getting to Boston

Submitted by FarStudy3278 t3_z7tkb3 in newhampshire

I have a meeting to go to in Boston very soon and I'm looking for any advice on easily getting into the city without having to pay a million to park, etc. If I'm going into MA from Manchester, is there a way to pick up a MBTA train or something to make it easier?

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maxhinator123 t1_iy82sll wrote

I always drive to the alewife station, 10 bucks to park, 5 bucks for the train both ways, in Boston is likely 20-30 bucks just parking. I say within a couple years the commuter line will return to Nashua-Manchester-Concord, it's been getting traction, I can't wait how much easier it will be to pop into Boston

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Anxious_Aide_2091 t1_iy839i4 wrote

Can you park at alewife again? I was there several months ago and the parking was all closed off

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maxhinator123 t1_iy83efk wrote

I've never seen it all closed off, I was there recently and it's just one section closed

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jkjeeper06 t1_iy840m0 wrote

Yeah, no problem parking there as of last week

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shoretel230 t1_iy9ldan wrote

This. The only key is to go early. Like 6 or 7 to make sure you get a spot

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koolaidfrozenpizza_ t1_iy8kltt wrote

This is what I usually do when I go for work. I've found it ends up being faster than if I take the commuter line.

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Emptyplates t1_iydcugn wrote

Last time we paid to park in Boston, it was $42.

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babbette_ate_oatmeal t1_iy9dzgc wrote

I highly recommend you take the Boston Express Bus! The bus goes from Manchester right to south station. Parking is free at the station in Manchester (last I knew). You can purchase your ticket ahead of time or when you arrive at the station. That’s how I used to commute from NH to Boston for work. Much more comfortable and reliable than using MBTA in my opinion.

Edit: wanted to add there are also stations in Londonderry and Salem if those are easier to get to than Manchester.

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nhmo t1_iyaugyv wrote

Salem doesn't get as many busses so it's better to go to Londonderry unless the Salem stop is convenient.

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dojijosu t1_iy83w92 wrote

Concord Coach or Boston Express busses are great options.

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Few-Cable5130 t1_iy84n11 wrote

Depending on where the meeting is, that could mean significant additional travel time via bus or train after arriving in Boton.

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dojijosu t1_iy8e9y6 wrote

True, but Boston Express let’s off right at North Station.

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GuanoLoopy t1_iy8faa4 wrote

I love taking the Concord Coach bus from Portland to Bos. The one for NH (Boston Express) appears to be the same company essentially. A clean comfortable Coach bus and a easy 1 hour ride to Boston South Station which gives you plenty of direct subway or other methods around the city. Seems only 1 daily departure from Manchester, but every 30 minutes from Londonderry. $27 round trip

Or drive to a MBTA commuter rail station (like Lowell MA) and take that into the city. Leaves every :45 to an hour and brings you to Bos North Station in about 45 minutes. $10.50 each way, or $10/day on weekends from that station (cheaper if you go to a closer station, but make up for it in reduced gas cost).

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beachTreeBunny t1_iy84tih wrote

Drive down 93, and park at Anderson Station in Woburn. Its a long term parking station for the Logan airport shuttle and has reasonable rates. The train to North Station is about 25 minutes, and the station is right off 93. I live near Hampton, and park there whenever I fly out of Logan. https://www.mbta.com/stops/place-NHRML-0127

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Wrong-Sundae t1_iyalu71 wrote

Boston express bus from Manchester to Boston, skip the commuter rail.

If you need to park/can’t get a ride to the Manchester bus station, then take the Boston Express bus outta Nashua, where there’s a free park & ride.

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platinumstallion t1_iyao6b8 wrote

Agreed! Or the North Londonderry bus terminal if you want to leave your car somewhere - service pretty much every hour, and easy parking.

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Searchlights t1_iy9rueq wrote

Sullivan Square parking for the Orange Line has always been my go-to. It's right off 93. It's $9 to park on a weekday, $6 on a weekend. A one day pass to ride the T is $11.

From Manchester you can zing straight down there, park relatively cheap, and take the T in to the city. If I recall correctly, the Sullivan Square stop is only a few away from the changeover opportunities to the Green and Blue Lines. You can also get to the Red Line a few stops further down.

You can get anywhere between those 4 lines. You've got about 50 miles of gas to pay for, and then $20 covers everything else.

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MgFi t1_iyauir6 wrote

Wellington Station isn't bad either.

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Kansai_Lai t1_iyal396 wrote

Park in Alewife and take the T in

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naturistsoaker t1_iy8ayk0 wrote

The method I follow is leave early to avoid traffic, drive to Alewife Station in Cambridge, pay $9 for the day (there's a mobile app), take the red line into the closest spot I am going, walk to my meeting. Alewife can be full by 8:30 and the traffic getting there at that time is horrible. Therefore, I leave early, get where I want to be, and get coffee.

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BatSame3032 t1_iy8i463 wrote

You have a lot of options from Manchester.

There is the Boston Express bus that leaves from many park and rides, which is free to park and you take the bus into the city.

You could also drive to Lowell and park at the train station, which is not free and take the MBTA in.

Park at the Alwife Station which is very affordable and take the T.

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Bertob15 t1_iy8l1ah wrote

I’ve often parked at Wellington station in Medford and took the T in

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Silver_Advantage8576 t1_iy96rbi wrote

As someone who was born and raised in NH and now lives in Melrose MA and works in South End I’d recommend hoping on Orange Line at Oak Grove (parking there is MUCH easier post pandemic) or drive down to Station Landing garage and grab train from Wellington. You could also get on red line at Alewife. If you’d rather drive in you could use Spot Hero app to book a spot in a garage near your meeting which will cost less than paying the garage directly.

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Beredore t1_iy9gjet wrote

Personally I drive to Alewife and take the T into Boston, if you use the paybyplate app it's only 9 dollars to use the parking garage there.

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itsMalarky t1_iyaxt85 wrote

Concord coach right into south station. Uber from there.

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beadlecat t1_iy8cxi6 wrote

Doesn’t the Boston Express bus pick up in Manchester? If not, drive to the Tyngsboro Park and Ride. Free parking and then you pay the bus to get you into the city

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Liberatedhusky t1_iy96jtn wrote

I use the Concord Coach, they have a terminal in Concord and another in Londonderry/Merrimack area. Easy ride into Boston, costs like $40, drops you off at the Bus Terminal or the Airport with easy access to subway stations if needed.

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Loosh_03062 t1_iy81pwr wrote

The Boston Express bus leaves Manchester at 5:40AM, or you could pick it up in North Londonderry or Nashua at plenty of other times. Parking at the latter two is free. You could also drive to the Lowell or Haverhill MBTA commuter rail stations.

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Dizzy_Advance2135 t1_iy84no4 wrote

You can take a round trip MBTA commuter rail out of Lowell for $20 and get to North Station/The Garden within 30 minutes.

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KDR2020 t1_iy8rswf wrote

If it’s along the orange line. Park at oak grove and take the train in, your close to 93 to get home.

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TiedinHistory t1_iy8w2qx wrote

To sort of just recap what others have said

  • Option One: Driving all the way in - you obviously need a car for this, it's likely (not guaranteed though if traffic is gnarly) your most direct/fastest option but also possibly the most frustrating. You also have the most immediate access to your car which is nice if you need to leave early or late. For parking, I agree with others that if you're parking in the city, find a garage or lot on something like SpotHero and have it ready - it's not insane to park in the city most of the time but it's likely worth the money to just pay to do it. The biggest frustration might be getting to the parking
  • Option Two: Driving into a T Station of some sort - it likely depends on where your meeting is as to what station but either Alewife (Red Line) or Sullivan/Assembly/Wellington/Oak Grove (Orange Line) are usually available and you can use the T to connect to nearly anywhere else you have to with a short-moderate walk. The upside of this is you cut out the worst driving (inside and just outside of Boston) and parking/T costs will likely be cheaper than the gas/parking of going into Boston. The downside is you need to budget public transportation and walking time and, if your meeting place is out of the way, it may be a substantial amount of time. Additionally, if you are staying later into the night, the train frequency slows down a lot and stops earlier than other cities do, so you may be stuck getting an expensive Uber to get back to your car - your car also needs a T ride to get back regardless.
  • Option 2.5: Driving to a Commuter Rail Station - same concept as the above really and you can get in from slightly further out, but you're taking an additional train on weird schedules.
  • Option Three: Taking a bus - likely the Boston Express or Concord Coach - to South Station and use the T from there. Bus tickets vary from location but if you're picking it up in NH (likely in Derry/Londonderry for instance) it'd be $20ish each way and at set times. The upside is that you're doing no driving in Mass and it's really no slower than driving into Boston. The downside is you are really subject to the bus schedule - as it goes into the evening they become very infrequent with a potential two hour gap near the end - and if you miss that you are stuck except for a very expensive Uber ride all the way back to NH (eek).

Really, all of this is very dependent on the nature of your meeting, flexibility requirement for time, and overall tolerance. There's no perfect answer - my personal preference for going into Boston is #2 but any of those are defensible depending on the situation. Plan it out for sure.

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restless_roadtripper t1_iy96x1m wrote

I park at the home Depot, and walk to orange line. It's the least complicated for me.

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asphynctersayswhat t1_iy97r8b wrote

Thats sullivan. It’s easy but parking can be a nightmare weekdays. Assembly would have better options (I’d just park at the old assembly mall for free)

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Interesting-Ad-2871 t1_iya10ue wrote

Take the bus not the train, the got direct route from Manchester to Boston then take the subway

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inanemantra t1_iya3ve2 wrote

Hard to answer this question without knowing where in the city you are going.

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kajok t1_iy83ybe wrote

You can use the spot hero app to get a spot in a garage for significantly cheaper than the regular cost

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CupcakeFreedom t1_iy8jlps wrote

The park & ride option is best, comfy bus and has Wi-Fi if needed.

If you’re just doing a quick day I park at Assembly and take the T. Assembly is like Disneyland now FYI

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eiviitsi t1_iy8ktse wrote

Pro-tip: if you're staying more than 5 hours, park one stop north of Assembly instead, at Wellington Station ("Station Landing" garage). The MBTA levels (6+) are $5 for 24hr. Then walk down to level 3 and across the walkway to the T. You do have to pay in the level 3 lobby before you leave though. Machines take cash only but there's always an attendant too.

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Smartalum t1_iy8eg78 wrote

Depends on where in Boston. If you are going close to North Station getting the train in Anderson is an option. But North Station is a pain in the ass if you have to get on the green line (which is slow). The bus goes into South station but has a stop at government center in the morning. It is a better option if you are close to south station. If you are close to neither the best option is to drive.

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soisos t1_iy8qk4h wrote

You can use an app like Spot Hero to reserve a parking spot somewhere, it's usually <$20 for a few hours.

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Oddman84 t1_iy9x0kj wrote

I think Lowell MBTA Station is closest to Manch. Drive there and take the commuter rail into North Station. You can take the Green or Orange lines from there as well. $8 bucks to park at Lowell for the day, $21 for a round trip on the commuter rail, and whatever you're paying to use the T.

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movdqa t1_iya1p8d wrote

I usually go to Lowell and take commuter rail into Boston if it's during the business day. If I need to drive in, I take 3 to 128 but I make sure that I hit the border by 4:30 AM and it takes me under an hour to get in. What may work out is if you can get a spouse or friend to drop you off at Lowell and then pick you up later on.

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ryandarr1979 t1_iy9kozs wrote

Where specifically in Boston?

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NyxOrTreat t1_iy81ar1 wrote

When I go into the office, I take the Boston Express out of Londonderry. Makes for a long trip but is better than dealing with traffic and parking.

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Jlahaie t1_iy82pux wrote

I park in one of the shopping areas in Medford and take an Uber in, not cost effective but the most flexible for scheduling

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Wiked_Pissah t1_iy8767k wrote

Spot Hero always works best for me.

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ashnod111 t1_iy8exsj wrote

Park in the lot in Davis Square in Medford and take the subway into the city

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SheeEttin t1_iy8pekj wrote

Davis in Somerville? It's not very convenient to drive into. If you want to get in on the red line, park at Alewife.

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beyond_hatred t1_iy8w3yj wrote

I've had good luck parking at alewife. Probably the best option for people in the Nashua area if they don't want to park and ride.

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Szabaka t1_iy9bp8x wrote

https://www.ridecj.com/schedules/ if you don't like Concord Coach you can drive to Portsmouth or Seabrook and take the bus (about an hour to drive each way) - Seabrook would be better for parking

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Demfer t1_iyafdhy wrote

Park in haverhill and take the train jn

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Ictyourinsides t1_iyahqgm wrote

Use the Logan express from Manchester and use the MBTA rails from there. It is usually easy enough to get into and out of the city, just hop off at south station.

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twerkingpenguin t1_iyauvkj wrote

Take the Dartmouth Coach or the Concord Coach.

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Bad_idea54 t1_iyb4xrn wrote

I always drive down, get to the train outside of the city, get on the orange line right outside of Boston and try to walk wherever I'm going.

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PoorInCT t1_iybdv9f wrote

or prepay for parking..its cheaper

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astrochellie1800 t1_iybhsgz wrote

Park at wonderland and take the blue line in. Its 0ay by phone and they never check. I've been parking there for 2 years and have never ever received a bill. Cars have been dumped there and haven't been towed for 7 months at times, I know because there are dates written in the dust and I park in the same spots when I park there

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RaoulPorfavorny t1_iy8dliz wrote

Coming from NY or CT, I always drove to Framingham and parked at the train station, and took the train in and out. Very easy and convenient.

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todd_ted t1_iy9ccz2 wrote

If you want to drive there, I use ParkWhiz when I do see live music, etc. traffic can be terrible though so plan extra time in your trip.

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slenderman123425 t1_iyeqdf4 wrote

You can park at exit 5 North Londonderry bus stop for free including long-term parking. From there get the bus to South Station.

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Qbncgr t1_iy81de8 wrote

Take the Logan Express bus from Londonderry (exit 5 off 93S). It stops at South Station and you can grab the T there.

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Peeeculiar t1_iy81ek4 wrote

Bus or commuter rail.

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Paullarrivee t1_iy89mae wrote

Take the train from Fitchburg to Boston

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Corycatkeeper02 t1_iy8egh5 wrote

That’s a little out of the way, better off going 93 south to Anderson / Woburn train stop and take the commuter rail the rest of the way.

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We_R_Chaos t1_iy9t5r7 wrote

Just overstay a meter and get charged 40$ atleast you will have your car right there and avoid catching diseases on public transportation

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