have been getting some very nice 3- and 4-star hotels in the Back Bay/Copley area. You'll learn a lot of useful stuff about Priceline if you spend 15 minutes reading up at www.biddingfortravel.com

The subway trains run about every 8 to 10 minutes, more frequently during rush hours. It's true that public transit coverage in Boston is good, but once you get out into the suburbs (including Revere), access gets more spread out.

Suzy

DS, did you say MAY weekend? If you're coming to Boston any time in May, you're lucky to find any room at all at this late date -- May is graduation month, hotels fill up and are not inclined to offer discounts.

Nevertheless, people have been known to get surprising last-minute deals on Priceline. If I were you, I'd hang on to that Revere spot, it's a roof over your head, but keep trying on Priceline in better locations (like Copley/Back Bay) until the last minute.

Another possibility to consider is the Motel 6 in Braintree. It's a very budget motel, but literally next door to the Braintree subway station, which is the end of the Red line -- so you'd be able to take a direct line to Downtown and Cambridge.

rob

Revere is fine if the price is right it not far from the subway and it a short ride into town.