Amy

Ah, thanks, that explains it. The Element looks like a very good possibility, but Aloft had my ears bleeding from the music on their intro webpage. Trying really, really hard to be hip, and tragically missing, is my guess.

HKP

The reason I mentioned the Indigo rather than the Waltham places is that it's right at a good access point to rapid transit downtown. Have stayed in Waltham, not uncomfortably and usually at a reasonable price, but still have to drive somewhere to get to the T or else go all the way into Boston.

Boxboro really is out in the boonies, tho' it's cheap, accessible to Concord; and/but I'm not sure how Fruitlands got into the mix (nice as it is).

Once you're in Concord/Lexington, it's not all that straightforward how to get easily in/out of downtown, but that doesn't mean it's not feasible.

One last -- probably tangential -- recommendation. As long as you are out that way, you might enjoy stopping in Wayland (via Rte. 20) to see the Wayside Inn, Mary-Martha Chapel, and Grist Mill. That's if you give up on trying to get downtown for part of your stay.

flpab

Amy, We just booked the John Jeffries house in Boston, they give you a discount for the Charles St parking garage. They are also one of the most budget friendly hotels in Boston. We won't have a car but one of our friends meeting us there will and she is using that garage. It is in the Beacon Hill area and you must see the house our poor Louisa died at from mercury poison. I have loved her since 3rd grade when we visited Concord. I am 60!

yk

Amy, the aloft and element in Lexington are right next to each other, and right off the highway (rt 128). I think it is a good compromise for you given your price range.

I also want to say that it probably isn't that hard to drive into Boston on a Sunday and park at the boston common garage. It will save you some time and the parking isn't much more than the cost of 4 subway rides.

If you are thinking of driving, just double check to make sure there aren't any charity walks/runs scheduled on that particular Sunday, however.

dfrostnh

I mentioned Fruitlands because it is the utopian farm where the Alcotts lived for awhile. if interested in the Orchard House, Fruitlands is part of the story. In Concord we enjoyed the trolley tour, got off for a tour of Orchard House and then got on the trolley again. Parked in a lot near the visitors info center.

But the restaurants in Brookline sound a lot better than Westford options.

HKP

Glad someone is trying the John Jeffries. My go-to place when I have to be actually IN downtown Boston and commute in various directions. Love its ambiance, location. Nice walks along the Charles.

china_cat

Ozarksbill, I'm very familiar with that intersection (have good friends that live in Watertown) and its a bad one. But yesterday I had to drive from MGH home, and the intersection of Cambridge St and Storrow drive and some other streets is the worst. You have to guess which lane you want to be in to get on Storrow westbound and there are all sorts of streets coming in at odd angles. I'm glad it was midday and not rush hour when I tried to navigate it.

Amy, Lexington and Concord have some nice restaurants and both have fairly charming downtown areas with some shops, so staying in that area will be a good choice. The Tria will also be a good location for you.

sharona

I think the Tria is a good choice. It's probably a 6-7 minute walk to Alewife station (Red Line) and if the hotel has free or discounted parking all the better. I agree that driving into Boston on a Sunday and parking under the Boston Common is easy but if the driver is uncomfortable driving in a strange city then I wouldn't recommend it. Taking the T from Alewife is very simple and the added benefit to Tria's location is that you are basically already on the road to Concord.

I recommend that on your drive to Concord that you stop at the Minuteman Visitor Center. You can easily tour the whole facility in an hour and the short film is very informative. It's all quite interesting.

One small correction above in case you decide to visit. The Wayside Inn and Old Grist Mill are in Sudbury and not Wayland.

sharona

Have lunch in Concord at the Colonial Inn. Then make the short drive or walk (maybe 1/2 mile) to the Old North Bridge.

http://www.concordscolonialinn.com

http://www.nps.gov/mima/planyourvisi...Park%20Map.pdf

HKP

Ozarksbill, son and daughter-in-law live within walking distance of that intersection, very familiar with it. Yeah it's particularly fun at rush hr. on Friday in bad weather.

sharona - of course it's in Sudbury; thanks! Confused because I always go through Wayland, next town over on Rte. 20, to get there.

charsuzan

I second the recommendation for lunch (or dinner) at Colonial Inn in Concord.

Amy

Just an update and a thanks again to everyone:

We're staying at the Boston Marriott Burlington (terrific price, location seems okay for what we want to do) for three nights, then on to Mt. Battie Inn in Lincolnville (Portland area) Maine, and ending up at Broadleaf Ranch http://broadleafranch.com/ in New Brunswick, 10 minutes ride from Hopewell for the Bay of Fundy. (Staying in a cabin there; horseback riding and hiking along with the Bay!)

By the way, our place in Prince Edward Island looks nice and peaceful; it's the Wexford Heritage House: http://www.wexfordheritagehouse.com/index.html There's a bit of variety in our accommodations for this trip!

cw

Have a great trip! Let us know how it all works out.

Vttraveler

Amy--the trip sounds like fun. If you are doing "chick lit" and PEI I assume you will also be visiting Green Gables.

Concord has a lot to see in addition to the Orchard House. Right next door is the Wayside National Historic site where the Alcotts also lived. Hawthorne lived there later and supposedly used to sneak out the back door when he saw Bronson Alcott heading over to visit. If you are LMA fans you should visit it, too.

We really like a book called Literary Trail of Greater Boston: A Tour of Sites in Boston, Cambridge and Concord.

Amy

Oh, yes, Anne is pretty much the raison d'être for the trip! I was going to go to Colombia and back to the Peruvian Amazon this year, but my niece was re-reading the Anne books, so...

Actually, I have always wanted to visit PEI, anyway: I can remember very vividly my first encounter with the Anne books (at my auntie's house at Christmas) and I own and still occasionally re-read the whole set.

Thanks for the Literary Trail book suggestion and Wayside. From what I've read about Bronson Alcott, it's not too surprising that Hawthorne felt the need to sneak out occasionally.

Vttraveler

Amy--I was quite excited to be able to get most of the Anne of Green Gables books on my kindle for 99 cents. I was talking to someone who was headed to PEI last year and told her to say hello to the Lake of Shining Waters for me. She looked at me blankly. Definitely not a kindred spirit.

starrs

Vttraveler, I have a Kindred Spirit sign in the loft of my vacation place. My best friend from high school gave it to me a few years ago.

Vttraveler

>
I may have to look for one of those for my sister. She took the Anne of green Gables books from my parents' house when it was sold. She also got the Mary Stewart books and I have the Louisa May Alcott set. It was nice when they were all together in our old bedroom and I could (up to age 57) pick one out to read there.

Amy--re Lousia May Alcott, I wanted to mention that there are several houses where she lived on Beacon Hill in Boston(10 Louisburg Square, and 20, 43 and 81 Pinckney Street) This is a good excuse to wander a little in that beautiful and history-filled neighborhood.

Amy

Louisa May Alcott, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and Mary Stewart....mmmmmmmm. I think we may be kindred reading spirits, Vttraveler! How about the Betsy-Tacy books?

Oh, and I'll definitely look into Beacon Hill. Louisa was actually born here in Philadelphia, but they were definitely New Englanders at heart.

Vttraveler

No, I didn't read Betsy-Tacy. We did have and read the Little Colonel series, but it suffered somewhat from the fact that I really couldn't relate to the LC herself. Also liked the Susan Coolidge "Katy Did" books.