<p>I'll admit it right up front. I am a wimpy driver when it comes to city's, especially those I am unfamiliar with and those that have a reputation for bad signage and aggressive drivers.</p>
<p>My son has been accepted to a little known College in Boston that has offered him very good merit aid. We have not visited but would like to. We do not have rail service where we live and the lowest priced fare, including a bus to get to a train, would be around $200 for two of us. Driving would be about half that, including parking at a hotel.</p>
<p>It occurred to me that a solution might be to drive to a closer-in suburb, park and then take the train into the city. We would have to leave the car there over the weekend. Do you think that would be feasible? Suggestions on places would be appreciated.</p>
<p>The college and hotels are located very close to the T stations.</p>
<p>Advice about choosing a suburb/T station to start from would be better if you can share the spot you will be visiting, and the direction you expect to come from. PM me if you like.</p>
<p>The T (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority) has over 150 parking lots at various stations throughout the system. Check [MBTA</a> > Riding the T > Parking](<a href=“http://www.mbta.com/riding_the_t/parking/]MBTA”>Parking | MBTA). The bottom of the page contains a search that will allow you to see the parking lots available on each T line.</p>
<p>The overnight rate at most lots is about $8 per day.</p>
<p>I think it’s a great idea. Depending where you’d be coming from, you could drive to a main hub with ample parking, like South Station. I’ll let the townies help you figure that one out.
[MBTA</a> Subway 'The ‘T’ > Maps, Schedules, and Fare Information for the Boston Area Subway System](<a href=“Subway | Schedules & Maps | MBTA”>Subway | Schedules & Maps | MBTA)</p>
<p>It costs us an arm and a leg to bring our family of 6 to a Red Sox game, so whenever we went, we drove the 35 minutes to Cambridge and park for free…then take the T over, rather than paying $$$ to park near Fenway.</p>
<p>That is a lot of effort to avoid driving in Boston. If he goes to this school for four years, are you going to keep doing the same thing?<br>
I think it might be easier for you to carefully plan a route, bring a great GPS system and plan your trip at non-peak traffic times.</p>
<p>If he goes to school here, my husband will drive in and if we go to visit, we could do the same off site planning. I’m just trying to figure out this visit for now.</p>
<p>We would be visiting a college near the Museum of Fine Arts. Thanks for the quick responses!</p>
<p>There are cheap (I think around $5 a day but it may have gone up recently) lots at Alewife and Riverside stations. Alewife might be easier – you could take the red line in, and then switch to the green line and take that to the MFA. I agree that if you don’t like city driving, it’s probably best to just try to avoid it.</p>
<p>Also consider the commuter rail stations. They are farther out than the T stations and usually have better parking. Easy to connect to the T at North or South station. I have no fear of driving in Boston - but take the T and trains when I can. Better for both the environment and for my sanity!</p>
<p>Kathiep - I’m of no help on the driving (my D will be going to school in Boston, but in the 'burbs), but the moment that you posted that you would be near the Museum of Modern Arts in Boston, I can’t help but tell you that first you need to go to the room where they keep the Cezannes …</p>
<p>Do Priceline if you can narrow down the area you want. I’m Pricelining a hotel in suburban Boston for the end of April, but waiting til the rates drop even more. My goal is to get a 3-star or better hotel in the Natick area for $45-$50 / night.</p>
<p>If you are coming in from the west, I would highly recommend parking at the Riverside station and taking the green line in to the city. It is cheap and easy to navigate. Good Luck!</p>
<p>The Cambridge Gateway Inn is inexpensive - perhaps < $100 - and nothing to write home about. However, it’s clean and serviceable, and is a short walk (maybe a few hundred yards, connected by a footpath) from the Alewife Station, which is the northwest terminus of the Red Line on the T. Parking is ample and free. A great thing about college in Boston / Cambridge is the total lack of need for a car. For those occasions when a student wants to get out of town, many colleges and universities have contracts with Zipcar, providing inexpensive, no-hassle rentals with a minimum renter age of 18.</p>
<p>With gas at $3.50+/gallon and rising…have you considered the Bolt Bus? Just throwing it out there… I have a couple sisters that swear by it, as comfortable, efficient and affordable travel between NE hubs:</p>
<p>I don’t live in an area that is served by a Bolt bus. The closest one to me would be Philadelphia, which is an hour away. Would love to have one up here! My daughter used it often to go between NYC and Philly. Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions!</p>
<p>If it is on weekend, driving may not be that hard, and there are a lot more off street parking on weekend. Also you don’t get to see much of downtown riding the T. If it is on weekday then I agree driving can be very bad and difficult.</p>
<p>I teach at Boston University–right in the area of your target school-- and I have friends bringing their kids through Boston each year. I always tell them to find a hotel within walking distance to the school (there’s a Howard Johnson’s near Fenway in your case). The reason I suggest this is that your child will get to know the area on foot–where the nearest Subway sandwich as well as where the nearest subway stop is. If you stay out-of-the-way you will both get a skewed version of Boston. Driving, you will be able to get off at the nearest Mass Pike exit and drive a short way to get to this spot. I have my own daughter who is a senior this year, and I do the same with her–try to get her as close to the place she’ll be living as possible. I also like to take the public transportation around once there–show her how close and far away she is to other schools and to the places she might want to go. Boston drivers are terrible, it’s true, but a GPS should help.</p>
<p>If you are coming from the Philly area, I second the idea of parking at the Riverside T stop in Newton, whether you are staying at a hotel near the parking or at a hotel near the school. You would be at the far terminus of the D line on the T, and as mamom says, the Longwood stop is probably closest to your destination on that line. Otherwise, switch to the E line to get right to your destination.</p>
<p>We will be coming up on a Thursday for a Friday morning event and perhaps staying until Sunday. I have a friend who lives just outside of Boston and we might stay there, at least for Thursday night. We are coming from PA, but not Philly. We live north of there by about an hour. Appreciate all the suggestions.</p>