Forums >Racing>2016 Boston Marathon Thread
There are a TON of great restaurants in Boston. Once again, my buddy and I will have an ice cream cart at the Marathon this year, and once again, the ice cream cones are free for the ladies as long as you eat them at the stand.
#artbydmcbride
Runners run
jfa
Good one mfn.
Mostly harmless
I should preface the below by saying this is my first Boston and I have never visited the city before.
I have a question about hotels in the area. I have reservations at two hotels. My wife and I are treating this as a mini-get away. We will fly in Saturday morning and fly home Tuesday evening.
Hotel 1: About 13 miles outside of the city (Woburn). 1.5 miles from the light rail. No shuttle to anything.
Pro: Super cheap.
Con: I'll need to rent a car or take a cab to get anywhere. No King size beds left by the time I booked. The place looks kind of dumpy.
Hotel 2: Much closer to the city (Revere). Free shuttle to mass transportation daily.
Pro: Closer to the city and easy access to mass transit. King bed in the room It looks like an overall nicer hotel than Hotel 1.
Con: It's about $130 per night more expensive.
Funds are a little tight for me at the moment. I can afford both but I the price difference is considerable. Even if I rent a car, I'll still save a lot of money.
For those who have been in the city on race weekend before, is traveling by car for someone not from the area a nightmare? DW is not a runner, so she would have to drop me off somewhere, park, find something to do while she waits for me to run, etc... How difficult would that be?
Any thoughts that might help me decide which option would be appreciated.
"It doesn’t matter how often you do it or how much you accomplish, in general, not running is a lot easier than running." - Meb Keflezighi
Given those choices I'd 100% recommend option 2. Driving/parking in Boston is a giant pain in the ass, especially if you're unfamiliar with the city. It's extremely easy to get around on the T. Well worth the extra $ to avoid the logistical headaches you'd face with option 1, and you get to stay in a nicer hotel, too.
A list of my PRs in a misguided attempt to impress people that do not care.
Definitely option 2. You don't want to be driving in Boston that weekend. Or any weekend. Or any day. You'll try and take a left onto Comm Ave, because, hey, the GPS says there might be a parking garage that way (side note: it's full, and closed, and if it were open you'd have to pay $40 just to see if it were open) and they'll see you in your white Nissan Sentra from Avis with AZ plates, and they'll smell your fear, and without you realizing it, cars are in front of you, behind you, honking, slashing...and you'll freeze...jolted by the sound of green line T bearing down on you as you idle on the tracks in the middle of the intersection waiting for an opening but...you...just...can't...turn...left...
aaaaaaarrrgghghgh.
So, option 2.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
runktrun
Definitely option 2. This will be my 4th run at Boston, but I've been up in the area for Marathon Monday about a dozen times. I am very familiar with the city and I still opt to spend a lot more money to stay close and have quick access to the T. I generally do not drive, just park my car for the weekend. If you don't mind splitting your vacation between two hotels, you could probably find a hotel near the Commons for pretty cheap for Saturday night. Enjoy Boston proper Sat night and Sun morning, then drive out to your other cheaper hotel in Option 2. You could lowball a bid on Priceline for the Theater District/Commons for Saturday. I think I spent $60 to stay at the Double Tree last year for the BAA 5k (but that might have been Friday night, not Saturday) and I think I parked for $30 for 24hrs in that area.
But I agree with the above posters - you do not want to drive that weekend and it is totally worth spending more $$ for convenience.
As for finding something for your wife to do, take the T or rail into the city, give her a small backpack of extra clothes, go do your run, meet up somewhere obvious and change out of your running stuff and then go exploring together. There is plenty for her to enjoy while you run, and it's probably not worth running in the city in the morning, then taking the rail back to the hotel to change, then taking the rail back in for the evening. She could walk around the Commons, Beacon Hill, North End just admiring the historical sites, or find a museum to tour, etc. She will not be bored.
Not running for my health, but in spite of it.
Check out the Freedom Trail, it passes by a TON of historical things. I did the T thing over by BU not too long ago, made a wrong turn, and there it was coming straight toward me.
I'm not sure what you folks are going on about driving and parking in Boston. I drive and park in Boston all the time but don't expect me to share any secrets.
Option 1 is probably only gonna get you near the commuter rail, which would be bad. Even worse if it's on weekend schecule and you find yourself waiting an hour then paying a combined $25 bucks for a round trip. If you took that option get the car and drive and park at Wellington Station on the Orange Line. Parking is $6 at Wellington and there will be spots for you.
Option 2 is probably gonna get you to the Blue Line which will shoot you right into Boston without much wait. You might even find the beach at Wonderland Station a little charming. Get the week T pass for $19 each and ride all you want.
Neither option is going to leave you in a place where you will want to hang out much so expect to spend a lot of time in Boston.
Where in Revere ?
I should preface the below by saying this is my first Boston and I have never visited the city before. I have a question about hotels in the area. I have reservations at two hotels. My wife and I are treating this as a mini-get away. We will fly in Saturday morning and fly home Tuesday evening. Hotel 1: About 13 miles outside of the city (Woburn). 1.5 miles from the light rail. No shuttle to anything. Pro: Super cheap. Con: I'll need to rent a car or take a cab to get anywhere. No King size beds left by the time I booked. The place looks kind of dumpy.
Let me guess. It's an "airport" hotel.
If it's the Four Points Sheraton you can walk to the theater, Market Basket, and other "entertainment."
I have rented a rather cheap apartment in Somerville through AirB&B, a five minute walk from a subway Station. My first time in Boston also, and I didn't know what to do. The apartment is very basic, very little furniture, but my wife and I won't be spending much time in the apartment anyways.
Hope I don't regret my choices, both the AirB&B vs hotel and the Somerville vs Boston choices.
^ That's the way to do it.
One day at a time
The secret to driving in Boston is to get an old, huge SUV and drive like you don't care what happens to your car. Then everyone will get out of your way. At least it works for us.
Driving in Boston is simple. The rule is to drive like everyone in front of you is insane, and everyone behind you doesn't exist. It works remarkably well.