Another Boston Newbie needing help!

First visit, and I don%26#39;t want to spend a fortune on lodging. We (fiancee and I) just need clean, safe place to stay. 1) Where can I be and be close to ';tourist'; sightseeing? Also, 2) is getting around with public transportation difficult? We will rent a car to go to RI, so I wonder shall I delay my rental until we%26#39;re ready to leave Boston. Last question: 3) am I rushing it to just spend first day and night in Boston and go to lower Cape Cod the next?

Visiting next Wed (yes, I still have no clue where we%26#39;ll be staying)

Thanks!

Another Boston Newbie needing help!

1. No-frills hotels in the main tourist/shopping areas (all, FYI, with mixed if not mostly negative TA reviews, unfortunately) include:

Midtown Motor Inn

Tremont Inn

Park Plaza Hotel

Hotel 140

Copley Square Hotel

Holiday Inn Select - Government Center

Milner Hotel

Even these places are likely to charge upwards of $100 a night. You might want to comparison-shop on one of the major bidding Websites, or on specific hotels%26#39; pages, to snag a comparable deal in improved surroundings. (Try the Lenox, the Seaport Hotel, the Westin, Jurys, the Back Bay Hilton, the Colonnade, either of the two Marriotts, and the Sheraton-Boston for starters.)

2. Definitely put off car rental until you%26#39;ve checked out of the hotel and are set to hit the road. Parking rates are exorbitant, legal spaces on the street are a scarce commodity, and have you been following gasoline prices??? We have an excellent mass-transit system here, even if it does close down between 1-5 AM.

3. You didn%26#39;t say how flexible your itinerary is, but you%26#39;d be ';just getting started'; on what Boston has to offer if you only spend one day here. It%26#39;d depend on what you want to see and do while you%26#39;re in town more than anything, but just roaming from Charlestown to Quincy Market could easily consume all your waking hours. What you might want to look at it as, though, is ';getting a taste'; so that you%26#39;ll be prepared to plan a longer stay sometime in the future.

Another Boston Newbie needing help!

Hello quti911,

If you don%26#39;t want to spend a lot on lodging and I don%26#39;t blame you one bit, then what I suggest you do is bid for cheaper hotel rooms on www.priceline.com and it%26#39;s great for Metropolitan cities like Boston; you find out how to bid for a room on priceline by going to www.betterbidding.com. If I were you I%26#39;d not stay in downtown Boston unless you can bid for a room and get the price you really want for it because from what I%26#39;m hearing; you can get a $300 room for $89 a night a lot of times. Or you can stay at a Marriott Boston right in downtown Quincy as a suggestion and it%26#39;s to the South of Boston in Quincy, MA which is only about 3 miles from Boston and on www.expedia.com the rooms are running $209 a night on top of the tax, and everything else. It%26#39;s up to you. Quincy%26#39;s got public transportation to get in to Boston within a 10 minute walk from the Hotel, so you wouldn%26#39;t have to worry about a car until you left this hotel for the Cape or Rhode Island. If you go in to www.mbta.com and scan through the website it%26#39;ll show you the routes to take to get to the Prudential Center where there%26#39;s a lot to see and do and Copley Square area where you%26#39;ll see a ton of restaurants, shops and clubs or Faneuill Hall/Quincy Market area where they have the same type of places, you%26#39;d be there in no time if you took the public transportation. In Boston/Quincy it%26#39;s not a good idea to leave really early during the week because of the commuters going to work, wait until after 9:00 or 9:30 in the morning to go sightseeing, then you%26#39;ll have the trains all to yourselves! The MBTA guys and women that work at the tollbooths can help you get your bearings at the Quincy Station if you happen to end up staying at that Marriott in downtown Quincy. The reason why I suggest a Marriott is because based on scores 1 -5? Marriotts got all 5%26#39;s meaning excellent with cleanliness and everything else! I checked a few others and the rooms were really cheap? But forget about the ratings! They only got 1%26#39;s, 2%26#39;s and 3%26#39;s; so no wonder they%26#39;re cheaper, you really should make sure you%26#39;re staying at a reputable hotel chain and you can always rely on those Marriotts! I copied a really important area from the MBTA website here, so pay attention to it quti911! I want you guys to be safe and above all you want to have FUN, that%26#39;s the most important thing. So enjoy yourselves. Also, from Quincy, Ma. it%26#39;s much easier to get to the ';expressway'; 93S or 95S for Rhode Island and Cape Cod areas! Remember what I said now read this below from the ';T';

If you stay in Quincy, MA you%26#39;ll be right near the RED line of the public transportation system called the ';T';!

Tips for T Riders

Inbound is always toward downtown Boston, and Outbound is away from it. In the subway system, Inbound is toward four stations: Park Street, State, Downtown Crossing and Government Center. (Within those four stations, Inbound and Outbound are not used.)

The MBTA Information Booth is located at Park Street (on the Green Line Westbound platform).

Green Line Tips

Green Line trains (also called ';streetcars'; or ';trolleys';) have letters for different branches: B-Boston College; C-Cleveland Circle; D-Riverside; E-Heath Street.

All trains stop at Government Center, Park Street, Boylston, Arlington, and Copley.

All trains except E also stop at Hynes Convention Center/ICA and Kenmore. Only E trains stop at Prudential and Symphony.

On the eastern end, only D and E trains go past Government Center to Haymarket, North Station, Science Park and Lechmere.

A red line through the letter on a sign means that the train goes only part way on that branch (for example, a D-line car only going as far as Reservoir).

There is no free transfer between inbound and outbound at Copley. Use Arlington instead.

Blue Line Tips

Bowdoin on the Blue Line closes at 6:30PM Monday through Friday and is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Red Line Tips

Most Red Line trains stop at all stations between Alewife and Andrew, including Harvard and Park Street. During rush hours, some trains may terminate at Park Street. The last transfer point between the two Red Line branches (Braintree and Ashmont) is at JFK/UMass.

Orange Line Tips

Finally, a rainy-day tip for the Orange Line. Follow the underground walkway from Back Bay Station, via the Dartmouth Street underpass, through the Copley Place shopping area, across the Huntington Avenue bridge, and then through the Prudential Center to Boylston Street.

Bus Tips

Before boarding, know your bus! The destination sign above the windshield show the bus%26#39; route number and destination. At some stops, all buses on a route stop to pick up passengers, no matter which direction they%26#39;re going. Be sure to board the right bus by checking the destination sign or asking the operator.

Most local routes are 90¢. The fareboxes accept passes, cash or tokens. Please avoid using dollar bills if at all possible.

All buses are pay-as-you-board, except routes 71, 72 and 73 when heading Outbound. Pay when leaving these routes.

Need to ride on more than one route? Ask for a transfer while paying your fare. It can get you on another local route for free. See the transfers page for more details.

You can make service move faster for everyone if you exit at the rear of the bus instead of the front. Thanks!

Another relatively inexpensive hotel right off of Boylston St. (Back Bay area) is the Charlesmark Hotel. Unfortunately, Boston is a really expensive city so expect to pay at least 100 if you are staying anywhere near downtown.

I would wait on the rental car, if you are comfortable navigating around on the subway, that is. The T is very convenient and is a much cheaper option than renting a car - additionally, paying for parking can be a real rip-off here!

I would want to stay in Boston at least 2 nights, but I think 1 day/1 night would suffice for a brief taste of our great city! Have fun!

It may have been mentioned already, but there%26#39;s a Holiday Inn on the C-line in Brookline that may fit your needs. I actually stayed there last night due to electrical problems in my apartment and thought it was a good value. The room wasn%26#39;t perfect (the air conditioner was loud and the room was a little on the humid side), but very clean, inexpensive for Boston and the neighborhood was safe. It%26#39;s right at the St. Paul stop on the C-line, which will get you into the city within minutes. The one thing I would suggest is requesting a room away from the pool. My room was overlooking it, and I%26#39;m wondering if that caused some of the humidity.

I would definitely avoid renting a car while in Boston.