Boston on Business, what to expect?
 

Hello everyone!

I'll be heading to Boston tomorrow and it'll be my first time on the east coast. Unfortunately it's for business, but I will have some time to myself. I won't have a car, either.

My main question is what to expect weather wise? I see you guys have been having some rain/thunder. I have to wear slacks and a dress shirt for the majority of the week, but should I pack shorts?

It looks like I'm actually staying at a Holiday Inn in Dedham, any recommendations on what to do around that area?

Thanks!

You'll have to ride the "T" into Boston. Walk at least part of the Freedom Trail. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

Dreary hotel about a half hour from Boston, or maybe 45 minutes on public transportation. I believe the hotel shuttles you to Readville Station but not sure what hours of the day they offer service.

How are you getting to the hotel? Logan Express from the airport and then the hotel shuttle pickup from there???

Oh and yes pack shorts. Even if its rainy/thunder it will be very warm and humid.

Thanks for the quick answers!

My company is providing a shuttle from the airport, so I'm covered there.

The business stuff is actually in the hotel itself I guess, and the schedule is pretty rigorous (8:30 AM to 8:30PM). The only time I'll have off is next Saturday after 3PM and all day Sunday.

Temperatures look to be in the 60s to 80 range with unsettled weather early in the week. There's a hotel shuttle to the train station to get into Boston. I assume they bring you to the Dedham Corp. stop but they may bring you to 128 Westwood. See www.mbta.com for commuter rail schedules.

There is a big shopping center across the street, Legacy Place. It has a lot of pretty good restaurants--Legal C Bar, Aquitaine, the Met Bar, Yardhouse, and others. There is a Summer Shack for seafood just down the street. It also has a large movie complex.

You can take the train into Back Bay and walk to restaurants and shops in the evening or go to South Station and walk along the harbor walk or the Greenway to Quincy Market and the North End (for Italian food). Or maybe take an evening harbor cruise.

How are you getting to the hotel? It's in a very suburban location.

Was posting at the same time as you were. Do check the weekend train schedules. They may run less frequently. But you can always go to 128/Westwood station and take a cab back to the hotel.

Whatever you read about forecast for next weekend, it is wrong - too far out for Boston weather. I would plot an escape some evening and share a cab to/from Boston with some other escapees and hit the North End for dinner.

Sounds like only night for dinner is Saturday - looks like other nights will be on site with drinks with the group after the official program ends.

Do you have to return Sunday night - or on Monday.

I might be temptsd to get a downtown hotel on Sat night and not have to trek back to the suburbs - sp if you're going out to dinner.

If you need a cab, call Über. It's an amazing service, cheaper than a cab usually, in very nicely-kept private vehicles.

Download the app. You sign up via the app, and put your credit card on file.

You can see where their cars are near you, and you see how soon the car will pick you up. You choose the size and style car you want. It will tell you the price difference for the different sizes. UberX is cheapest size.

The driver calls you upon arival. Your card is charged, no discussion on price and NO tip. You just get out of the car and Thank the driver, then receive an email immediately, telling you the price of your ride. We used Uber all over Boston in May, and it was cheaper than we expected a cab would be.

If you look, I think there's still a new customer coupon for $10 off, or something. It's a great service. If you ever have a problem, they are responsive. I challenged the price of an airport trip, and they immediately emailed back and agreed that it shouldn't have been $60, and refunded $33 instantly. They said the driver must have left his meter on when he left us.

Also, really cool, you can see afterwards the exact route the driver took. You can see if the driver took a direct route.

These are not professional drivers per se, but people who have nice cars and need extra cash. They are very carefully vetted from what we saw, because we had very friendly and groomed drivers. Some even offered free iced water bottles.

But, they don't always know their way around the city. Be sure you have the precise address where you are going, because driver should use GPS. Otherwise, it could be the blind leading the blind!

Whoa, again, thank you everyone! A lot of great advice/information! I am actually there til Wednesday, they just gave us sunday off I guess to do our own thing. I'm hoping by that time, I'll have made a few "friends" within the company, but if not I might just have to do my own thing!

I'm leaving in the morning, but I'll keep checking back here for any more posts.

Thanks again!