Boston

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Have not been to Boston since I used to visit the Cape regularly in the mid 1990s. I recall the public transit is very good and the city is very forgiving of pedestrian traffic. Any suggestions on places to stay, georgraphically?

 

Priceline only appears to have four star establishments in the Copley Square, Theater District, Back Bay, Downtown, and Charlestown areas (excepting the airport, of course). Cambridge has a variety of three star hotels. Any thoughts?

 

Also, I assume any travel in October will involve jeans and long pants?

 

Thank you for your assistance.

[Guest Kenny021]

Boston is still very much pedestrian friendly. October is an ideal time to visit but is EXTRMELY busy. Many who visit to see the foliage in nearby Vermont and New Hampshire use Boston as their base so if you are planning to visit then, plan ahead. Fall evenings can be cool so a sweater and light jacket are recommended.

As for hotels, strongly recommend the "Copley Square" area. You are within walking distance to most everything.Good choices in Copley area are the Marriott, Westin, Sheraton, Hilton, Copley Plaza, Lenox. As Devon recently pointed out, the Park Plaza is old is in need of refurbishing. Actually, all areas are ok but would suggest you not stay at the airport. Cambridge, while ok is not an easy walk to downtown Boston...you'de have to take a cab or use the subway.

[Guest rizzuto]

Boston's a great city, full of life and charm, and it can be at its best in October (Nature's apology for that which is to follow).

 

Copley is a great area for upscale shopping (esp Newbury Street), while Beacon Hill and the Boston Common areas are great for wandering around streets and neighborhoods. If you're planning on visitors, Copley is the best area: easy to get there, and most people can find their way without too much trouble, either by car or public transportation. I would not recommend the Financial District: it's close to lots of office buildings, but there's not much activity after 6pm. Although Cambridge (especially Harvard Square) can be a great area for walking around, it's not very convenient to other parts of the Boston area and you don't have nearly the selection of hotels that you do in either the Copley or Beacon Hill sections.

[Guest alanm]

There's a pricey, but very, very nice, gay guest house near both Tremont Street and Copley Square. http://www.ClarendonSquare.com

 

I grew up in Boston and still visit often. Two warnings:

 

Getting out of Logan Airport in a rental car is hell especially around rush hour (even worse on Friday afternoon and early evening).

 

Don't pick a weekend in October when Boston College is playing at home

(especially against Notre Dame). Football and the changes of the leaves makes finding a decent hotel almost impossible.

[Guest TwinkLoverr]

>Boston is still very much pedestrian friendly.

 

LOL... Okay, I couldn't let this one pass by! Boston - pedestrian friendly?? HARDLY! lol..

 

I might agree that its pedestrian friendly in the sense that it is quite easy to get around on foot - a "walking city" if you will. Perhaps that what was meant. However, good luck trying to cross a street and have a Boston driver actually yield to a pedestrian! Not gonna happen! LOL

[Guest DevonSFescort]

>Priceline only appears to have four star establishments in the

>Copley Square, Theater District, Back Bay, Downtown, and

>Charlestown areas (excepting the airport, of course).

 

Biddingfortravel.com also shows one 4* hotel as coming up in the World Trade Center zone, so be careful about using that as a free rebid zone if you go for a 4*. If you prefer to try for 3*'s, Biddingfortravel lists the following as coming up on Priceline in Copley/Theater Dist./Back Bay:

 

Hilton Back Bay

Park Plaza

Wyndham Tremont

Doubletree Boston

Radisson

Copley Square Hotel

 

3*'s in the Downtown/Charlestown area:

 

Marriott Long Wharf

Club Quarters

 

I stayed at the Park Plaza for five nights at $55/night. It's a large "historic" hotel (i.e., formerly grand hotel that's seen better days), and there was a fire at 3:30am one night while I was there, so if you want to be sure of avoiding that hotel you should not bid at the 3* level in that zone. On the other hand the location is good and they do have free high-speed Internet access in the rooms, which you can forgive a lot for. All in all the only reason I could carp at all was that I've been spoiled by my other Priceline stays -- for $55 it was still a good deal, especially considering that, when I checked in, they were sold out. I don't know how easy it will be to get that good a price during foliage season, but you never know.

 

On a previous stay I got the Marriott Copley Place, a very nice and well-located 4*, for $80 a night, but they've had some 4*'s in the same zone come up as low as $65. Probably won't happen during October, I'd imagine.

[Paul Revere]

I live in Boston, so I don't have experience with the hotels, although staying in the Copley Square area is the most convenient to just about everything.

 

The warning about expecting cars to yield to pedestrians should be heeded. In California and Vermont motorists generally yield to peds, but in Boston you cross at your own peril. However, I have noticed that the Boston drivers are sarting to get better on this. I have had it happen to me a couple of times this week. Its so strange because Boston pedestrians just wait until the traffic pasess (or we choose to play chicken with the traffic). When a motorists stops to let us cross the street, we generally don't know what to do. So the car is stopped, and the pedestrian is irritated, because he wants the car to get going so he can cross. There is a moment where neither the car nor the pedestrian will move. I still believe that Boston motorists are becmoing more considerate over time (but it still ain't no California).

 

You may also want to avoid the Head of the Charles Regatta weekend in Boston in October. I've seen it once, and I always use it as an excuse to get out of town (Montreal!) It is a huge rowing event on the Charles River and there are literally hundreds of thousands of young drunken yuppies all over town. The city is crowded with insufferable entitled college students and recent college graduates. Although great eye candy, the entire scene is too annoying to be endured. The event goes on both Saturday and Sunday, and I would bet that hotels will be scarce and expensive.

 

I am sorry that I don't know which October weekend is scheduled for Head of the Charles, but unless you are really into rowing, it should be avoided.

 

Do not confuse the Head of the Charles Regatta, with getting head along the Charles. That can be done fairly easily if you know where to cruise, but thats something different all together.

[Guest Kenny021]

IN DEFENSE OF DRIVERS...I am both a driver and a pedestrian in Boston. Pedestrians feel that they have the right to cross the street WHENEVER THEY FEEL LIKE IT, completely ignoring traffic lights etc. They DO NOT have "jaywalking" laws in Boston...if they do, NOBODY pays attention to them. While waiting for a light to turn green, people cross the street....it turns green and THEY STILL CONTINUE TO CROSS, completely ignoring the fact that the car has the go-ahead. Pedestrians ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to acknowledge that they also have an obligation to look at traffic lights and to ONLY WALK when they have the "WALK" sign turned on....and to NOT WALK when the sign says "DO NOT WALK". Of course, those signs are at crosswalks and intersections AND pedestrians feel that they can cross anywhere they damn well feel like it.

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Head

 

Thank you for the "heads up" and comments: the Regatta weekend is one I already precluded because it is also is a weekend with a Boston College home game. As the 4th and the 11th, the Eagles will be playing in Pennsylvania and New York, one of those (or perhaps even both of those) weekends will be when I visit New England.

 

Thank you all for the advice, particularly on hotels. I will most likely look for the Copley Square area.

[Traveler North]

Hi Franco,

 

This Boston-born guy, when he visits hometown, always stays at the Marriot-Copley Place. Great hotel, great location and great service. Hear others in area are also good.:7

[arthur]

If you are interested in a Bed-and-Breakfast type of place, I stayed at the John Jeffries House, 12 David G Mugar Way, and was very pleased. They have 46 rooms. It's close to the Charles River next to the Hospital District and steps away from a subway line. I paid $95 per night for a single which included a contenental breakfast each morning. The room was clean and the bed most comfortable. Telephone is 1-617-367-1866.

ag

[Guest OralBtm4Top]

You are all right about the drivers and the pedestrians. It's one big free for all on the roads of Boston. I've been a Boston resident for 5 years now and the traffic issues continue to irritate the shit out of me. Hotels in Copley Square are the best bet for location. Most importantly, I hope to God some of the great tops of NYC visit soon. We have a serious shortage of hot top professionals here.