New England - Boston North End: place to meet ride?

I'll be flying into BOS and going with my (all carry-on) bags to join some people for lunch in the North End. Then I would go back to the airport and meet someone arriving later, and we'd rent a car to drive north on I-93. Looking at the geography, a contingency comes to mind of having him meet me around the North End instead. I know that the North End isn't car-friendly, and perhaps even pulling over would be a problem. But I'll ask: is there a place that would be easy enough for him to get, coming out of the Sumner Tunnel, and for me to wait? This person has a background in Boston, but I don't know how much he knows about driving post-Big Dig.

Actually, it turns out to be relatively easy to get to many places in the North End by car if you're coming from the Sumner Tunnel -- much easier than if you're coming from almost any other direction. The bigger problem will be getting on 93N.

I'd suggest that you plan to meet on the corner of Hanover and Fleet Streets. Exit the Sumner Tunnel in the right lane, making a right turn at the end of the tunnel and then an immediate right turn onto Hanover Street. Fleet St is about 3 blocks up on the right, and it will not be a problem for someone to pull over for a moment so that you can get in. (Presumably, the two of you will be in contact via cell phone or similar).

To get to 93, I haven't done this enough with the new road configuration to know the best route. However, one route would be to turn right on Fleet, take Fleet to the end, then turn right on Atlantic Ave. Follow Atlantic until you see signs for 93N. (People in the know: can you still get onto 93N from the near side of Charlestown? If so, the better route is to continue straight on Hanover until the end, then left on Commercial St, right over the Charlestown Bridge.)

I found out that the rental lot will be Enterprise; some of the map sites suggest taking the Ted Williams Tunnel, so after joining I-93 farther south the exit to Hanover St. is clear; I'm having trouble confirming that route from the Sumner Tunnel. I'm preferring Hanover and Prince Sts.; any thoughts on the route? This would be tomorrow, June 17.

I found out that the rental lot will be Enterprise; some of the map sites suggest taking the Ted Williams Tunnel, so after joining I-93 farther south the exit to Hanover St. is clear; I'm having trouble confirming that route from the Sumner Tunnel. I'm preferring Hanover and Prince Sts.; any thoughts on the route? This would be tomorrow, June 17.I'm not sure it really matters if you take the Ted or the Sumner. (Unscrupulous cab drivers prefer the Ted, because it tacks on a couple extra miles, but that shouldn't matter to you.)

If you do take the Ted, the exit ramp puts you directly on Cross Street (make sure to stay to the right off of the exit ramp to proceed on Cross Street).

You can avoid the sometimes-congested Hanover Street by continuing past Hanover Street. Immediately after Hanover Street, on the right hand side, is an area in front of the stores (including Maria's bakery -- yum!) where you can pull the car off the street and get picked up.

You can then get right back on Cross Street, and, while I'm not 100% positive, I'm pretty sure you can just proceed straight to get back on 93 North.

Thanks, the other person says he has post-Big Dig driving experience and is confident he knows the way.

The bigger problem will be getting on 93N

Thats funny, the only time I've driven in the area I was having a lot of trouble NOT getting on 93 north!