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Boston 2012 marathon hotel (Read 2003 times)

    It is way early, but here it is anyway.  If you are going back Hotel 140 is 2 blocks from the finish line, has open rooms, and is cheap for the location.  Full bed is $199, queen $219, and there are a couple other room options.  On top of the rates there is a 10% discount if you are a AAA member.  No cancellation penalty as long as you cancel at least 3 days before date of check in.  It is not listed as available on the webpage, but you can call them and book.  I've never stayed there before but a number of people over at runnersworld give it good reviews.

    Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

      It is always good to get an early start on this sort of stuff.  I'm wondering if my 3:11 from Indy will be enough to ensure that I can run Boston next year.  That puts me in the BQ -5 category or whatever it is.   I guess as long as you can cancel the hotel reservation without penalty why not.

       

      Now that I've done this once I was trying to figure out the best spot to have the hotel and then look for something reasonable.  Did anyone take the T-Line into the city to catch the buses?  When I took it from State Street to Back Bay it was pretty empty at 6:30 on the Orange line (my ride pickup was at a different location.)?

       

      Also someone mentioned that the packet pickup is not at Hynes but at the Boston Convention Center.  When I looked that up it is in a place where the T does not get close to.  Why the heck would they do that?  Hynes was in a decent spot. 

       

      Any thoughts?  Anything work well for you or did not work well for you?  We stayed off Franklin street and it actually worked out pretty well.  However, the T-Line at times was crowded but we did have easy access to the Blue, Orange and Green lines. 

      2014 Goals: (Yeah I suck)

      • Sub 22  5K
      • Sub 1:35 1/2 marathon 
      • Sub 3:25:00 Marathon

        It's not a Hynes because these is some sort of Catholic Teachers Convention there that weekend also. And yes most people will either have to walk to the expo or take the Silver Line.

         

        I've stayed the Hilton Back Bay, Boston Harbor Hotel, Back Bay Hotel (Jurys) and Courtyard Copley Square the past 4 years. I think the best hotel to stay at is one that is either:

         

        1. Close to the Commons in order to just walk to the buses OR

        2. Is close to a T-stop so that you can get everywhere on the T without having to walk everywhere.

         

        I found staying by the harbor very inconvenient and too far from everything (but that is when the expo is at Hynes).

        The Hilton Back Bay was nice when the expo was at Hynes and conveniently located to the Hynes and Prudential T-stops.

        Courtyard Copley Square was nice. Closet to Back Bay and Copley T-stops, but Copley is closed on Marathon Monday so we took a cab to the buses on Monday.

        Jury's Back Bay Hotel is right after where you get your stuff so you can be back in your hotel in minutes after the race.

         

        Right now I'm staying at the Hyatt Regency for 2012. Nice and close to the Commons to walk for the buses and I can walk down to south station to catch the Silver line to the expo. For these mega races it pays to book ahead of time.

          This year we stayed at the Marriott Courtyard Brookline located just before mile 24 right on the course.  It is right at a Greenline T stop about 2 miles from the finish line.  The T ride into town in the morning had plenty of room both for me at 5:45 and my wife at 9:30 on marathon morning.  Brookline is a really nice little area of town, and there were lots of neat shops and restaurants right around it.  Rate was $179 a night and the hotel was very nice with good sized rooms.  I would easily recommend it, it was a nice place and logistics were no problem at all.  In the end the T is really easy and convenient, but everything we did involved the commons or harbor or north end type of areas.  So we had to take the T for everything, and that added about 20 minutes into town (5-10 waiting for a train and and 10 min trip) and 20 minutes back to the hotel.  Also, Brookline is out past where the green line splits so when you are heading back you need a C train and that is only 1 in 4 of the cars.  All that said the Hotel 140 is only about $17 a night more, and I think, for me, being right downtown is worth and extra fifty bucks for the weekend to avoid spending as much time standing on trains.  If downtown was more like $50 a night extra I would book Brookline again in a heartbeat.

           

          mta: Screen name 1, I looked at the Regency and rate looked $400+ a night, but the location is great.  Do you have / know a way to get a better rate there?

          Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

          xhristopher


            A couple things about moving the expo. It's only 0.6 miles from South Station, an easy and direct walk. Unless it's raining you might consider walking 10-12 minutes to avoid the likely crowded Silver Line, which is really a cantilevered city bus. Parking is better, which appeals to me. The facility is nicer and more spacious. I thought the expo at the Hynes was a bit packed so the extra room might help. There are also several hotels around it. Yeah, the area isn't as fun as Back Bay but it could be worse. We have this thing called the Bayside Expo Center...

              There is also a large reasonably priced parking garage under the commons.  We parked there for the whole weekend two years ago because it was about half the price of parking at our hotel, and it was empty.  Right at the corner of the commons is Park station which is on the red line with South Station. 

               

              Best bet for the expo, if you are going on the day you arrive in the city:  Drive in and park under the commons.  Either walk the about 1.2 miles to the expo or take Red Line from Park station to South Station and walk 0.6 miles to the expo.  Of course, if enough people have this idea the commons parking garage will be packed and the red line will be full.

              Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

              lynnhoj


                See Boston CBS: Runners Expo Forced To Move For 2012 Boston Marathon for more info about the change in expo location.

                 

                This part got my attention: "The MBTA’s Silver Line running from South Station does not enough capacity to handle the crowds going to The Expo."

                 

                Wonderful. 

                xhristopher


                  If can run from South Station to the Expo in less than 3 minutes there is no need for runners to worry about needing the Silver Line.

                   

                    If can run from South Station to the Expo in less than 3 minutes there is no need for runners to worry about needing the Silver Line.

                     

                    That, and if you get tired you can stop at the Atlantic Beer Garden for some fluids/carbs.

                    Runners run

                    sluggo


                    John

                      hmmm - I have thought about this for a few years. If you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay, stay at my house in Salem, MA.

                       

                      Getting into Boston for the expo is not too hard with the commuter rail and, if necessary, a bus line goes very close to my house. (It is part of my daily commute.) Salem is also nice for off the normal Boston sight seeing range and you might find it interesting.

                       

                      For race day, there is normally a running club bus that leaves from about 2 mi from my house too. It goes straight to Hopkinton and you can have a protected place to wait if the weather is bad.

                       

                      Let me know if you are interested. I had my wife talked into this a few years ago but we never got it off the ground. In 2011, my boss stayed at my house Sun night so he could easily catch the running club bus in the AM. It seemed to work well for all of us.

                       

                      Oh yeah! One provision. I would have to convince my wife it is a good idea again if you are interested...

                      John
                      www.wickedrunningclub.com

                      In the beginning, the universe was created.This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

                      --- Douglas Adams, in "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"

                      runnerclay


                      Consistently Slow

                        .

                        Run until the trail runs out.

                         SCHEDULE 2016--

                         The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                        unsolicited chatter

                        http://bkclay.blogspot.com/

                        runnerclay


                        Consistently Slow

                          hmmm - I have thought about this for a few years. If you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay, stay at my house in Salem, MA.

                           

                          Getting into Boston for the expo is not too hard with the commuter rail and, if necessary, a bus line goes very close to my house. (It is part of my daily commute.) Salem is also nice for off the normal Boston sight seeing range and you might find it interesting.

                           

                          For race day, there is normally a running club bus that leaves from about 2 mi from my house too. It goes straight to Hopkinton and you can have a protected place to wait if the weather is bad.

                           

                          Let me know if you are interested. I had my wife talked into this a few years ago but we never got it off the ground. In 2011, my boss stayed at my house Sun night so he could easily catch the running club bus in the AM. It seemed to work well for all of us.

                           

                          Oh yeah! One provision. I would have to convince my wife it is a good idea again if you are interested...

                          Thanks ,now that the hard part is over and think it is time to BQ

                          Run until the trail runs out.

                           SCHEDULE 2016--

                           The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                          unsolicited chatter

                          http://bkclay.blogspot.com/