<p>I must be spoiled and married to the best driver in the world, but we always drive in Boston, just prefer the convenience of having our own car.</p>
<p>Yes, Bentley is as well known for its business program as Babson. My impression is that Babson is more entrepreneurial and Bentley a bit more corporate in focus.</p>
<p>DS is a BU grad. We would drive TO Boston, but never AROUND Boston. There is a difference. However, parking a car in Boston can cost a fortune. If you are staying at a hotel, you should either check to what they charge for parking per day, and see if they even have parking. Some do, and some don't. Personally, I would suggest taking some kind of public transport to Boston, either train or plane. The T is terrific. While the train station is not near Babson, I'm wondering if it would be possible to take the commuter train (there is one that goes into Wellesley) and then get a taxi from the train station to the college. Perhaps a call to Babson would answer that questions. You will have no trouble getting to BU, Northeastern and Bentley staying right in Boston. And the convenience can't be beat...especially if you plan to do some sightseeing around Boston as well. We have driven there plenty of times, and know our ways around well...we prefer the public transport because it is SO good.</p>
<p>Can't get to Babson directly on public transport, but here's how they suggest getting there (scroll down to the section that says "Taking the T" (you don't have to get on at South Station....you can get on the Outbound Green line to Riverside all throughout the Back Bay (see previous map in Post #19!!!)</p>
<p>Don't want to overwhelm the visit...but....agree with those who suggest looking at Bentley.</p>
<p>And what about Boston College? They have an excellent undergraduate business program.</p>
<p>Bentley is an excellent Business School with a beautiful campus, in Waltham (a suburb). Check their website. Perhaps you should drive TO Boston, take the T to BU & Northeastern, but have your car for Babson and Bentley.</p>
<p>And yes, Back Bay is a section of Boston - one of the nicer sections. Very scenic - brownstown houses. The only part of Boston with square city blocks.</p>
<p>BU and NEU are about 5 minutes from each other and are both in Boston. Babson is in a suburb about 20-30 min away. You'll probably need a car to get there, you could theoretically take a train but you would have to do a bit of walking to get there from the train stop. (take purple line from south station to Needham center, walk down great plain till you hit central ave, then walk down that to forest street would work, about 3 miles though)</p>
<p>We visited BU and Northeastern this weekend. We stayed at the Sheraton Boston which is attached to the Prudential Center and located near Copley Square. It had the cheapest rates we could find in the city (we booked the night before through Expedia) and is really close to (right between really) the BU and Northeastern campuses. The hotel had its own parking garage, free internet, a nice gym, pool, etc. and is within walking distance to many restaurants/shops/historical sites. Plus, the T stop is right around the corner.</p>
<p>My D is a grad student at BU and we've visited several times since she started there 2 years ago. (graduating in May.... Woo Hoo!) We are from NY and my husband is a veteran NYC driver who hates driving in Boston, so I agree with above posters who advise against driving there if at all possible. Parking rates at hotels are also out of sight..... kind of like NYC! We generally drive to Boston and leave the car in the parking garage till we leave. You might try looking at Priceline.com for rooms. The site divides the hotels into areas such as Downtown, Cambridge etc. You'll be able to get a feel for what hotels are in what areas. We usually bid for our own price..... 3 star hotels in Cambridge. I have bid as little as $89 per night and as much as $109 per night. The last 2 times I bid $89 per night and got the Hyatt Regency and the Marriott, but we went on the weekend; weekdays you may have to bid higher to get your bid accepted. Both were nice hotels but the Marriott was a little further away from BU. We actually walked to BU from the Hyatt.<br>
If you get to the North End and are looking for a place to eat, I highly recommend Jiacomo's. A word of caution though.... they only take cash and be prepared to wait for a table...no reservations. Get there when they first open and you may not have a long wait. Stay away however, if you are claustrophobic. This place is very small and the tables are very close;you will definitely get to know the person sitting next to you! No lolling over coffee and dessert here; they pretty much move you in and out quickly. Not to worry though. Head right down the street to Mike's for the best cannoli you've ever had!</p>
<p>Re: Giacamo's--IMO it's just too crowded and busy and while the food is good, it's not my idea of a relaxing dining experience. There are places in the North End that are much better--Mama Maria's and Bricco and Davide come to mind. I think some of the best food in Boston is in the South End.</p>
<p>I've lived in Boston for twenty years and I would recommend renting a car to visit colleges in town, especially if you're going out to the suburbs (e.g., Medford, Waltham, Wellesley). Public transportation isn't great outside of the city. Getting to Bentley or Babson is going to be difficult unless you're willing to use cabs part of the way. Driving in the city really isn't that bad. Rotaries can be a bit disconcerting, but if you remember that those in the rotary have the right of way, you'll be fine. There's traffic, sure, just like any big city, but not really any worse.</p>
<p>We are also visiting Boston soon- plan on seeing 3 schools this trip. Doing public transportation all the way. if my daughter likes one of the schools and ends up there, she will need to know how easy/hard it can be to get around. </p>
<p>Then we are off to New York and seeing more....ah...for those worried about empty nesting, I can't wait to have a spring break with NO college stuff.</p>
<p>I also grew up in Boston, went to grad school there, and did all my clinical training in Boston in many interesting neighborhoods, worked for years in Boston, went to BU grad, husband went to NEU......I have no trouble driving in Boston but I can assure you that Boston driving is like no other, even NYC. However, if you have a GPS system, you know, it can be done, especially if you are a brave soul who likes a challenge. Parking in both the BU and NEU areas is essentially non-existent. The "T" (metro) is actually great for getting to BC, BU, NEU. You will need a car to get to Wellesley and Waltham - both off of 128 - a ridiculous circle that surrounds the city and which is prone to commuting nightmares, while remaining essential to our existance. If you rent a car for trips to these 128 schools, make sure you allow for commuting hours on 128 (6:00 to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.). Think crawl. Some people I know who live in the city rent zipcars for the day - I would consider car rental or zipcar for that part of the trip that takes you to Babson and Bentley. Some hotels will give you a deal on parking but most will charge you. I agree with the recommendation for the Sheraton. There are grander hotels in the area but the Sheraton is in a great location, is a very good hotel, and often has more deals. The location is great - you can walk to many interesting areas from there. There's so much to do in Boston. If you want dinner in the North End (Italian) you can walk up and down Hanover Street (and the sides) and see what looks good to you during the week, think reservations for the weekend. Mike's Pastry is a great place to stop after dinner. However, staying near NEU - consider the South End as well - lots of great restaurants there. </p>
<p>Cambridge is fun, but not what it used to be. Harvard Square now has all the "chain" stores that every mall or big town has although the Coop and some boutiques remain interesting, and a few restaurants. If you are not interested in Harvard, MIT, etc. I am not sure I would stay in Cambridge anymore. Your student will have a better feel for the atmosphere and area if you stay in the BU/NEU area.</p>
<p>You are getting good advice (e.g., from Rileydog). You will want a car to get to Bentley or Babson. But, unless you are a local, you will get lost. The road signs are really inadequate. You have to know where you are going to make use of the signs (and they often don't have road signs labeling the main streets -- you are just supposed to know the road you are on because it is a main road). If you have GPS, you can do it, but the GPS will put you on the interminably slow route when a fast route exists or on a road that becomes a parking lot a rush hour (i.e. Route 128/95). I went to grad school here, was a professor here, and have lived here a long time. I think it wasn't until I was a professor that I could get most places in Boston without having to say, "I've been lost here before -- and I'm lost again." </p>
<p>Given your destinations, from a logistical and price standpoint, you might want consider stayin in Waltham and driving to the T (subway) stop when you want to spend time in the city so that you don't have to face traffic when going to Bentley and Babson, but these are just suburban areas (Waltham, incidentally, has the highest concentration of venture capital $ outside of Silicon Valley, but it doesn't look like it). If you go to Cheap</a> Flights, Airline Tickets, Cheap Airfare & Discount Travel Deals - Kayak.com, you can find a number of not so expensive chain hotels (Marriott Courtyard, Hilton Garden Inn, etc.) in Waltham as well as a couple of higher-end ones. In Boston, I gave my sister-in-law a weekend at the Copley Place Marriott for her 10th anniversary and she and hubby loved it. I'm relatively ignorant about other Boston hotels. The Doubletree on Storrow Drive is in walking distance of nothing in particular, but is close to Harvard Business School and Central Square -- maybe they have a shuttle. I'm partial to Cambridge, though Rileydog's caveat is correct. The Marlowe in Cambridge is a rather quirky boutique hotel but is not in an interesting neighborhood. The Sheraton Commander and the Hotel@MIT are better located. The Charles is right in the heart of Harvard Square but likely very expensive. Have a great trip.</p>
<p>Rileydog, be aware that the Boston Globe recently did a couple of tests of GPS systems to see how they handled Boston's notorious streets, especially with the one-ways that occasionally change direction (not nearly so common now that the Big Dig is done, though). They had some interesting rides! Most of the time they eventually reached their destination - or someplace near their destination - but none of the GPS systems sent them via the routes that would have seemed obvious, and a few times they ended up blocks away from where they were supposed to be.</p>
<p>In the city, I recommend a hotel concierge who can show you a T (subway) map, or take a cab. But do drive to Babson (in Wellelsey) and Bentley (in Waltham).</p>
<p>When I was in Boston last fall, the pre-printed directions from MapQuest did the trick for us. D was a great navigator reading them for me and was also handing me the money for whatever tolls we had to pay. I made it from BOS to Wellesley College without being lost! Later that evening, my MapQuest directions helped me find my way to my friend's house just south of the NH border. On the way back to the airport I did get lost because we decided to explore the city. But my guardian angels steered me towards the "last gas station on the way to the airport" (as stated on its sign).</p>
<p>This time H will travel with us, so we HAVE to bring a GPS. :)</p>
<p>We also have an upcoming trip to visit NEU. I visited their website to find what hotels they recommended. Called Hotel Colonnade (after checking their website, to see it was great) and asked for the Northeastern rate, which we got. It's within walking distance of NEU and BU in Copley Square. With a T stop right outside the front door (green line). All advice I've received is to NOT rent a car, we are not. Parking at our hotel is $30 per day.
Agree with a previous poster who recommended 'hopstop.com' as a great tool to tell you how to get from here to there in Boston or NYC and if your cell phone receives internet, you can access from cell. It not only tells you which subway to take but how to get to each stop and where to go when you get off, it's great!!
I would start with the 'visit us' section of each school you are visiting for their recommendations of what to see, where to stay, how to get there, etc. And the many great suggestions you've already gotten on here. I agree with a previous poster who mentioned that it would be good for your student to experience the public transportation and get comfortable with it, if considering school in Boston. (another vote for no car while in the city) We intend to experience some of those restaurants in the North End, too. We're going in two weeks. I'll let you know what we learned.</p>
<p>Something I do for every college trip is print out the pages from the college website that have the address, directions, phone #s, etc....staple mapquest directions. I have been lost and called the admissions office directly and been given great directions from the road.</p>
<p>My daughter & I are planning to arrive at Logan on a Saturday. I'd like to spend some time in Boston on the weekend and then tour both Brandeis and Tufts on Monday. Does it make sense to stay in Boston Saturday night and then head up to Waltham late Sunday to miss Monday morning traffic? Do you think both Brandeis/Tufts can be done in one day? Any other suggestions for a better itinerary?</p>
<p>Bring maps.</p>
<p>Not just Mapquest directions. Real maps.</p>
<p>Mapquest directions rely on the assumption that you can determine the name of the street you're driving on and the name of the street that you intend to turn onto. In Boston, this is an invalid assumption. Someone seems to have eaten many of the street signs for breakfast (though I don't know why they would do so since there is a Dunkin Donuts on every corner).</p>
<p>My daughter and I got lost for three hours trying to get to Tufts from a hotel less than five miles away. We had to go into a K-mart and buy a map book or we would still be driving around. </p>
<p>The street signage in the Boston area is the worst I've ever seen. We couldn't wait to get out of there.</p>
<p>"Bring maps.
Not just Mapquest directions. Real maps."
I agree!!</p>
<p>As for the possibility of seeing Tufts and Brandeis in one day, yes, definitely. I don't know about Brandeis, but we passed through Waltham recently while visiting S1 at Tufts. The two are not far apart at all (though we were traveling by car, not train).</p>
<p>We visited Brandeis and Tufts on the same day, traveling by car. Definitely do-able. Marian, I couldn't agree more about getting lost trying to find Tufts. In fact, it wasn't until S's junior year there that we were able to find our way without getting lost! Now that his graduation is approaching, any recommendations for restaurants in the west-northwest suburbs of Boston? Must be mainstream cuisine, accept reservations and have available parking. All suggestions welcome!</p>
<p>What's with the no putting signs on the main street? They do that a lot in the NY suburbs too. It's soooo aggravating. I've got good maps and never get really lost, but it's annoying to have to get off the main street to see where you actually are. Google maps and mapquest are amazingly good, I think. I couldn't figure out why they wouldn't let me turn right to get to a clients house and it turned out there was a no right turn sign for rush hour traffic just for that block.</p>