Travel Rochester/Boston?

<p>URochester seems to be a great school for my D to consider. However, I am concerned about travel to/from the Boston area to Rochester. There don't seem to be many direct flights. I'd be interested in hearing from students from Massachusetts as to how logistically difficult it is for them to get back and forth to Rochester. Other than that, it sounds like a nearly perfect school for her!</p>

<p>Amtrak service on the Lake Shore Limited route is direct from Rochester to Boston. We have found it a great way to travel. Lots of college age kids and seniors. All the seats have electrical outlets and tray tables, so many people spend the time on their laptops. There are full dining and snack cars. The price is right and students can get a discount card.</p>

<p>Oh, an Rochester is a great school!</p>

<p>mybushome.com </p>

<p>Betsy K runs a service to and from a bunch of schools. There’s a link on the UR website to my bus home, so this is “promoting” a sanctioned business. </p>

<p>For UR, buses leave from behind the library, stop at a rest stop upstate, then at a rest stop in W. MA to drop off anyone leaving there and end in a parking lot on 128. These are standard coach buses: nice, big seats, pro drivers. Cost is reasonable. Runs for fall break, Turkey Day, winter, etc. Only issue is if you’re done with exams before the ends and don’t want to wait. Then it’s plane, train, bus on your own. Planes mostly go through NYC. </p>

<p>It’s not difficult at all. She used to do it by email but this year has a website. I hope that works as well. </p>

<p>Otherwise, it’s about a 6-7 hour drive depending on your speed and stops. Same for the bus, btw.</p>

<p>Check out US Air. They run about 3 nonstops a day between Rochester and Boston. Flight takes less than 1.5 hrs and airport is a 10 minute cab ride from campus.</p>

<p>D traveled at Thanksgiving and breaks all 4 years that way–way better than bus or train</p>

<p>I have made the trip from the Boston area to Rochester hundreds of times, first as a college student at the U of R and then as an adult going back to MA to visit family when I settled in Rochester. Probably the easiest and cheapest way to go is to drive. With the speed limit now at 65, it really doesn’t take that long. When I was a student there was a place where you could post to share rides and there were always people traveling to Massachusetts. I would assume it is the same way now.</p>

<p>Oh, and I second the vote for US Air. When I fly to Boston that is always the airline I take.</p>

<p>benreb–</p>

<p>I will agree that the drive to Rochester is a long drive, but not a difficult one. Once you clear the Albany area, there is little traffic the rest of the way.</p>

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<p>Lergnom, could you please provide the link for this? I can’t seem to find it. :rolleyes:</p>

<p>I believe the link is: [My</a> Bus Home](<a href=“http://www.mybushome.com/]My”>http://www.mybushome.com/)</p>

<p>I flew back to Rochester from Boston in August, taking a direct departure at around 8:40 PM with USAir. It would have been a nice trip had their not been massive weather delays, but I’m positive it’s fine any other time. I typically fly to and from northeast Florida, which means least one layover, usually in Newark or Atlanta.</p>

<p>We drove. From the western part of Boston (let’s say Route 128 & the Mass. Pike), it’s about a 6 hour drive. Easy, but boring. My d had a car for the last 3 years, so she drove as well. </p>

<p>There are a lot of kids from MA who go to UR. My d’s friends, even those whose schedule wasn’t the same as hers, never had problems catching rides with friends who had cars.</p>

<p>I’ve taken the lakeshore train over through amtrak, but got off at springfield. it cost me 38 with student advantage so it’s super cheap. unfortunately it was an hour late arriving last time (i think it comes from chicago), and it took some time to split the cars at albany for people going down to nyc. it’s a good 7 hours to springfield since it slows down considerably when it reaches mass. lots of turns in the woods. leaving rochester, it’s always the 10am train, and heading back it’s 2/3pm ish, getting back at 11pm. </p>

<p>i have taken the rts bus to the amtrak station, worth the 9 dollars you save even if you have to walk the last two blocks (good if you only have a backpack). there’s usually no city buses to the airport, so that is always another $10 to the ‘going home cost’ unless you can find someone else to split it with. (MAKE SURE YOU USE MARKETPLACE CAB if you do take it back to campus, and not the airport cabs. that meter jumped like crazy and cost me more)</p>

<p>last year base prices for plane tickets were a lot cheaper (69 to nyc) but this year it’s already at 100, so i’m a little less willing to fly home even though it’s so much faster (1 hr). </p>

<p>i signed up for the mybushome to get back to rochester. i have never taken it before, but it will be more reliable than the train and will be a lot quicker. those have a stops in ludlow and boston</p>

<p>Jet Blue is cheaper IF you book a while in advance (which shouldn’t be hard if you know when breaks are). I’m an RIT student from Boston and it costs me about 120 both ways with tax. About an hour flight and it’s cheaper than amtrak or the greyhound.</p>