Yes, we can get April snow. But the road surfaces are generally warmer (as is air temp,) it melts or doesn’t stick, so you just exercise normal caution.
@TheFrenchChef So glad to see your plan come together.
Go to UVM. The drive will be fine.
In the north end try Lemoncellos. Home made pasta and casual for a college trip.
Glad you will be in Newport too. While you are there check out Salve Regina. It used to be an all girls school but is coed and the most remarkable location off of cliff walk.
And URI is a great flagship in terms of price location and admissions chances for the solid student. Pharm marine and oceanography and nursing are particularly strong. Hundreds of millions in state bonds in past few cycles for innovation and science projects. New collaboration with Brown and PC in Providence. Fun school too. It’s on par with UNH in New England. A bit less so than UVM. And not as hard to get into as either.
It’s a full notch below UConn and UMass academically.
But it’s near the ocean. Many students move off campus to beautiful beach communities and little beach cottages for school year with roommates instead dorms or apartments. There is a bit of partying but no different than anywhere else.
And awesome that you are checking out Roger Williams.
“Lots of great restaurant choices in the North End”
Very true. If the Bruins or the Celtics are playing at home, then it is more difficult to get into a restaurant in the area. It might be worth checking the schedules. On home game nights, you might need to eat further from Boston Garden, or book a reservation several days in advance, or don’t eat until the game has actually started and the fans have left the restaurants to get to the Garden. It might be cool however just to see the hordes of people in Bruins or Celtics gear winding their way to the Garden before each game. The enthusiasm for the Bruins is quite amazing (and at least this year they might even deserve it).
I agree that UVM is very much worth the trip. However, UNH would also be a good fit for a student with a 3.5 GPA and to me is also in a very attractive location.
Whether Northeastern is worth the tour might depend upon the university budget. One daughter got in with about the same SAT but higher GPA (two B’s in her first three years), but with no aid at all. Full pay at Northeastern was a bit daunting for us. Fortunately she wanted a place with cows nearby (which NEU is not).
“Tour Boston, Faneuil Hall, eat at North End”
All very much worth doing.
Regarding traffic in the area, generally this will depend a lot on the time of day. I suppose that is true in the Bay Area also. Fortunately it sounds like you will be leaving Boston when everyone else is trying to get to Boston, and vice versa. The half-circle roads that go around Boston (the one that we call 128 which the maps show as route 95; also route 495) will be busy in both directions at rush hour. Outside of rush hour traffic will be much better.
@PengsPhils thank you for this - we will follow your itinerary! We usually explore cities on foot, so thank you.
Everyone: we will keep UVM in the itinerary.
Looking at hotels in Boston a couple of questions;
- Ideally we would have a 2 bedroom suite, I can’t find any, do you know of a hotel that has it? (doesn’t need to be ‘cheap’ but also not super high end). I think now it will just be myself and my 16 and 14 year old boys.
- If I can't find a 2 bedroom suite, I do see some 1 bedroom suites; which is better: the Marriott Residence Inn at Back Bay or the Marriott Residence Inn at Boston Harbor? Or any other suggestions for a hotel that has a kitchen and some separation of space lol?
Probably this weekend I will look at lodging in the other cities we are visiting…
@TheFrenchChef please update us after your visits! I have a D21 who loves the northeast (Newport is her favorite place on earth!) so I’d love to hear your impressions on many of these schools!
Fingers crossed for good weather!
@TheFrenchChef Boston Harbor isn’t the most ideal location - I’d say the Back Bay one is much better with tons of great food close and easy to adjust that walking itinerary I posted from there (start Fenway instead, go to Northeastern, then to Prudential/Copley and Newbury and resume as posted in part 2). Copley would be the alternative place to stay. Back Bay one also gives you quick access for the BU tour.
As far as hotels generally go, real estate/hotels are hard to do in Boston. One option is to look in Allston/Brookline and take the T in for visits and exploring, but that increases daily travel time and you won’t really be staying “in” the city, though you will find better hotel options and prices. In the grand scheme of college costs, I think a visit to Boston is worth staying in a hotel in the Fenway/Copley area.
Happy to help and excited to hear the review post-tour 