<p>I just got home from Boston and BU Orientation. We had a great time, but I am exhausted! Here are some suggestions and observations: </p>
<p>Make sure you wear good walking shoes, you will be doing a lot of it. </p>
<p>The view from StuVi II was phenomenal, the bed was not. If you can bring a foam topper, your back will thank you.</p>
<p>The food was excellent! And the Jazz Reception was very nice, a great opportunity to chat one on one with many of the people we heard from during the day.</p>
<p>Dean Elmore is a hoot! </p>
<p>The T is easy to navigate, even by a suburban mom who had only been on a subway once, 37 years ago.</p>
<p>The campus, and yes there is a campus, is much nicer then I thought it would be, based on reviews here and on other websites.</p>
<p>The people in Boston are very friendly. They smile and are are quick to offer assistance if you look lost, which I did, a lot.</p>
<p>It was fun to be in Boston for the Bruin’s big win and celebration!</p>
<p>Good to know - thanks, FishyMom! We are going in a couple weeks, so I will break out my walking shoes! </p>
<p>To those who haven’t been to Boston yet, or lately, I second the comment that the T is easy to navigate, even with those who aren’t experienced with public transportation. If you are there early/late, consider going out to dinner in the North End (one of the best meals I have EVER had, and I like food!) There are also nice restaurants along Hanover Street, and we loved Legal Seafood in Prudential Center (reecommended by locals who miss it!) We are going to Session 4 - anyone else?</p>
<p>I had the BEST meal I have had in a long time at Maurizio’s on Hanover Street. We had lunch there on Saturday and it was fabulous! We also ate at Anthem, The Barking Crab, and Teriyaki, all were excellent. There is no shortage of good food in Boston!</p>
<p>My son & I just went to session #2 last week and agree with fishymom that it was a great time. Everyone was so friendly & easy to talk to. All the speakers were excellent, and I really learned a lot of very helpful information. The only thing I would say was that it almost seemed at times like BU tried to do too much. From 8am Thursday morning at the opening ceremony, to being one of the last parents to leave the Jazz reception at nearly 11PM, it seemed like a couple of tiring days. Then getting up early on Friday for breakfast & the next round of talks. Quite alot to do.
Had a great time exploring the city on Friday. So many great restaurants in the city, and some great cannoli’s at Mike’s Pastry on Hanover Street too.
Had the Barking Crab on my to do list, but never got the chance. How was that one? Would you recommend it for Parents Weekend?</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Son and I are going in a few weeks, we live in CA. It will be a quick trip…fly out Wed, orientation Thurs/Fri, fly home Friday night. We went to Open House when son was deciding between BU and UCLA, and got to see a lot of the campus and city then.</p>
<p>We came up from Florida, so we decided to take a few extra days to check things out. We arrived on Tuesday and left on Sunday. It was a long couple of days of orientation, by Friday we were exhausted. We went to the waterfront Friday night for dinner. The Barking Crab was very good, but not as good as Maurizio’s. We brought home cannolis from Mike’s and Modern Pastry, as well as a couple of lobster tails from Modern. We also ate at Cheers, which was pretty good also. But my fav was definitely Maurizio’s for lunch on Saturday, excellent food and value. And Teriyaki, which was by Berklee, was also very good and a good value. I am already looking forward to Parents Weekend!</p>
<p>Hi - we are supposed to be going to orientation this week…any tips, hints for parents that are commuting? Like where to park, what do the parents do? Thanks!</p>
<p>I didn’t have a car with me, but I did notice parking passes at the parent check-in. As far as what parents do, there are presentations all day Thursday, with a Jazz Reception in the evening and then again Friday until 1:00pm. You will do quite a bit of walking and sitting.</p>
<p>Couple more suggestions now that we are back. The parent dorm is air conditioned and gorgeous, but the beds are hard. Bring an egg crate and enjoy the incredible view!</p>
<p>If you have the time to stay extra time before or after,do it! If you have a high schoolers, don’t bring them or arrange privately for something for them to do while you are busy. The ones that stayed with parents were bored out of their heads!</p>
<p>Was wondering if they kept you as busy as they did us. Never got a chance to see my son the whole day on Thursday! Although I learned a lot it just seemed like there was not enough free time, or time to talk things over between my son & I. Was wondering what you guys thought.</p>
<p>Yeah, that was their plan. Fortunately, I knew that going in. A couple of the moms I was with had no idea they wouldn’t see their kids and were not thrilled about it. We only saw the kids once from Wednesday until Friday at noon and that was for a reception for recruited athletes. Otherwise, we would not have seen them at all. One mom was a little annoyed because they were leaving right after and she never got to go to the bookstore with her daughter to pick out gifts for her family. We were staying a couple of extra days, so it was no big deal fo us.</p>
<p>I would strongly advise a really nice dinner out that evening so that you have plenty of time to talk about impressions …our dd and I really had fun reconnecting on Saturday and the campus was very quiet and peaceful. if you leave right away you are missing a great opportunity to savor some quality time.</p>
<p>Yes I agree, extra time at the end was great. Our flight left at 10PM that night so we had a few hours on Friday to just explore. An extra day would of been nice. Was wondering if anyone had heard about Parents Weekend? Is it going to be similar to orientation, in that there will be a couple of days, with non stop activities, & little or no free time? Also will there be anytime with our kids then? Or will it be more of the same, separate activities for Parents & the students? Maybe there is a separate forum for this?</p>
<p>Parent’s Weekend is much different. You’ll be with your student most of the time (as long as they don’t have other plans). There also aren’t constant programs, and they’re all optional. It’s much more laid back. The college usually just organizes a few events (hockey games, lectures) and lets you choose what you want to do.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info BUBailey! Just one more question. My wife & I will be there for Parents Weekend & will be bringing our younger 11 year old daughter. Will we be able to include her in all of the activities we choose as well?</p>