I need to be in Boston for one week in mid-January, and have a friend who will likely be staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Natick - I want to stay with her, but I know Natick is 20 miles out of Boston.....What is the best/most convenient/cheapest way of getting from Natick to Boston? Thanks so much in advance!

The Courtyard by Marriott is near the malls (three of them) and the Natick exit on the Mass Pike... but getting to Boston is going to be difficult unless you get lucky with an obliging hotel staff. There is rush-hour commuter rail service about three miles south (the line parallels Route 135 if you have a map handy, and you might want to call the hotel to see if shuttle service is available (many suburban hotels offer such a service on request). That will take you into the Back Bay Station and South Station terminus. There is off-peak service roughly every 90 minutes.

You could take the Commuter Rail from Natick to Back Bay or South Station.

See www.mbta.com

Actually, this is going to be easy.

The Peter Pan Bus Line has a stop at the parking lot on Flutie Pass (which is the junction road between the Natick Mall and Shopper's World. There are 4 commuter express buses that run roundtrip each day in the morning, and 4 in the evening. If that doesn't do, there are additional Peter Pan/Greyhound buses that run from the Massport/Logan Express station at the corner of Route 30 into Boston each day.

If you need help, please leave your email address, and I'll give you additional details.

Hi Leslie - I would love any additional help! My email addy is [email protected]

Also, I checked the mtba.com site and the closest "T" stop is the West Natick Station - it's 1.5 miles away from the hotel...Could I just cab it to that station and then train into the city? Thanks guys!

In Natick, you have to arrange for a cab ahead of time. There aren't that many around and it's likely you won't find one waiting at a train station. You can try:
Colonial Livery 508-653-5600
Natick Cab 508-653-2300
Tommy's Taxi 508-872-3500

Tommy's Taxi will not accept a timed call for pick up at the Natick and Framingham stations. If you're going to take a cab from any of the stations, you will need to either call after you arrive at the station or from your cell phone on the train. Do not tell the dispatcher you are on the train, say you are waiting at the station, otherwise the dispatcher will tell you to call back once you arrive. I'm only relaying this to you from my prior experiences. Make sure you have 50 cents for the pay phone too. And press the number "1" as soon as you get the recording so you don't eat into your telephone time. Local calls from telephone booths do not have unlimited minutes.