Vistors Pass on the T
 

Is it worth it to buy the visitors pass for the T for a 5&1/2 day stay?? I think you can ride most anything with it except taxis. Also, do you have to buy one for kids under 3 or 1? I have searched their website and cannot find that information.

Chocolate chip cookies melt in August.

Huh? We are going the first two weeks of June. I just read about the Go Boston Card. That looks like a great deal, anyone else buy it?

GoTravel wants to know what city you are talking about. Hence the comment that seems to come out of thin air like your question.

viragdom, all questions pertaining to any state in the United States all dump into the Fodors US Board.

If you read your post, not knowing that you are asking about Boston, it reads as jibberish. Does that make sense? I wasnt't trying to be mean, just funny.

Any time anyone replies to a post, it pushes the post to the top of the pile so my reply sent you to the top.

As far as the pass is concerned, I am a big fan of public mass transportation so it sounds like a good deal.

I believe the answer to your question can be found on this website.

http://www.mbta.com/

Viragdom, wthout knowing your plans an itinerary it is impossible to advise you on whether the BostonMBTA Visitors Pass is "worth it."

As the MBTA web page about the various passes explains, a 7-day visitors pass costs $35; a 7-day regular combo pass, good for the same trains and buses, costs just $16.50 but is good only for Sunday-Saturday. A single ride on the subway costs $1.25 and most buses are $.90. You will hav to do your own math based on these facts and your plans.

Children under age 5 ride free.

Thanks for the info on childs age. I did search the website. I guess I missed it.

I found when I was in Boston I used public transport much less than I expected and tended to walk to many places. I found it a very compact, easily walkable city (and that was in a cold, snow-covered January!) Aa
pass would not have been worthwhile for us, but obviously only you can have an idea how much you will use the T or buses. I expect it also deoends on where you are staying.

I know it would have been clearer to state Boston somewhere in the original question but without it, the question makes perfect sense to anyone that would be able to offer an answer. Anyone that didn't know the T wouldn't be able to answer the question anyway.

Can I ask a question about the Empire State Building without mentioning New York in my question? More extreme example I know!

I read other posts and always saw it referred to as the T. I didn't know other cities referred to their trains as the T. Sorry! I wonder if just asking what city I meant would have been more clear??? Hmmm....

Yes. Adding the city in the title would have been very helpful - as SuzieTrue said earlier "GoT wants to know what city you are talking about".

There is at least one other city that uses the term "The T" for its public transit: Pittsburgh, which even has a logo that strongly resemble Boston's. New York City's planned Second Avenue subway line is called the T, and Fort Worth calls its transit authority the T.

It's always more user-friendly to put a place name in the thread title, to make it easier for other members to scan the titles.

It REALLY depends on where you are staying...If most of your sightseeing is downtown--Quincy Mkt.,Aquarium, Paul Revere "stuff', Copley Square (near where you get the Duck Tours), Boston Commons (Swan Boats) Walking is easy access..
I got a 5 day pass because I stayed near Mass. Gen. Hospital and went to Cambridge and Harvard a lot and
Filene's basement.. I felt it was convenient not to have to 'dig" or stand in line for change..
Also was impressed as to people offering their seats!!!!
Boston is a great city....

traveler, the people standing in line weren't waiting for change, they were buying tokens for the subway, $1.25 each.

So for the $35 cost of a 7-day visitors pass (the MBTA web site doesn't mention a 5-day pass), you could get 28 tokens, which is 4 per day. For viragdom's 5-day visit, that would be more than 5 tokens per day. (For the $18 cost of a 3-day pass, visitors could buy 14 tokens and get change.)

As you pointed out, it's a walking city and a visitor would use the subway a lot only if they're heading out to Cambridge regularly, etc.

A tiny point of clarification: The Swan Boats are in the Public Garden, not in Boston Common (no "s") which it borders.

This is my first time at this site so I am a neubie. Please have patience :).
I am trying to get info for my 2 kids. We live in MA but have never been to Boston before. They are making a trip next week. I am having them drive to Malden and take the Orange line to North Station and it says they can walk to the Museum of Science.
Then they can return to North Station and take the Blue line to the Aquarium Station which I am assuming is at the N.E. Aquarium. Have I got this right?
Many have said Boston is walkable and I know near the Aquarium is Fanieul Hall. Great walking there. However, can they feasibly walk from the Museum of Science to the Aquarium? Is it too long? Is it safe? Would appreciate help.

Rlivia-

You've got it almost right.

From Malden, take the orange line to North Station, they can walk to the museum or transfer there to the green line inbound and get off at the Museum of Science stop.

From the museum, take the green line to Government center and transfer to the blue line, get off at the Aquarium stop.

You can walk from the Aquarium to Faneuil Hall but it's a little bit of a hike. You could take the blue line back to Government Center, walk straight out of the exit, past city hall on your left, and you'll be at Faneuil Hall.

Museum of Science to the Aquarium would be a little long and confusing to a newbie I think, best to take the T.

I would not want to walk from North Station to Museum of Science with young children - too far.

wyatt gave good advice; I can only add few tidbits and details.

It's usually possible to pick up the Green Line at North Station to get to the Science Park stop, but there's been a lot of station reconstruction and busing, so double-ckeck before trying to do this rather than jsut walking.

As whyatt pointed out, the Aquarium stop is on the Blue Line and Science Park is on the Green Line, and North Station is on both the Orange and Green Lines. So to get from the Museum of Science you'd have to either take the Green Line and transfer to the Blue Line at Government Center, or take the Orange Line from North Station and transfer to the Blue Line at Stat Street.

It sounds tricky, but it makes complete sense if you take a look at the nice MBTA color-coded subway map. The web site will also provide trip planning from one site to another.

One final concern: On a weekday, the parking lot/garage at Malden will probably be full by 8 AM. What town are they traveling from? Perhaps we cn provide alternatives.

www.mbta.com

gail, it sounded to me like rlivia's kids were driving on their own, so they're probably big enough to hike from North Station to MOS.

Thanks everyone for the advice! My kids are 21 and 19. I am going to print this out and let them have the directions to take with them. Also, the mbtz map with all the lines on it. Red...etc. Will come on here on Tues and let everyone know how the hicks from the small town near Sturbridge made out. Wish I could go but have to work. No fair! Again, thanks and have a good day! Kim