My SO is going to Boston next week. The plan right now is for her to stay at the Hampton Inn BOS (somewhere NW of BOS), go into Boston (Mass Gen Hospital) next day. Stay at the Hilton Financial District that evening before heading back to BOS for a early AM flight (she needs Hilton stays and those are the 2 most-reasonably priced properties).

What should her southbound commute be: Taxi from the Hampton Inn to MGH, or take a shuttle bus to the Blue line station (at BOS or a few stations north) and take the blue line to the southern terminus?

As for getting back to BOS, taxi northbound on a weekday AM should be o.k. (leaving hotel by 0630?)

Thanks

Need more info. There are at least 3 Hampton Inn BOS that are NW of Boston -- at which one is she staying?

There is no Hilton Financial District hotel, at least not that I'm aware of. If she's at Hilton Back Bay, then a taxi is the way to go. Though it would seem to me a lot more convenient to stay at the Hilton at the airport: walk to the terminal from the hotel lobby.

The Hilton Financial District is the newly-rebranded former Wyndham on 89 Broad Street. You're not the only one who isn't aware of it. The Hilton Internatonal (.co.uk and .de) sites don't know it's there either. :D The HI BOS (as in "Logan Airport") is on Lee Burbank Highway in Revere (about 5 miles from Mass Gen but you have the Callahan(?) tunnel inbetween) which I guess is NNE of downtown. The HI shuttle to BOS stop at the Wood Island blue line stations en route to BOS.

p.s. Many (Hilton) hotels are already sold out that week (1st 2 days of August) or were asking outrageous prices ($369 for the Doubletree Downtown :confused: ). The rates that I have her booked at (just last week) are anywhere from $60 (HI) to 130 (HFD) less than what the properties are currently asking.

What should her southbound commute be: Taxi from the Hampton Inn to MGH, or take a shuttle bus to the Blue line station (at BOS or a few stations north) and take the blue line to the southern terminus?Has word of the "Big Dig" fiasco made it to Vancouver? All of this would have been much easier before the authorities had to close one of the main routes between BOS and downtown. That said, it still is quite manageable.

If your SO is traveling between the HI and MSG at rush hour, the best bet would be to have the HI shuttle drop her at the Blue Line, take the Blue Line to Government Center, and then catch a taxi from there for a short ride to MSG (when she comes up the escalator from the Government Center station to the street, have her do a 180 and catch a cab on the street that will be directly behind her -- Cambridge Street. MSG is on Cambridge Street just a couple of miles north of there). If her commute is not during the rush hour (say, after 10:00am), she could take the Blue Line or take a taxi from the HI. The taxi will take her through the Sumner Tunnel, and the traffic shouldn't be too bad between around 10:00am and around 3:00pm.


As for getting back to BOS, taxi northbound on a weekday AM should be o.k. (leaving hotel by 0630?)Yes, at the hour the taxi will breeze through the Callahan Tunnel to BOS. (FYI, the Sumner and the Callahan are adjacent tunnels; the tunnel to BOS from downtown is called the Callahan, and the tunnel from BOS to downtown is called the Sumner.)

Has word of the "Big Dig" fiasco made it to Vancouver?

Uh yea, especially the latest tunnel collapse. We were actually in Boston 4 years ago and walked to the north end, probably before they torn down the elevated highway (or is it still there?)


If your SO is traveling between the HI and MSG at rush hour, the best bet would be to have the HI shuttle drop her at the Blue Line, take the Blue Line to Government Center, and then catch a taxi from there for a short ride to MSG (when she comes up the escalator from the Government Center station to the street, have her do a 180 and catch a cab on the street that will be directly behind her -- Cambridge Street. MSG is on Cambridge Street just a couple of miles north of there).


She has to be there before 9 so I imagine the Blue line would be better. The receiving address for the equipment she is sending is going to 70 Blossom Street so I thought that is where is she going to. We'll have to reconfirm where it is. Is the walk from Bowdoin station too far?

Thanks again.

Uh yea, especially the latest tunnel collapse. We were actually in Boston 4 years ago and walked to the north end, probably before they torn down the elevated highway (or is it still there?)The elevated highway is completely gone now. There is still construction where it used to be, but it's improving every day.


She has to be there before 9 so I imagine the Blue line would be better. The receiving address for the equipment she is sending is going to 70 Blossom Street so I thought that is where is she going to. We'll have to reconfirm where it is. Is the walk from Bowdoin station too far?The Blue Line definitely is the way to go at that hour. Blossom Street is right off of Cambridge Street. And although it's kinda walkable from Bowdoin station (pronounced BŌ-din, for those keeping score at home), it's a little bit of a hike. Plus MGH has a pretty big campus, so that could add to the walk. That's why I suggested getting off at Government Station, where it should be easier to find a taxi that at Bowdoin. (There is a Red Line station right at MGH, but it's not convenient to get from the Blue Line to the Red Line.)

The Blue Line definitely is the way to go at that hour. Blossom Street is right off of Cambridge Street. And although it's kinda walkable from Bowdoin station (pronounced BŌ-din, for those keeping score at home), it's a little bit of a hike. Plus MGH has a pretty big campus, so that could add to the walk. That's why I suggested getting off at Government Station, where it should be easier to find a taxi that at Bowdoin.



Thanks. I'll tell her that.


(There is a Red Line station right at MGH, but it's not convenient to get from the Blue Line to the Red Line.)

Yeah, I remember getting to the red line from the blue line and v-v. Two change of trains and long walks between platforms too.

I'm going to disagree with Blumie about getting from the HI to the MGH: I'd suggest a taxi all the way, unless cost is a major factor. Although it can be a few extra minutes to get through the tunnel in the am commute, it's a quick trip from the tunnel exit up Somerset St (or whatever the extension of Causeway St is called) to Cambridge St and across to the MGH. The Blue Line isn't exactly supersonic, and it's still a walk from Bowdoin station to the hospital.

Sorry about not knowing of the rebranded Hilton. There are actually several good options to get to the airport for an early flight, depending on time/interest/cost:
My favorite option is would be the water shuttle. Walk from the Hilton to the shuttle pier at Boston Harbor Hotel (5 min walk, maybe less), and take a wonderfully relaxing boat ride across the harbor to the airport. A shuttle bus takes you from the airport stop to the terminals. This is the most pleasant way, and also the slowest. (20-40 mins, depending on boat schedule)


Taxi from the Hilton. Hilton is very close to the tunnel entrance, and traffic is a non-factor at that hour. Probably less than 10 mins from hotel to the terminal.


Blue line. Aquarium station is a 3-minute walk from the hotel. Plan on 20-40 minutes total time, depending on train and shuttle bus connection.

I'm going to disagree with Blumie about getting from the HI to the MGH: I'd suggest a taxi all the way, unless cost is a major factor. Although it can be a few extra minutes to get through the tunnel in the am commute, it's a quick trip from the tunnel exit up Somerset St (or whatever the extension of Causeway St is called) to Cambridge St and across to the MGH. The Blue Line isn't exactly supersonic, and it's still a walk from Bowdoin station to the hospital.

Sorry about not knowing of the rebranded Hilton. There are actually several good options to get to the airport for an early flight, depending on time/interest/cost:
My favorite option is would be the water shuttle. Walk from the Hilton to the shuttle pier at Boston Harbor Hotel (5 min walk, maybe less), and take a wonderfully relaxing boat ride across the harbor to the airport. A shuttle bus takes you from the airport stop to the terminals. This is the most pleasant way, and also the slowest. (20-40 mins, depending on boat schedule)


Taxi from the Hilton. Hilton is very close to the tunnel entrance, and traffic is a non-factor at that hour. Probably less than 10 mins from hotel to the terminal.


Blue line. Aquarium station is a 3-minute walk from the hotel. Plan on 20-40 minutes total time, depending on train and shuttle bus connection.
Well at least YVR Cockroach will get to experience Bostonian's favorite game -- How Do You Get There From Here? -- in which we debate the best way to get between two points in the Boston area! :)

I had recommended the Blue Line to get to MGH because I anticipated that the Sumner Tunnel would be a mess in the morning. In the days before the Ted Williams Tunnel opened, the morning crawl through the Sumner could be pretty slow, so now that the Ted is closed again, I think there's a risk that could be the case. That said, I just now (Monday morning 8:30am) checked a traffic report that indicates that the Sumner is moving fine. So ultimately I guess it depends how much of a risk taker your SO is. A taxi through the Sumner Tunnel generally will be quicker, but it's also riskier in that traffic could be maddening (although, again, it's not as we speak). The Blue Line is a reliable ride -- probably 15-20 minutes, including wait time, from the moment the hotel shuttle drops your SO at the station to when she emerges at Government Center or Bowdoin.

On the return, if your SO is traveling at 6:30am, I'd avoid the Blue Line. As Wideman has indicated, the Blue Line isn't exactly supersonic, but I'd be concerned that it would be particularly glacial at that hour. And the Water Shuttle does not start operating until 7:00am, so I'm still voting for a taxi on the outbound.

Your move, Wideman. :)

another good option between MGH and Revere might be the Mass General Shuttle Bus (http://www.partners.org/ourhosp/shuttleschedule/mgh_revere.html).

For what it's worth, it's no more than a ten minute walk from Bowdoin Station (MBTA Blue Line) to 70 Blossom Street. Exit Bowdoin, walk down the hill on Cambridge St (you'll see elevated train tracks in the distance). Blossom St is the second actual traffic light (there are a couple of pedestrian signals) after Bowdoin St. There's an Au Bon Pain café on the corner of Blossom & Cambridge St. Turn right.

Blumie is right on this one. Take the T. Sumner can, and will, be a mess in the AM.

That said, I just now (Monday morning 8:30am) checked a traffic report that indicates that the Sumner is moving fine.
For my own commuting purposes I happened to call in to get a traffic report at around 8:00 this morning, and once again I heard that the Sumner was moving fine.