NY to Boston
 

Hi all:
Coming to Boston the first week of July and had a couple of questions:
-would you fly or drive (how pricey is it these days)
-if flying would you rent a car, or just go it by foot
-what would be a nice hotel to stay, preferably larger, near some action, and not overly pricey
-is there a good all-around website that lists special, etc.

Haven't been to Boston in a while, and we're looking forward to it. BTW, it's just me and hubby and we're in our 30s.

Save your sanity and take the train especially if you are going to be in town.

I read an article once on how two writers raced to see which was fastest, train or plane, and with drives to the airport and back into the city, they ended up around the same time. However, the train was much less stressful.

You couldn't pay me enough money to drive that stretch of I-95 betweem NYC and Boston.

I agree - definitely take the train. You don't need to rent a car in Boston, they have public transportation.

For websites, go to www.google.com and type in "Boston Tourism". You'll get lots of good links.

Have fun!

Karen

Do you guys mean Amtrak from ny? that could be something to check out.

Yes, Amtrak. I agree with the above advice to not drive to or in Boston.

An alternative is buses -- either a regular company like Geryhound, or the popular Chinatown buses if you're up for an economical adventure.

Er, I meant Greyhound, sorry.

Greyhound has a $15 1way/$30 r/t special
http://www.greyhound.com/discounts/b...wyork_15.shtml
Qualifying schedules are those that fall within:
Friday (11am-6pm); Saturday (7am-noon) and Sunday (1pm-8pm)

Or you could try a bit of luxury on bus with the LimoLiner http://www.limoliner.com/ , a bus with only 3 seats/row, onboard refreshments, attendent, movies, internet ... for ~$70 each way.

Even if you flew, do NOT get a car for Boston, a waste of time and money.

If you own your own car I would definitely drive to boston. It is faster than either plane or train - and if you want to see anything outside of the city you'll be set to go. The garage at the hotel will cost less than two RT train fares.

If you don;t have a car train or plane are pretty much a wash depending on how far you live from the airport or Amtrak station.

Thanks for the replies!

I went on a couple of websites, and it seems pretty pricey. Is there a better time of the week to go (weekends/midweek)? Or any special tips on finding reasonable accommodations?

Thanks again!

Transportation: Bus is cheapest, then your car, then probably train, then probably air. Your car is fastest, then train/air (about the same time), then bus. Your car is expensive because you'll have to park it in the city. You won't need/want a car during your stay, assuming that you're mostly interested in Boston/Cambridge and not the outlying areas. Also, this assumes that you can opt to travel during non-rush-hour times. If you do drive, do NOT take 95 the whole way. The most efficient routes go through Hartford (e.g., 95-or-Hutch to 15-or-91 to 84 to 90).

Hotel: Priceline is far and away the cheapest way to find a room, but you have to be willing to take what you get. [Not that this is necessarily bad, just less controllable.] Use a bidding help site if you go this route.

Hotels will generally be cheaper over the weekend, but the 1st week in July sounds to me like you'll run into the 4th, which is likely to be busy (and thus expensive). Boston is not as pricey as NY, but it ain't cheap either.

I would absolutely stay in the city (or Cambridge) NEAR a T stop for the best/most efficient experience.