Traveling To Boston

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Here's a summary of my travel to Boston:

Holocaust Memorial


Driving
Rather than take Amtrak (448/449 Lake Shore Limited) direct from Albany/Rensselaer to Boston, I decided to drive and give myself some flexibility. Amtrak rates are very competitive at $44RT but the estimated travel time of 5.5 hours doesn't compare to the 2.75 hours I spent driving door to door. Driving Boston to the NY State line takes 2 hours, then 25 minutes to Albany, and then 20 minutes home while averaging 75 mph. That included one stop for a gas fill-up (BTW, gas prices on the Mass Turnpike are comparable to regular NY prices).

Gas: $22 (One tank at $2.89/gallon)
Tolls: $10.60
Parking: $80

Parking is scarce and high priced in Boston. I used the Internet to find a local lot with lower weekend rates but I took the advice of the concierge when she said it was easier to pay the $40 a night at the hotel. I could have saved a few bucks, but would have had to schlep all of my baggage (in the rain as it turned out) with no in/out privileges. I think this was the right decision. Sometimes spending extra is worth it — even for a penny pincher like me!

I used the "T" mass transit system (thanks RG for the pass). Cabs are also available and the Millennium Hotel valet is happy to get one for you.

Fanueil Hall


Entertainment
I went to see the Boston Celtics for their season opener. The game was sold out months in advance. I managed to pay $80 + $5 shipping per ticket on eBay for tickets with a face value of $60. I would have had to pay shipping and service charges had I got them through Ticketmaster so I did pretty good. I made sure my bids were reasonable by comparing them against the availability and asking prices on StubHub and Craig's List.

Quincy Market


Hotel
I stayed at the 3.5-Star Millennium Bostonian Hotel that I booked through Hotwire.com. I LOVE HOTWIRE! The hotel was very nice and the room was a good size with a king size bed. I had a corner room towards the rear of the hotel. There was some "city" noise — I could hear music from a local restaurant/bar at night.

There was a mini-bar in the room. No ice or vending machines on any floor so I called down to room service and had a bucket of ice sent up. It arrived promptly, was free of charge, and I tipped $2 to the server. I had brought snacks and drinks with me so I didn't have to pay those exorbitant in-room fees. The bellman, valet, and front desk help were all very friendly and I don't have anything but wonderful words about the level of service.

The first thing I did was draw a hot bath in the large oval tub. The water was VERY hot and there was plenty of it.

The best part of the hotel is its location, location, location. It is directly across the street from Quincy Market / Faneuil Hall and around the corner from the New England Holocaust Memorial shown in the photos above.

Spent on Hotwire.com: $109/night (Full price: $249/night)
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