Son’s reverse commute from Peabody to Boston took 2 1/2 hrs tonight. Sounds like traffic is still a mess.
I’m here too; we live a couple miles from Boston. It’s fine. Yes, it is a historic amount of snow. As in 1717, it may be bad for the deer population long term… But for tourists who don’t have to shovel themselves out (and might not even have to drive) - it will be just fine. The cold will be annoying if you don’t bundle up - I recommend layers and if you’re not vegan, animal-product clothes (wool, down, leather) give really the best protection when it gets below 10 F in my experience.
The bad parts of the snow are:
(1) parking/driving/transport if you have to get to your job
(2) shoveling out your property and its frontage and finding a place for the snow
…but not only won’t you have to worry about this, probably your student won’t for a fair bit, either, assuming walking to any campus jobs/classes.
@Readyto Roll, I live in the area and I think it is fine to come. Just keep an eye on weather reports for Saturday evening/Sunday. You may want to leave your car in your hotel garage and use the “T” (subway) and cabs to get back and forth to the Boston/Cambridge Schools. Don’t plan on finding street parking. As others have mentioned roads are narrow, snow banks are high and drivers are stressed in the city. But traffic on the weekend should be better. If you are coming into Boston Friday evening…just be prepared for a long drive getting into the city. I also concur with people who way it is good for your child to see what a school is like during the worst weather. Although…remember that this amount of snow is historical in the greater Boston area. Good luck!
A couple of things about Boston right now. There is practically NO on street parking. The place is covered with snow. The T is not particularly reliable right now.
So if you are planning to go to the Boston schools, you need a plan for parking, and you need a plan for getting around. The sidewalks are likely fine…it’s the driving in, and parking that will be your issue.
But all that aside, we wanted our kids to see the colleges at their worst. We figured if they liked them when the weather was awful, they would REALLY like them when the weather was nice.
We took our first Boston University tour in January…and it was bitter cold and windy…but no snow. My kid loved it.
The other kid went to Santa Clara University. They don’t have bad weather there.
If it were me, I woild,contact th colleges you plan to visit, and at least see if they can give you a parking lot pass for your visit.
And bundle up. In addition to the snow, it’s supposed to be bitter cold.
OP, you can see what the worst can be. @irishmom2 , my daughter had a medscholl interview in Chicago and needed to fly out the morning after snowmageddon. The power was out at her school, she had Halloween makeup on and the school police wouldnt even drive her to the Peter Pan bus stop. She wanted to cancel, I told her get her happy a3# to the bus stop, the flight was was non refundable. She walked up the ,middle of the street…only clear place, carried her luggage. Two guys at the bus stop with NO coats, had been at UMass parties, were not feeling anything. She made it to the interview and got accepted. She is now in Med school in New England, and after this winter will not apply to any residencies in the NE.
Just go. My D visited a Boston and an Ohio college exactly one year ago this weekend. Her flight to Boston was cancelled and she missed 1 out of the 2 days she was to be there. BUT…she found despite the flight hassles, the cold (polar vortex was occurring) and the snow she loved the schools and is now happily in college in Ohio.
Please bring some back to the Northwest, it’s been so warm and dry, I’m afraid we will have water rationing this summer…
But just go.
There is never a perfect time.
Oh wow, I heard Boston had a lot of snow in a short amount of time, but did not realize it set a historical record! Yikes.
Mom24boys, we will be at Beloit on Saturday. Hopefully, it will not be as cold as anticipated! At least, they are also predicting clear skies and sun! That should help.
Go. I live in Cambridge. There are sidewalks at this point, and the T is getting better. It can be tough to find a parking space on some streets but the snow emergency is over so those spaces are open again, and there are garages.
This is a record-setting situation and not at all typical. Make sure your son or daughter knows this!
I do think that more people are inside or when they are outside they are bundled up, so it would be good to find other ways to assess “vibe,” such as hanging out in the dining hall, bookstore, attending class or a performance etc.
Wish I knew where you’re coming from. I agree about the indoor vibe- it’s a big part of college winters in New England. But folks, it’s supposed to be brutally cold outdoors. You need to check several forecast sources and not just look at the expected “high.” I’m seeing Sat 8am is predicted about 1 to 6 degrees, by lunchtime 15. That 21-23 high is for 11pm. (And someone said park and walk?) Maybe park at a hotel and let the doorman get you a cab. But then you need to get from each college to the next. if you do call the schools, see if they can then call you the cab to the next place or back to your car.
This weekend’s weather is an “Alberta Clipper,” ie, coming in from Canada, not up the coast. Usually the snow then isn’t as obnoxious as when it collects moisture along the coast. But the situation is already bad. Think about this. Isn’t there another weekend you could go? And you aren’t talking about the real winter “college experience,” being in a warm dorm or classroom, then bundling up for a quick walk to the dining hall or library. You’re talking about lots of getting from here to there, one college to the next.
I know we talked before about bundling up and all- but this is real now. My kid missed two days of work this week because of MBTA problems.
There was still a parking ban in Boston as of yesterday. However, I was just at Northeastern last night and noted that they have many parking spaces in the garage reserved for admissions. Just expect slow travel in the city with much narrower than normal roads.
We do have an insane amount of snow in the Boston area. I have never seen this much snow in my life, and I was raised in Minnesota. I have also lived 21years in and around Boston and while we’ve had some snowy winters, never like this. It all came at once!
I know people have already said not to rely on the T. To add to that, if the snow ends up at the high end of today’s forecast and Saturday/Sunday’s forecast, it wouldn’t surprise me if the T completely shut down again. Apparently their equipment can’t deal with cold weather and snow, and they’re not recovered yet from earlier this week.
I’m off next week and had hoped to see a school or two with my 16 year old son.
I’ve decided to wait. We’ve already seen a few schools, and have lots of time. But this has been one wicked winter. Between the weather here on Long Island, and the weather in the places we would be driving, I simply don’t need to do this right now.
Easter vacation is around the corner, we can do it them.
Where are you from? For us, it’s about me opting out of driving/parking and all that, in a climate we’re already used to. Parking in particular is an issue, even at work. After a while, there’s simply no place to put the snow.
And this weekend looks to be ugly, both here and there. Oh, and LI is looking at more snow midweek, not sure just how much yet. If we’re getting it, the odds are pretty good that good chunks of New England will get it as well.
If your son isn’t already a pro snow shoveler, then perhaps a winter visit might be just the thing to give authenticity to your visit. But I’m not sure I would plan for this particular week of this particular winter.
The only other time things have been this extreme was the Blizzard of 1978. Again, make sure your son or daughter understands this is not typical!
@bjkmom - from your LI perspective - should we cancel our plan to drive down (from Boston) to Hofstra for a visit on Tuesday of next week?
We took our kids to see the NE schools in the dead of winter and the southern schools in the heat of summer. Thats what the weather is like most of the year. They need to experience it. The balmy weather where classes are held on the lawn and students are playing frisbee occurs only 2-3 mos out of the school year. Go now and have fun. Enjoy.
I am with the folks saying to just come. Park your car/rental in a garage and bit the bullet for Uber or a cab.
I had my kids see cold schools in cold weather and mine have both ended up in Maine.
That said, so much depends…
What’s your schedule? The snow is expected to be heaviest Sat night-Sun. afternoon, with heavy winds. You won’t be able to walk anywhere Sunday morning. Monday and Tuesday will be navigable.
What kind of cold are you used to? If you’ve ever lived in the midwest or NE or you’re a skier you’ll be fine. If you live in SouCal and your winter wear reflects it you may want to delay. We’re expecting unseasonably cold temps. Much of the reason people in cold climates do well in the cold is that we’ve learned how to dress for the weather. A jacket rated to 40 degrees, one rated to 20, and one rated to sub-zero can all look the same but their performance will be very different. At the very least you’ll want a warn jacket, boots with good treads (flat soled boots will leave you slipping around on the snowy sidewalks), warm gloves/mittens and a hat. Wool or synthetics designed for the cold, not cotton.
How are you getting around? If by car, do you have experience driving in snow? This wouldn’t be a good time to learn winter driving because it’s been tough to get the streets fully cleared and parking is very limited.
By public transportation? How flexible are you in terms of time and money? If the T shuts down again or runs a limited schedule again on Monday taxis will be impossible to find and Ubers will be outrageously expensive. Hopefully the T will get its act together by then but if we get a direct hit from this storm it may not be possible.
On the news this morning they were saying that it’s possible the storm will swing north and we will get “only” 6-12 inches. That’s still a considerable amount and with the current snow pack it will be hard to find any place to put it.
Fretful mother,
I could walk to Hofstra from where I am right now.
Our weather looks to be MUCH better than yours…an inch or so today and I’m not sure what else is coming. It’s supposed to be below zero tonight and wickedly cold Sunday.
Coming here looks a lot easier than going to where you are. The streets near Hofstra are totally clear at the moment.
Come on down!
I, for one, would always recommend parking somewhere and taking the T around Boston/Cambridge, no matter what the weather. The fact that the T has been affected is more of an issue.
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve broken out the down parka, something I often don’t do for a whole winter. I’m perfectly comfortable outdoors. It’s all a matter of having the right clothes.The problem is that people from hot weather states usually don’t.
Also bear in mind that Boston is one of the windiest cities in the US, more so than Chicago. And that wind is often ripping in from the Atlantic or Canada. If you want to experience true cold, try walking across the Harvard Bridge from MIT to Back Bay. 