I have a convention coming up in Boston and thought I might fly in a day early and drive up to Gloucester overnight. But driving from Logan airport does not sound very attractive.

Any suggestions for taking mass transit to the north edge of the city and renting a car there?

Thanks!

Keith

You can take mass transit all the way to Gloucester -- check out the commuter rail maps at www.mbta.com.

Driving from Logan to Gloucester is very easy. I live just north of Boston and make this trip several times a month. The only hard part is driving into Boston from the north, but if you do it off hours it is not a problem. You could return the car to Logan and take transportation in town.

I would like to go and come from Logan, but it would be 4PM when I was trying to drive out of the city, and I would really like to avoid that.

Thank you for the lead Anonymous.

Keith

Traffic on 1A/60/US1 from Logan going North shouldn't be that bad. It's slow during PM rush, but still moves. Remember, taking the public transport at that time isn't going to be totally stress free either, especially with luggage.

Although I originally answered your question just as it was asked, I do have to agree with the others who hold that driving would still be less trouble than taking public transport. To get to the public transport from your terminal, you'd have to take a shuttle bus from the terminal to the subway, then change from the Blue Line to the Green Line of the subway system, then pick up the commuter rail at the Green Line Stop (North Station). Of course, the train will be crowded with commuters, you might no even get a seat. And you'll of course be limited to its schedule.

OTOH, getting onto the highway from Logan is pretty straightforward, and no matter how slowly the traffic is moving, it's still going to be less time and hassle than taking the T.

Keith,

You say you're going to a convention in Boston. I offer that if you're going to the DNC convention, all bets are off. The newly opened I93 tunnel will be closed at various times for security reasons. Traffic promises to be an absolutely unpredictable nightmare.

The proposed horrble closures will take place DURING the convention, so should not affect Keith's excursion if indeed that's the convention he's referring to.

No not THAT convention My convention isn't until the Labor Day weekend - the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention.

Thank each of you for the comments about driving from the airport. I used to commute in New Jersey and Detroit, so I have driven in heavy traffic, but many years in metro Kansas City have spoiled me. Plus I keep hearing that the Boston traffic is whole additional level of bad.

Keith

Sure it is, but heading north out of the city from the airport, you don't really get into Boston traffic, you practically get onto the highway as you exit the airport.

In my opinion, you should bite the bullet and rent a car from Logan. It is a little confusing, and there will be lots of traffic, but it would probably still take less time if you are going to rent a car anyway.
Another possiblity would be to take the Logan Express bus to either Woburn or Peabody. There is are car rental facilities that would "pick you up" and take you to their rental office. You do need to check hours, because some "local" Hertz, Enterprise, etc, close at 5 or 6 pm.

Labor day weekend at 4pm heading north could be a disaster.

I would be heading north on the Wednesday before Labor Day.

Keith

The difficulty of traffic and roads in Boston is frequently over-stated. It is an congested old city, with unplanned roads and sometimes contradictory signage - typical of many older cities and towns in this country and others. I would not recommend renting a car and trying to drive around seeing sights - but for direct "Point A to Point B" travel, with good directions and a moderate sense of direction, you will be fine.

I can not think of any MBTA (the mass transit system) stop with a car rental place right there at the stop. So I imagine you could take the MBTA and arrange to get picked up by one of the rental agencies that do that - but then they drive you back to their offices and you need to find your way from there. Then do the same on return trip.

Far more time and hassle than any traffic jam in Boston would create.

After your day in Gloucester (I would actually recommend Rockport, instead) return the car to Logan and take public transportation to wherever your hotel is.

I agree that Rockport would be a better choice than Gloucester. Another transportation option is to take a cab to North Station and catch the train to Rockport/Gloucester. I think, at most, a cab would be $15.