<p>I am contemplating making hotel reservations for graduation (up the road) and have a few questions. As there is a college graduation and a house graduation (I believe) ... how many days should parents plan on being there for the festivities? I'm trying to figure out how many nights to reserve at the hotel. Thanks.</p>
<p>There is Commencement, Class Day, House graduation, and other stuff. The festivities are spread over about three or four days. Plus there is getting D packed up and moved out of her House. So we have blocked out the entire week: fly in Sunday and fly back out Saturday. Graduation won't fill the entire week, but we plan to visit friends in western MA and do a few things in Boston too while we are there.</p>
<p>We made hotel and plane reservations many months ago, so I hope you are planning for '09 and not '08 graduation.</p>
<p>Okay, I got out the exact schedule and these are the ticketed events:</p>
<p>Tuesday June 3 - Senior Class Family Dinner and Party
Wednesday June 4 - Class Day Picnic
Thursday June 5 Noon - Commencement Day
Thursday June 5 PM - Commencement House Ceremonies</p>
<p>So it looks like three days, but as I said we are there for the full week.</p>
<p>Thanks. We're looking for beyond 2009, so I think we're okay. Just trying to plan ahead!</p>
<p>Twinmom, we're looking ahead to the same year as you, but I wasn't sure that the dates were certain for 2010 yet because of the calendar change. If they are, I guess we need to get busy making plans, too. It seems so long from now, and yet I know it will be here before we know it.</p>
<p>Nceph: The 2009-10 calendar is set (at least it appears to be from what I can see) and commencement is May 27, 2010.<br>
Harvard</a> University FAS Registrar's Office</p>
<p>(Thankfully, that's not the same day as the other twin's commencement!) </p>
<p>These two years have flown by so quickly that I have no doubt the next two will too. </p>
<p>I feel like we were just touring colleges the other day. However, it's nice to be halfway done with payments! :)</p>
<p>Thanks, Twinmom. Guess I'll put it on the calendar and start to think about figuring out where to stay. And then not do anything till it's too late to find anything within a 50 mile radius of the school.</p>
<p>nceph - The calendar on the FAS Registrar site is the "reformed" calendar: <a href="http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2008/02.07/photos/undergrad.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2008/02.07/photos/undergrad.pdf</a></p>
<p>Also - any hotel suggestions? The places in the square (Charles, Inn@Harvard, etc) become beyond-exorbitant ($700/night for the charles!). But I'm sure parking is insane if you book a farther away place and a rental car. I think the ideal situation is somewhere on the Red Line a ways away (in Alewife?) but I don't know any hotels around there in walking distance to the T.</p>
<p>This is for 2009, btw. As you 2010ers will find out quickly, most hotels open up availability 1 year before.</p>
<p>Try the Sheraton Commander.</p>
<p>I am glad that I am reading this thread and I will have to mark my calendar to reserve a hotel one year in advance. I suspect that with the change in academic calendar, it is going to be even more difficult to find a hotel room as there will be other Boston area colleges that will have graduation ceremonies at about the same time as H.</p>
<p>j<em>f</em>m, When we have visited DD, we generally stay in the Waltham area. I would recommend the Doubletree (FWIW, there is a Costco right behind it). From there, it is an easy drive to the Alewife station (Red Line) - about ten minutes.</p>
<p>We do the drive-to-Alewife-and-take-the-T-from-there thing too. But we usually stay in a hotel in Woburn. It's an easy drive, but the hotel rooms are much more plentiful and significantly cheaper than in Cambridge.</p>
<p>Is there parking at the Alewife station?</p>
<p>Parking at Alewife</p>
<p>I park at Alewide frequently. There are 1500 spots at Alewife but, because Harvard graduation activities are usually mid-week, those spots are often taken up by Boston-area commuters by 8 AM or 9 AM. You cannot drive up to the garage at any time on a weekday and feel confident of getting a spot. On the weekends, and after 5 PM, there is always room at the Alewife garage.</p>
<p>I second the Sheraton Commander...it is a great spot at a "moderate" [for Cambridge] price-point. You can walk to everything in Harvard Square and take the T into Boston for additional museums, restaurants, etc.</p>