That was a ton of great information, thank you very much! It sounds like I'll be pretty much avoiding cabs as it doesn't sound worth the hassle versus just taking the transit system. You mentioned blue, green and red lines which all appear to be subway, so it sounds like buses are not going to be the best option, at least to/from the convention. Thanks so much for the help! PS, I'm going to totally visit Kelly Square Pub.
There is the Silver Line, which runs from the airport to South Station. I've never taken it, so hopefully someone else here can better answer that question for you.
Silver line goes directly from the airport to the World Trade Center/Seaport stop, which is a very short walk to BCEC.
Yep, super-easy to catch from the Airport. It's basically just a special bus to South Station.
As far as driving in Boston goes - just assume people will do the most aggressive thing possible and you'll be fine.
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Kilonum[E]Somewhere near BostonRegistered Userregular
Great thread, I think as someone else mentioned in another thread since Im staying at the Residence Inn Boston Cambridge that the Redline is near the hotel and a straight shot to south station, then switch to silver and your there if your don't want to walk from south station.
One quick question how late do the trains run? Based on what I looked it I can just pre-load a Charlie card and swipe it when I get on the train? Sounds like the Oyster card in the UK for the Tube. Should be easy enough hopefully.
Thanks for all the tips!
1st PAX was Prime 2010. Made it to several more Primes/West. Been to East and South. Headed back to West in 2019 for my 12th PAX.
There is a week pass for $18 which may be better than a load up card.
Yeah this is always the way to go with PAX. I buy the week pass while waiting for the Silver Line outside the airport (it's actually free to take the silver line FROM the airport, but it's a convenient place to buy the pass for the week). You can buy the week pass at any station at the kiosk.
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Kilonum[E]Somewhere near BostonRegistered Userregular
Last train leaves each Terminal station at 12:30am in general, so my suggestion is to make sure you're out a midnight (which is when PAX shuts down anyway) to make sure you make it to your hotel.
A few quick notes regarding previous information in this thread and transportation in general:
Starting on March 22nd, Government Center station will be closed for two years. Green and Blue line trains will run through the station, but will not stop there. If you're coming in from East Boston as someone mentioned earlier, your best bet is getting off at the Aquarium station and walking either to Haymarket station (requires traipsing through Quincy Market and a few busy streets), or to South Station via Atlantic Ave (this option is roughly the same distance as going from South Station to the BCEC and also a straight shot for those unfamiliar to the city. Streets here will also be busy, but much more manageable for pedestrians.)
South Station itself is going through some construction and currently the indoor passage from the subway mezzanine to the Station proper is closed off. If you plan to arrive here via Red or Silver line, there are stairs and escalators available to the street level. I cannot presently confirm elevators.
Oh wow, thanks for that info about Gov't Center. Having been in it, it could use the renovation But that's where I usually end up when heading to quincy market.
If anyone intends on primarily using the subways, I've found an app that really helps, especially since I commute to and from school every day. Look it up on the App Store, it's called ProximiT.
It will tell you the nearest stop (currently does not support green line or commuter rail, but all others are fully supported), and it will give you live times for the trains running through it. I'm fairly sure it's also available for Android. Not necessary, but if you plan on using the subways, definitely a helpful app.
Also, based on the winter we've had so far, it's entirely possible there will be snow or slush on the ground (or in this case, the roads and rails). It's a good idea to have a backup plan in case the MBTA ends service for the day or a segment of a line gets cut off.
PAX East 2015: Passes For All Days [X] -- Free Time [X] -- Pass For Girlfriend [X] -- Hype [X]
PAX EAST 2015 IS A GO!
There is a week pass for $18 which may be better than a load up card.
Yeah this is always the way to go with PAX. I buy the week pass while waiting for the Silver Line outside the airport (it's actually free to take the silver line FROM the airport, but it's a convenient place to buy the pass for the week). You can buy the week pass at any station at the kiosk.
Thanks to the MBTA site which looks similar to what San Francisco uses
From the Airport I would take the Silver line south from terminal E, take the subway redline Alewife to Kendall get off at Kendall and take the 4 min walk to my hotel
Cost is $2 for 30 mins vs a $30 cab ride for 10 mins
1st PAX was Prime 2010. Made it to several more Primes/West. Been to East and South. Headed back to West in 2019 for my 12th PAX.
Twitter:kube00
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Kilonum[E]Somewhere near BostonRegistered Userregular
South Station itself is going through some construction and currently the indoor passage from the subway mezzanine to the Station proper is closed off. If you plan to arrive here via Red or Silver line, there are stairs and escalators available to the street level. I cannot presently confirm elevators.
Having just used South Station recently, I can confirm the elevators are working, though not the ones direct from the subway mezzanine into the station proper, they are the ones that put you out on the street in front of the Station.
South Station itself is going through some construction and currently the indoor passage from the subway mezzanine to the Station proper is closed off. If you plan to arrive here via Red or Silver line, there are stairs and escalators available to the street level. I cannot presently confirm elevators.
Having just used South Station recently, I can confirm the elevators are working, though not the ones direct from the subway mezzanine into the station proper, they are the ones that put you out on the street in front of the Station.
The escalator/stairs/elevator closures at South Station are supposed to end by March 31st.
EDIT: As of April 1st, the closures are still in effect.
Le_Goat on
While I agree that being insensitive is an issue, so is being oversensitive.
So coming in from NY (so from the west, I guess) at around 9pm on a Wednesday night, what's my best chance of an overnight/long term parking space on a T line? I'm staying at the Westin waterfront so I know hauling luggage from the silver line won't be too bad and really we'll probably only have the one suitcase, I just don't know how likely I am to find the long term lots on T lines full and if there's one that has a better chance of having open spaces than another I'm all for it. I'm hoping to just drive in and park it Wednesday night and pick it back up Monday in the early afternoon. I'd really rather pay $7/8 overnight on a T lot than park at the airport, if possible.
Actually I've only ever taken the silver line with luggage, I'm not likely to have any issue taking a single full size rolly suitcase on transit as long as it's in offpeak hours, yeah?
I've always had good luck parking at the Alewife Station for long-term parking. You shouldn't have any problem finding a spot there on a Wednesday night. It's 8 dollars a night and puts you at the far end of the Red Line, which brings you directly to South Station from which you can either walk about 15 minutes or take the Silver Line to the convention center. This is actually my exact plan, just change Wednesday night to Friday morning. And you'll be fine with a single rolling luggage bag at off-peak hours, no worries there.
In other news, it's official that late night T service will start before PAX! All T lines will now run until 3AM on weekends starting March 28th. Not as important this year since PAX ends at midnight, but still handy for those that plan on being out and about.
A minor alert for those parking at Alewife and traveling into Boston via the Red Line:
The mbta will not be running trains between Alewife and Harvard on 4/12 and 4/13.
Shuttle buses will be provided instead. This will increase your transit time by about 10 minutes.
Does anyone know for sure if they're going to be closing down the Mass Pike to one lane in the Prudential Tunnel this weekend? They've been doing it the past few weekends and traffic has been a nightmare getting into the city because of it. According to the project's website, http://www.prutunnelproject.info/, there is nothing schedule for this weekend. But I wouldn't hold my breath for them to change plans and not update this. I tweeted @MassDOT to double check, I'll update once I hear back.
If they will have lane restrictions this weekend, definitely seek alternate routes of travel than the Pike, and give yourself some extra time to get to the BCEC.
ETA: There will be NO lane restrictions this weekend. Thank heavens. Still have to plan for regular traffic issues, but this helps a lot.
I've always had good luck parking at the Alewife Station for long-term parking. You shouldn't have any problem finding a spot there on a Wednesday night. It's 8 dollars a night and puts you at the far end of the Red Line, which brings you directly to South Station from which you can either walk about 15 minutes or take the Silver Line to the convention center. This is actually my exact plan, just change Wednesday night to Friday morning. And you'll be fine with a single rolling luggage bag at off-peak hours, no worries there.
In other news, it's official that late night T service will start before PAX! All T lines will now run until 3AM on weekends starting March 28th. Not as important this year since PAX ends at midnight, but still handy for those that plan on being out and about.
A note for anyone on the red line or planning on parking at alewife (which I'd usually recommend), the MBTA is running busses from harvard to alewife over the weekend which usually extends the commute time a bit. And yes; the late night service works and is great, but runs a bit slower than usual.....
Just to reiterate what Elzemere has said above because people (including me) typically do not scroll around through a thread's every post.
Government Center (Blue/Green Line Intersection) will be closed. If you are traveling from East Boston, get off at Aquarium and walk towards South Station along Atlantic Ave. It's maybe a 10 minute walk, and a nice one at that if the weather permits. If the weather is bad out (or you don't/can't walk), take the blue line to State St., then take the Orange Line to Downtown Crossing and switch to the Red Line to South Station.
The Government Center closure is a big deal, which is the reason why I think it needed to be said again now that we are only days away. You should definitely try to plan your travels prior to arriving in Boston so that you have a better feel for your options, rather than doing it on the fly when you get there. This is still very new, so even the locals aren't 100% on what to do unless it is a part of their daily travels.
While I agree that being insensitive is an issue, so is being oversensitive.
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Yep, super-easy to catch from the Airport. It's basically just a special bus to South Station.
As far as driving in Boston goes - just assume people will do the most aggressive thing possible and you'll be fine.
This is far better advice
One quick question how late do the trains run? Based on what I looked it I can just pre-load a Charlie card and swipe it when I get on the train? Sounds like the Oyster card in the UK for the Tube. Should be easy enough hopefully.
Thanks for all the tips!
Twitter:kube00
Last train leaves each Terminal station at 12:30am in general, so my suggestion is to make sure you're out a midnight (which is when PAX shuts down anyway) to make sure you make it to your hotel.
EDIT: Oh hey they went and proved me wrong! One-year trial run of running the trains until 3am on Saturday/Sunday mornings starts in late March!
Twitter:kube00
It will tell you the nearest stop (currently does not support green line or commuter rail, but all others are fully supported), and it will give you live times for the trains running through it. I'm fairly sure it's also available for Android. Not necessary, but if you plan on using the subways, definitely a helpful app.
Also, based on the winter we've had so far, it's entirely possible there will be snow or slush on the ground (or in this case, the roads and rails). It's a good idea to have a backup plan in case the MBTA ends service for the day or a segment of a line gets cut off.
PAX EAST 2015 IS A GO!
Thanks to the MBTA site which looks similar to what San Francisco uses
From the Airport I would take the Silver line south from terminal E, take the subway redline Alewife to Kendall get off at Kendall and take the 4 min walk to my hotel
Cost is $2 for 30 mins vs a $30 cab ride for 10 mins
Twitter:kube00
Twitter:kube00
EDIT: As of April 1st, the closures are still in effect.
Actually I've only ever taken the silver line with luggage, I'm not likely to have any issue taking a single full size rolly suitcase on transit as long as it's in offpeak hours, yeah?
In other news, it's official that late night T service will start before PAX! All T lines will now run until 3AM on weekends starting March 28th. Not as important this year since PAX ends at midnight, but still handy for those that plan on being out and about.
The mbta will not be running trains between Alewife and Harvard on 4/12 and 4/13.
Shuttle buses will be provided instead. This will increase your transit time by about 10 minutes.
Oh cool
If they will have lane restrictions this weekend, definitely seek alternate routes of travel than the Pike, and give yourself some extra time to get to the BCEC.
ETA: There will be NO lane restrictions this weekend. Thank heavens. Still have to plan for regular traffic issues, but this helps a lot.
A note for anyone on the red line or planning on parking at alewife (which I'd usually recommend), the MBTA is running busses from harvard to alewife over the weekend which usually extends the commute time a bit. And yes; the late night service works and is great, but runs a bit slower than usual.....
-skexy
The Government Center closure is a big deal, which is the reason why I think it needed to be said again now that we are only days away. You should definitely try to plan your travels prior to arriving in Boston so that you have a better feel for your options, rather than doing it on the fly when you get there. This is still very new, so even the locals aren't 100% on what to do unless it is a part of their daily travels.