<p>We’re thinking of a few days in the Boston area to look at some schools, Boston U, Boston College, MIT, Brown, ect. and I’m wondering if you could tell me where a good area to base ourselves would be, is renting a car advisable or can this be done with public transportation, ect. Any help would be appreciate.</p>
<p>If you plan on visiting all of these schools in a short period of time, renting a car is highly recommended. A navigation system is a must.</p>
<p>BU, BC, and MIT are all reachable by public transportation (the ‘T’), and you can get to Brown via Amtrak. Driving in Boston is a nightmare.</p>
<p>Absolutely do NOT rent a car in Boston. There is no need for it and no place to park it. The T (subway) is $1.70 each way and will get you to all those campuses, except of course Brown which is in Rhode Island. But you can take public transportation from Boston to Providence or you can rent a car solely for the day or two that you make the Boston - Providence roundtrip. You may want to check out the Omni Parker House. With a 14-day advance purchase they have good rates (comparatively speaking - everywhere in Boston is outrageously expensive), and they’re a block from the Park Street T station, which is a crossroads for all the subway lines and connecting public transportation.</p>
<p>If you aren’t a native don’t drive! I wish I could help on hotels - I always stay with relatives.</p>
<p>I agree that driving is a nightmare. I went to BU a million years ago. But if you want to see a number of schools in a few days, it is hard to coordinate tour times and the T. I recommend renting a car and paying the extra bucks for the collision insurance. This will go a long way towards relieving the stress. Hertz is great if you have the insurance. Unfortunately, I speak from experience. We limped back into Hertz after we toured Cal Poly and a tire skipped across the highway and hit us. Five minutes of paper work and we were on our way with another car on our way to Berkley.</p>
<p>If you stay in Boston dont rent a car. Everyone else it right, the T is easy to use and you can get around to the schools you want to see with out a car. Except for Brown.
I can make a suggestion, you may want to stay outside of Boston proper…maybe Cambridge. It will be cheeper too. I cant recommend a place as I live too close to stay in Boston. You also may be able to get cheeper rates at the airport hotels, the airport is right in the city too.</p>
<p>If you rent a car BU Admissions has meters outside their office. Bring lots of quarters!</p>
<p>Go to biddingfortravel.com and use it to get info on what you should bid. Then go to Priceline.com and bid on only the best hotels. take the T anywhere in Boston. Amtrack to Brown. OR check with one of the Boston schools for a deal on a hotel while visiting and If your flying to Boston you may want to fly into and out of Providence RI (Brown) first and save a lot on airfare. Also if you need a car bid on that via Priceline too because that is Soooo much less $$. Have Fun, I love Boston</p>
<p>I like to stay at the Kendall Hotel in Kendall Square. It’s convenient to MIT, is just steps from the T, has a very nice full breakfast (included in the price) in the lobby, and has a slightly funky, homey atmosphere that is just perfect for a teen.</p>
<p>I only rent a car in the Boston area if there is no other option, and I speak as someone who lived there for a couple of years while H was in grad school. One or the other kid and I visited all the schools you mentioned except for BC and didn’t bother to rent a car. With the money you save on car rental, parking, etc. you can afford to catch a cab when needed.</p>
<p>Use Orbitz.com to find a place close to the T. Try not to drive in Boston.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Double Tree on Memorial Drive and drove everywhere… not the best thing to do. Boston’s traffic is horrendous and its nowhere near as simple to drive as NY city
Stick to hotels within walking distance from the T.</p>
<p>I agree…don’t drive in Boston. It’s hard enough to do when you KNOW the city and its drivers. It’s stressful if you don’t…and you don’t need to. You can fly into Boston and go to the schools in Boston using public transport. As noted, there is a train to Providence…you’d probably need a taxi to get to Brown from the train station. You could then fly OUT of Providence…or you could take the train back to Boston.</p>
<p>If you like Bread and Breakfast types of places, check out the John Jeffries House. It’s right off of Charles Street near Mass General and the T station (redline). It’s not near the colleges, but the prices are reasonable and the accommodations pleasant. Plus Charles Street is a lot of fun…some good places to eat (if you like Thai food, go to the King and I).</p>
<p>We stayed at the Doubletree Suites on Soldiers Field Road, where we got a great rate. We either took a pleasant 10 minute walk (through an interestingly funky neighborhood) to the nearest T station, or used cabs - there were always 2 or 3 waiting at the hotel. We were there during the summer. I wouldn’t have enjoyed the walk in February, I’m sure.</p>
<p>The Marriott right in Kendall Square-basically on the MIT campus is convenient to the T (right outside your door) and would also be a good place to stay. Eat at Legal Seafood next door.</p>
<p>when i went we stayed near tufts, which is cheaper because it is not in the heart of the city, but still very accessible to the T.</p>
<p>if you want to see both cambridge schools and boston schools, then park street area is your best bet, as it is where the red line and the green line meet. If you are planning to get to BC via public transportation you definitely don’t want to stay any further out in cambridge than the MIT area, as it takes >1 hour to get to BC via the T from there. The parker house is a good suggestion, and is relatively reasonably priced</p>
<p>This thread has been great to read. I will be visiting Boston with my son this summer. We may take the train into the city but I’ve not done any research yet as to where exactly that puts us and how to find a motel from there. . . thoughts?</p>
<p>I’ve stayed in a Marriott Residence Inn/Suites in Cambridge, and liked it.
Short walking distance to MIT by foot, easy access to the rest of Boston/Cambridge by public trans. There’s a “Legal Seafood” restaurant nearby for good, reasonable meals.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Cambridge-- reasonable price, free parking, and convenient to T. I was glad to leave the car there and take public transportation-- very easy for at least Harvard and MIT.</p>
<p>I didn’t find the traffic in Boston as bad as I expected, but I had trouble navigating. And I wouldn’t have wanted to have to find (and pay for) parking.</p>
<p>We stayed in April at the Hyatt that’s on the river in Cambridge, booked through priceline for under $100 per night. They had a shuttle that was helpful for leaving the hotel, and we took cabs or rode the bus or walked when returning. Near Harvard, MIT and BU, and a nice hotel.</p>
<p>This year, I’m taking my D to see only Tufts - no other Boston schools. Any suggestions for places near Tufts?</p>