Advice for a Boston Visit? (Newton, Framingham: hotels, college, live)

[Vilgan]

Hello all!

I am visiting Boston this Thanksgiving with a group of friends as well as a few siblings who are all coming in from out of town. I have started researching for the trip, however I have been running into a few snags and thought I should get some advice from those who live there or have visited plenty in the past.

First: hotel rooms The main place we will be active (tournament) is at the "Westin Copley Place" in downtown Boston. However, the rooms are ~ $150 a night. I am guessing that it will not be possible to find cheaper rooms near that hotel (or I haven't found any yet). However, we will have a car and finding a cheap hotel near a T stop is my main hope at the moment. Several of us are broke college students and nobody has tons of cash, so saving on hotel costs is a big deal. Any pointers here would be greatly appreciated. I also know from personal experience that many budget hotels are not listed online, so there might be some I have no way of finding out about.

Restaraunts:

Any great Thai restaraunts in downtown Boston that people would recommend? Think we'll try a variety of restaraunts, but one passion of almost everyone going is Thai food so would be cool to find a good place or two.

Finally: How bad is the weather in November? I've heard cold.. and that's fine. But if its high wind/truly miserable, we might just spring a bit more for the hotel.

Thanks for any tips/suggestions!

Eric Sieg

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Vilgan

Hello all!

First: hotel rooms The main place we will be active (tournament) is at the "Westin Copley Place" in downtown Boston. However, the rooms are ~ $150 a night. I am guessing that it will not be possible to find cheaper rooms near that hotel (or I haven't found any yet). However, we will have a car and finding a cheap hotel near a T stop is my main hope at the moment. Several of us are broke college students and nobody has tons of cash, so saving on hotel costs is a big deal. Any pointers here would be greatly appreciated.

I don't have a lot of experience with Boston hotels but people I know have had good experiences with the Shawmut Inn near North Station, which is far cheaper than many other hotels downtown. It's 6 stops on the Green Line to Copley, usually 10-15 mins.

If you have a car you could also check out the Motel 6 in Framingham, which is the cheapest deal I know of in the area and not bad at all. Other than rush hour, you could drive in on the Pike in 25 mins and park there, and it would still be less than staying at the Westin by a lot. Or you could take the train from Riverside (off Route 128 just south of Pike), though that takes a while. Another option, as parking might be easier on the Thanksgiving weekend when people are not going in to work as much, is to take the commuter rail in from there.

To minimize the cost coming in from Framingham (I don't know what kind of tournament or if you have a lot of equipment), I would probably take the train at Riverside. You could also drive to Brighton and take the 57 bus/Green line from there. You take the Mass Pike (the Motel 6 is right next to Exit 12) to Exit 17/Newton. When you get off you stay to the right and follow the signs toward "Brighton." Just go straight for a while, until you're in the midst of stores and such, and you can park for free on many of the side streets. My friends live on Oakland St. and there's almost always parking available there. The 57 runs down the main drag, Washington St, to Kenmore Sq. station. From there it's only two stops on any inbound Green line train to Copley, or (weather depending) you could even walk it).

Weather in November, as any time around here, is hard to predict. Usually pretty cool and gray, can get windy too but not always. It just changes all the time. Sometimes it's unexpectedly sunny and mild.

[RemiJP]

If you want really cheap and wouldn't mind sleeping in bunks, the Boston Youth Hostel is definitely the best option. Parking will probably be an issue, unfortunately. But if you are interested, call and find out what's available for parking.

I agree the weather can be iffy. It has definitely snowed here around Thanksgiving, so I wouldn't rule that out!

[holden125]

Originally Posted by RemiJP

If you want really cheap and wouldn't mind sleeping in bunks, the Boston Youth Hostel is definitely the best option. Parking will probably be an issue, unfortunately.

True. And walkable to Copley (or one stop on T)

[Boston Bill]

There is a cool motel that I believe is near the Prudential Center on Huntington. It's more of a 50's style low-slung motel which is why it stands out. I would try quickbook.com and especially try the "marketplace" within that website.

[maggiekate]

there is a motel 6 in Braintree and the t stop is right next to it. Therefore you take the
T into Boston. The Sheraton is higher class and they give you a ride to the T.
Alrlingtor and Waltham might also have some cheaper hotels. I did know a person who did
stay at that motel 6 and went into the city each day.

[BWSTYLE]

Hey, are you the same Vilgan from Travian? Sorry I can't help you out with any places to stay in Boston. I just want to know if you have H2dabomb's email address. Just say it's BWSTYLE. I would realy appreciate it.