Getting Around Boston Metro

KC0KEK · Post by **KC0KEK** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:26 pm

I'm vacationing in Boston later this month, and I'm looking for info on getting around. We're staying downtown at the Tremont Boston, which is right across the street from a subway station. Has anyone on this board used MBTA subway and commuter rail to get around? If so, any tips? For example, is it pretty straightforward to take the subway to a station that also serves the commuter lines, and then take a commuter train out to cities such as Salem or to Fenway? Anything else I should watch for? Thanks in advance.

Post by **bahua** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 10:03 pm

I have been there a couple times, including a trip that just ended today. The MBTA is awesome, and you should make sure to take it as your primary means of getting around, whenever you can. The Green Line is a bit of a mess, but you'll figure it out pretty quickly. If you're going to a game, the stop to use is the Kenmore stop on the Green Line, *not* the "Fenway" stop.

The buses are a great way of getting around too, but a lot of the time, because of traffic, it'd just make more sense to walk. If you do wind up taking a bus somewhere, remember that no change is given for the 90-cent fare.

The commuter trains are great too, but are more expensive. I recommend taking the commuter line out of Porter Square(on the red line in Cambridge), to Concord(MA, not NH), where the North Bridge, the beautiful town of Concord, and Walden Woods are all within walking distance. At the north bridge, you can grab a spot to sit down and have a picnic lunch, watching people canoe and kayak by, on the lazy Concord River.

Cabs, like anywhere else, are ridiculous. You'll get where you're going faster, but you'll pay for it.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Wed Jul 07, 2004 11:05 pm

bahua wrote: The buses are a great way of getting around too, but a lot of the time, because of traffic, it'd just make more sense to walk. If you do wind up taking a bus somewhere, remember that no change is given for the 90-cent fare.

What's the point of this? Why not just make it a $1? Riffling through change isn't worth the extra $.10 you save.

KC0KEK · Post by **KC0KEK** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 6:24 am

Thanks for the tips.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 7:39 am

yeah I was just there this weekend, my buddy lives right on the orange line.....it's a pretty good system although we would pretty much jump the orange line to downtown proper then walk everywhere....it's a very walkable city.

We did drive to Salem instead of using the T....the commuter rail is infrequent so we just drove.

Great city.....I've got a few pictures I'll post later but nothing great, I hate taking pictures with people around so I pretty much just got skyline shots from a cruise we took.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 9:20 am

My past experience with 3 trips to Boston has made it clear that the best thing to do, as the others have said, is to park in the suburbs somewhere and take rail everywhere. It's cheap, it's easy, and saves a lot of grief. My one attempt to drive within Boston proper led to me letting loose the foulest obscenity I have ever uttered.