<p>When we were visiting Boston colleges, we actually stayed in a hostel. My mom was excited, but I was a little skeptical. It ended up being a pleasant surprise – exactly like a hotel room and less than half the price. I don’t remember the name but it was very close to the BU campus and I think my mom found it through Hostel International (or something like that).</p>
<p>we are looking at Hostels, what a great idea!! Anyone have a good or one to avoid?</p>
<p>The HI one looks pretty good.</p>
<p>Thanks to eveyone for the ideas</p>
<p>We are so excited. We booked our tickets and are doing the red eye, landing at 5am…what do I do with 4 cranky teen girls at 5am besides feed them? ;)</p>
<p>You might try the YWCA Berkely Residence. It is in the Back Bay near a T/commuter rail station.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ywcaboston.org/berkeley/[/url]”>http://www.ywcaboston.org/berkeley/</a></p>
<p>CGM-- the 4 cranky girls and you would probably enjoy a sunrise walk, and there are lots of bakeries and coffee shops that will feed you breakfast afterwards. My son swears by Sunny’s Diner 7 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge (617) 491-9550 where he eats breakfast (which (like the rest of our family) is his main meal of the day) almost every day. (That’s near Kendall Square, though, which is kind of out of the way of everything except MIT.)</p>
<p>Citygirlsmom- when we took our two oldest we landed not much later then that. We were renting a car so that took a few minutes. We were happy to land at that time and not have traffic to deal with to find the hotel. Which was the Lenox I think. Great location. We parked the car for the duration of the Boston part of our trip. Took the T everywhere or walked. Of course we couldn’t check in that early so the kids each took a chair in the lobby and proceeded to go back to sleep. They were on Ca time. Husband and I took a walk. A few hours later we got them up and took them to breakfast. By then the room was ready.
We found our hotel by doing internet searches and found a great price. The location was great near the T and near a indoor shopping mall. And for my son across the street from Dunkin Donuts. He had one each afternoon as payment for going along on all the college tours with his sister.</p>
<p>
if you can’t put them to bed, walk down to the Charles. Crossing fingers for good weather - it’s pretty and they can sit or lie down and nap. I’d call ahead to the hotel or hostel and see if they’ll do the generous thing and let you check in early, too. Tell them cc sent you.</p>
<p>I like Westin Waltham-Boston: <a href=“Marriott Bonvoy Hotels | Book Directly & Get Exclusive Rates”>Marriott Bonvoy Hotels | Book Directly & Get Exclusive Rates;
It’s a very, very nice hotel, and it’s easy to find low rates (between $99 to $120 each night depending on season and day). It’s close to Brandeis (& Bentley, even it’s not popular on CC), Tufts, BC, and only 15 minutes from the colleges in the city like BU, Northeastern, etc.</p>
<p>I have stayed at sulsk’s recommendation and agree in toto.</p>
<p>thanks, those are great suggestions, I am doing the hotel/hostel hunt, and the cranky girls have to set the itenerary, etc. I am trying to let that stuff go, wish me luck on that, so long as i have food and shelter and my Starbucks, I will be fine</p>
<p>I think a nap in a park sounds nice…even now</p>
<p>This is going to sound completely crazy, but I’ve started using Asiarooms.com for all my bookings because they seem to get the lowest prices and the site is so much easier to use than US sites, giving you space to type in preferences etc.</p>
<p>Here’s the selection for Boston.
<a href=“LateRooms | Book the biggest choice of UK hotels at the best price”>LateRooms | Book the biggest choice of UK hotels at the best price;
<p>actually I got a very nice rate at the park plaza when I toured in late summer</p>
<p>that was through expedia and part of a package involving airfare though (I recommend trying to book that way and seeing if it comes out cheaper)</p>
<p>What schools are you looking at?</p>
<p>BU, BC, Northeaster so far, and taking picturews of harvvahd cause its purty</p>
<p>Do you have any other ideas?</p>
<p>No, but I go to Northeastern :)</p>
<p>cooollll…we can’t wait to see it!! any other advice, say for teens and stuff to do in the evenings that would be mom approved?</p>
<p>Newbury Street is probably a safe bet. Plenty of shopping and lots of restaurants. Most of the college-age kids will head to the Other-side Cafe. It is a cafe on Newbury Street that is on the otherside of Mass Ave, hence the name. There is a large Virgin Music Store on the corner of Newbury St. and Mass Ave and Urban Outfitters is on the opposite corner. My daughter and her friends like Steve’s on Newbury Street for its relatively inexpensive Greek food. Also, in that area are two large shopping malls that are connected by an enclosed walking bridge; Copley Mall and the Prudential Center. Nearby, in Copley Plaza, is a kiosk for half-price tickets to same day theatre events. However, I believe they only take cash. Down on the Common is the Frog Pond which is frozen in the winter, open in the evenings, and you can rent skates. The Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market Place area can be fun and is quite near to the North End where you can find great Italian food and espresso. Boston is a very compact city that is a great walking city. I am not sure when you are going, but it is quite cold and windy right now.</p>
<p>CGM, the Boston Marathon is Monday 4/17. Some colleges may suspend classes that day. I know BU does. </p>
<p>You might want to check the various college calendars to see if there are any special events scheduled that week. For example, on Thursday night 4/20, BU has a comedy show at the student union, and Friday 4/21 is a concert. You don’t need a student ID to enter the student union. I don’t know if there’s an admission charge.</p>
<p>BC is also closed for the marathon on the 17th, but is a great spot to watch it from, right over the crest of Heartbreak Hill. Lots of students will be out cheering on the runners. Have a great trip.</p>
<p>Sorry, CGM. Just realized that by spring break you meant April and not March. No skating on Frog Pond, but the weather will be much better.</p>
<p>Spendnaz OP pointed out something we have discovered this past year. Many times on Expedia if you book a package of air and hotel the savings can be huge. Husband and D ended up with two airline round trip tickets and 3 nights in the best hotel near her school for less money then the plane tickets alone booked separately. It doesn’t always work out but it is worth a look.
We visited BU, BC, Tufts and Northeastern. We did a little sightseeing but it was really cold and windy. We did all of them by the T. Though the T ride to BC was slow. You pass BU on the way out to BC. We did BC in the morning and then BU in the afternoon. It was a great trip. It proved to be colder then my D wanted so she ended up not applying to most of them. Remind the girls that they need to bring warm clothes. That a sweatshirt may work in Ca but in Boston it doesn’t.</p>