H

Planning a one week trip to New England in Oct. Never been there before. Had planned to include Boston in the itinereary, but wondered if the road construction in and around the city would make it impossible to
navigate and enjoy what the area has to offer. Any suggestions to you folks from the area? Thanks

doc

Boston is very walkable, so you have that option. If you are driving, stay away from the big dig,which I dont know why a tourist would go there anyway, and you'll be fine.

Eric

You could park at an MBTA (subway) stop outside of the city and take the train in. You won't have to worry about driving into the city or parking, although in my opinion it really isn't that bad. The problem is the lack of street signs, etc. for visitors.

If you did drive in, you can park underneath the Boston Common on a weekend day for only $7 or $8 for the entire day.

cliff

The Boston area encourages people to drive in and around the town. Be sure to drive over to see the BIG DIG,
Skip mass transitm, who wants to be underground, when all the sites are viewable from your car window

Melissa

Hi H-
I second Eric's suggestion. Drive to an T stop and take the T in. Where are you primarily staying? I can let you know which stop to drive to. I find the traffic to be hideous almost all the time. The pike is a nightmare to visitors. You could also take one of the commuter rails in to the city.
Boston is well worth the visit, and if you are heading to New England it is a must see.
Good luck and safe travels to you.

Donna

All depending upon where you're headed to Boston from, best approach probably is I-495 to Mass Pike (I-90) to a hotel in the Back Bay neighborhood (Sheraton, Hilton, Elliot, for example). Traffic on I-95 (formerly Route 128, what looks like a "beltway" on the maps) is more like a speedway and very busy nearly all the time, torture during rush hours. Depending upon where you're coming from I-495 is about the same distance (even though it looks longer on a map). If you enter Boston via the Mass Pike, you miss as much of the Big Dig as possible. I would not avoid Boston due to the road construction. But, I'd plan on driving in at off hours, and leaving the car in a garage/lot for the duration of the stay. You could stay outside Boston, park at an MBTA commuter rail station and take a train in (or an MBTA lot if on the subway lines). But, this is tricky, as many lots fill early weekdays, and you MUST catch the last train back.

Ann

You could stay at a hotel within the T system (as opposed to the commuter rail system which runs less frequently) where parking would be free. You could stay as close as Brookline (Holiday Inn on Beacon St.) and be minutes to the heart of the city by T. The Holiday Inn in Newton is next to the Riverside T station (end of that line) with free parking. The problem with visitors driving in our city is that it takes all your attention to the traffic, and all your attention to where you're going. So, if you don't know where you're going...you get the picture. As a local, driving in the city never bothers me (except finding a parking space, another great reason to take the T). If you need specific information, let me know.