<p>OKAY so I’m super-excited and already planning every aspect of my life at Brown, lol, and I’m interested in what sorts of transportation opportunities there are to and from nearby cities! Not that I see myself leaving a whole lot… but I have friends who are gonna be in other northeastern cities (Cambridge, Philly, NYC, etc.) and Baltimore, and we’re already talking about visiting each other… cheaply. XD Also, my boyfriend is gonna be at RPI in Troy, NY, and we’re thinking it might be easiest to meet in NYC?! </p>
<p>Here’s what I already know:</p>
<p>~ There’s an MBTA commuter rail that goes between the Providence station and Boston for $8 round-trip! I did it once during Summer@Brown, but I’m not sure of the details. Is it available on weekdays (I might wanna go Friday afternoon) or just weekends?, etc.<br>
~ There’s this BoltBus sytem I’ve heard about that goes between DC, Philadelphia, NYC, and Boston for $1 to $22… but I’ve heard that you need to book the tickets like two months in advance to get them for $1. Still, I could see myself taking advantage of that and going from Providence to Boston to NYC on occasion!<br>
~ The Amtrak seems like it’s the more expensive option in almost any case. I’m probably going to be taking it to and from home (I live between Baltimore and DC and usually go to the BWI station), but for trips to NYC, Philly, Boston, etc., I doubt I’ll be using it a lot. </p>
<p>The commuter rail is $7.75 each way, $15 round trip, not $8. I rode it today, so this is definitely up to date information. </p>
<p>Don’t know much else because in all honesty I don’t know anyone who travels beyond Boston for a weekend. I’ve heard of people going to NYC sometimes, but they’re from there. Other than that, ppl I know who go to Philly and Baltimore fly…because there isn’t really time to get there and back on a weekend and most ppl here are wayy too busy to make those kind of trips.</p>
<p>It’s easy to get to NYC. You can take the Greyhound bus. It’s about $24 one way, and is very convenient, from what my D tells me. Get the Student Advantage card and you get travel discounts on the bus and also on Amtrak, which is more expensive, but faster. Also, very convenient. It’s about 3 1/2 hours by train and the bus trip can vary-- check the schedule on line.</p>
<p>Some of my best friends are in Cambridge so I do it all the time. </p>
<p>From Harvard in particular: Get on at the Harvard stop for the red line and take it towards South Station. I don’t remember if this is inbound or outbound. I THINK it’s inbound, but there are signs/maps all over the place there that are clearly marked. I just look at them once I get there. It’s $2.00 to ride, or $1.75 if you get a Charlie Card. </p>
<p>Elsewhere in Boston: Take whatever line you need to get into South Station. There are lots of maps that are really easy to read. Really. Easy. She’ll be able to figure it out in a pinch. </p>
<p>Then, from South Station take the Commuter Rail to Providence. It’s $7.75 each way and you can pay on the train. Which is actually ideal because they sometimes don’t check and you get a free ride. This ride usually takes about an hour and 20 minutes. </p>
<p>Then, once you get to Providence, either walk up the hill, or take a cab, or find another Brown student and split a cab.</p>
<p>If you can get yourself to New York City, and want to visit a friend in Philadelphia, take the Chinatown bus. It is, as its name suggests, a bus that runs back and forth between Philadelphia’s Chinatown and Manhattan’s daily.</p>
<p>I don’t recall the exact price. It’s probably the cheapest way to get from one city to the other. As a bonus, there are often showings of Chinese films.</p>
<p>Jan-- I really don’t want to start an argument, but I would not recommend the Chinatown bus, if you can help it. It’s got a questionable safety record… Anyway, it’s pretty cheap to do Greyhound, and there’s a regular commuter train from NYC to Philly. Also, Chinatown bus starts and drops off in a difficult neighborhood to navigate for newcomers…</p>
By its very nature, as you mentioned, this is a commuter train. That means it operates on weekdays, when commuters generally go to and from work. Please be aware that the MBTA has been threatening to cut service on non-peak hours, which includes weekends.</p>
<p>There’s also AMTRAK, which travels between Boston and Providence.</p>
<p>Current prices to take Amtrak to NYC or Philadelphia round-trip begin at $108 to NYC and $144 to Philadelphia. You can fly from TF Greento Philadelphia round-trip on Southwest Airlines for $138 on the weekends.</p>
<p>Also, considering the terminal being built at TF Green to extend the line and their contracts to go as far south as Westerly, I have the sense that MBTA is looking to increase service to this area, even if overall service declines from the economy.</p>