D is visiting for a day. Staying with friend in Worcester. How is the best way to get there? Trains seem convoluted and time consuming but she is nervous about driving that much in to Boston and doesn’t know parking. Park and ride? Train and Uber? Have I missed something obvious?
When we went (a few years ago) we took the train. It takes you right to campus. I imagine her friend can get her to the station and make sure she gets on the right line, etc.
Did you google-map the drive? If she has access to a car, BC is on the west side of Boston and most of the campus is in the suburb of Newton (with just lower campus within Boston), so from Worcester there should be no need to drive into Boston unless that’s also part of the plan. If it were my child, I’d have her drive on the Mass Turnpike - there is a toll. I completely understand about driving in Boston, but the difficult-to-drive parts aren’t right around BC. Print out a map ahead of time.
If she wants to go into Boston after visiting BC, see if she can leave the car there. There is a T stop at campus.
(Us driving in Boston. DH: am I supposed to turn there? Me, looking quizzically at the phone: umm… (long pause) yes, you were. Now we need to go another mile up and…)
Its about 45 minute drive into Chestnut Hill. Its an easy drive on Mass Pike, exit 17. (return roundabout to get back on the westbound Pike is a little tricky, however, but well sign marked. Buy since its a roundabout, if she misses the hi way entrance, just loop around again! )
parking usually available on campus, as long as there is not a special event (e.g, football game).
http://www.bc.edu/offices/transportation/visitor.html
The direct train takes about 75 minutes, but only gets her to West Newton or Newtonville where she’d have to taxi/uber to campus.
https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Worcester/timetable?date=2017-12-04&direction_id=1
There is a new non stop train from Worcester to Boston which I believe takes less than an hour. But it has a limited schedule
Thanks all. She is not going on to Boston. Day trip to look at grad program. I’m counting on her Worcester friends to help but was confused by what I was getting on google map. There also seems to be a park and ride option. I guess it’s also going to depend on time. She really doesn’t want on driving in at rush hour.
Thanks to everyone. She ended up driving since it was close and then just drove back home. Haven’t gotten details but she said it was pretty and people nice and seemed happy (important in phd program 
)