Boston by foot, by shuttle, and by airline?
April 8, 2009 12:01 PM Subscribe
Boston by foot, by shuttle, and by airline?
How safe is it to walk from Babcock to Dartmouth along Commonwealth Avenue around 11 p.m. on a Monday night? It's about 2.5 miles, and it looks like the T will take quite approximately an hour to traverse the same distance. I'd rather just walk, and Google provides a map, but it isn't as if there are tiny icons marking locations of probable muggers. Google, if you're listening, the suggested bitmap is a knife blade cutting a purse strap. I assume this is nothing to worry about, given that the route is near a university, but I can easily see myself comically stumbling into the wrong part of town, ala After Hours. Any concerns?
My last time going to an airport (my first flight in adult life) I arrived entirely too early and read a book, all of it. I was unable to find anything relevant on the massport.com website about delays. I will have a single suitcase and one carryon laptop bag, without anything odd that might cause concern and delay: liquids, flammable items, anything vibrating. If I have a roughly 6:30 p.m. departure time on a weekday, how early should I show up in Terminal B?
The Logan Shuttle page lists neither average durations nor departure times. #66 is suggested here, yet #22 serves Terminals A and B, as well as the Airport Station. If am at Airport Station on the MBTA Blue Line, how long will it take me to get to Terminal B using the shuttle?
When traveling on the T in the afternoon, will having the aforementioned luggage be an issue?
How safe is it to walk from Babcock to Dartmouth along Commonwealth Avenue around 11 p.m. on a Monday night? It's about 2.5 miles, and it looks like the T will take quite approximately an hour to traverse the same distance. I'd rather just walk, and Google provides a map, but it isn't as if there are tiny icons marking locations of probable muggers. Google, if you're listening, the suggested bitmap is a knife blade cutting a purse strap. I assume this is nothing to worry about, given that the route is near a university, but I can easily see myself comically stumbling into the wrong part of town, ala After Hours. Any concerns?
My last time going to an airport (my first flight in adult life) I arrived entirely too early and read a book, all of it. I was unable to find anything relevant on the massport.com website about delays. I will have a single suitcase and one carryon laptop bag, without anything odd that might cause concern and delay: liquids, flammable items, anything vibrating. If I have a roughly 6:30 p.m. departure time on a weekday, how early should I show up in Terminal B?
The Logan Shuttle page lists neither average durations nor departure times. #66 is suggested here, yet #22 serves Terminals A and B, as well as the Airport Station. If am at Airport Station on the MBTA Blue Line, how long will it take me to get to Terminal B using the shuttle?
When traveling on the T in the afternoon, will having the aforementioned luggage be an issue?
Best answer: So, generally walking around most of Boston late at night isn't a problem. I can't speak about that specific area, but my general rule of thumb is just be on guard and you should be fine.
As far as the airport, I'd aim to be at Logan 2 hours in advance. Yes, this will give you dead time, but will also cover you if the subway is running late or the security line is long for some unknown reason. The shuttle bus from the Airport T stop to the B terminal is not long, you rarely wait long unless you are there at some ungodly hour (which you aren't), so maybe 10min?
Remember that you can now take the Silver line (connects to the Red line/orange line at Downtown crossing) to the airport, directly to the terminals, this is now my preferred method of getting there, but depends on where you are on whether this is nicer than the Blue line to the shuttle bus.
Luggage won't be a problem on the T, you might have to shuffle it around a bit, but that's it.
posted by katers890 at 12:10 PM on April 8, 2009
As far as the airport, I'd aim to be at Logan 2 hours in advance. Yes, this will give you dead time, but will also cover you if the subway is running late or the security line is long for some unknown reason. The shuttle bus from the Airport T stop to the B terminal is not long, you rarely wait long unless you are there at some ungodly hour (which you aren't), so maybe 10min?
Remember that you can now take the Silver line (connects to the Red line/orange line at Downtown crossing) to the airport, directly to the terminals, this is now my preferred method of getting there, but depends on where you are on whether this is nicer than the Blue line to the shuttle bus.
Luggage won't be a problem on the T, you might have to shuffle it around a bit, but that's it.
posted by katers890 at 12:10 PM on April 8, 2009
Crap, that's get the Silver line at South Station on the Red Line, not Downtown crossing. Should not be reading maps haphazardly.
posted by katers890 at 12:14 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by katers890 at 12:14 PM on April 8, 2009
Best answer: Okay, i just looked at the MBTA website. I REALLY don't understand why it told you it'd take an hour to do your Babcock-->Dartmouth street trek down Comm Ave. It told me 24 minutes. Definitely take the green line -- there's no reason for you to walk that.
posted by olinerd at 12:19 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by olinerd at 12:19 PM on April 8, 2009
Best answer: You can walk anywhere in Boston Proper at any time and your chances of being molested are close to zero. It happens, but too infrequently to worry about.
Don't cut across the Common and stay out of the further south and west regions of the South End if you want to be extra safe. Neither of those caveats applies to your itinerary.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:23 PM on April 8, 2009
Don't cut across the Common and stay out of the further south and west regions of the South End if you want to be extra safe. Neither of those caveats applies to your itinerary.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:23 PM on April 8, 2009
Best answer: I think there might have been a glitch on the MBTA.com website (happens all too frequently). That trip takes nothing like an hour. 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:24 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:24 PM on April 8, 2009
Best answer: I lived in Boston a few years and walked around a bunch of neighborhoods at all hours; as others have mentioned, it's not really a problem.
There were countless times I chose to walk rather than take the T. The problem here, particularly near the universities, is that the T can be very, very crowded. I took the B line a lot, which ran between BC and BU, and many times I had to walk simply because I couldn't fit on the damn train. If your route goes through a student area, your luggage may prove unwieldy. You probably won't have to walk, but it's good that you're prepared to do so.
posted by hifiparasol at 12:33 PM on April 8, 2009
There were countless times I chose to walk rather than take the T. The problem here, particularly near the universities, is that the T can be very, very crowded. I took the B line a lot, which ran between BC and BU, and many times I had to walk simply because I couldn't fit on the damn train. If your route goes through a student area, your luggage may prove unwieldy. You probably won't have to walk, but it's good that you're prepared to do so.
posted by hifiparasol at 12:33 PM on April 8, 2009
Best answer: Make sure you bring a quart-sized bag for liquids and not gallon-sized. I got hell for this when I flew out of Boston last week, even though when I flew out from Austin a few days before, they didn't even ask us to show them our liquids.
I found when visiting that the MBTA website overestimates travel times significantly in most cases.
posted by fructose at 12:39 PM on April 8, 2009
I found when visiting that the MBTA website overestimates travel times significantly in most cases.
posted by fructose at 12:39 PM on April 8, 2009
Response by poster: 20 minutes sounds much more reasonable than what MBTA.com originally gave me, 57 minutes. That seemed a little ... pointless ... for a late night concert.
The Silver Line looks interesting, but I will be going to the airport (inbound?) from Copley Station, so I thought I might go as MBTA.com suggested: Green, Blue, then Shuttle. But if Green, Red, Silver is faster I'll do that.
Is MBTA.com always so ... ah, whimsical? The trip planner suggested Copley Station to Air - Logal Airport (terminal B) would take 23 minutes on Monday; today it suggests an entirely different route and 41 minutes, for the same start point, end point, and departure time.
It sounds like it might behoove me to throw some extra money on my CharlieCard and do some practice runs. I'm all about flying without liquids or stabby bits of metal, instead clutching a binder with e-tickets, maps, etc. Thanks for the help; I tend to be an obsessive trip planner and map printer when I am without my own transportation in a strange city.
posted by adipocere at 12:53 PM on April 8, 2009
The Silver Line looks interesting, but I will be going to the airport (inbound?) from Copley Station, so I thought I might go as MBTA.com suggested: Green, Blue, then Shuttle. But if Green, Red, Silver is faster I'll do that.
Is MBTA.com always so ... ah, whimsical? The trip planner suggested Copley Station to Air - Logal Airport (terminal B) would take 23 minutes on Monday; today it suggests an entirely different route and 41 minutes, for the same start point, end point, and departure time.
It sounds like it might behoove me to throw some extra money on my CharlieCard and do some practice runs. I'm all about flying without liquids or stabby bits of metal, instead clutching a binder with e-tickets, maps, etc. Thanks for the help; I tend to be an obsessive trip planner and map printer when I am without my own transportation in a strange city.
posted by adipocere at 12:53 PM on April 8, 2009
Yeah, the MBTA website is not really reliable. If you're going from Copley to Airport, I would estimate 20 minutes on the green line (depending on delays) and then 10 minutes on the Blue Line. If you include the airport shuttle bus, I'd budget 45 minutes or so for your travel to the airport. 23 minutes is optimistic.
posted by olinerd at 1:15 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by olinerd at 1:15 PM on April 8, 2009
The Silver Line has the advantage of on-board luggage racks and dropping you off directly in front of your terminal, but it's also a bit of a wonky ride since they have to stop for a couple of minutes at one point to switch from overhead electric power to internal combustion. Also, since it takes a few surface streets and goes through the Ted Williams Tunnel, it can get delayed by rush hour traffic.
As far as Logan itself, I have never had any major problems checking in or getting through security there. I check in online and print my boarding pass before leaving home, which saves me at least one line. I also avoid checking any bags whenever possible, but you don't mention whether your suitcase will have to be checked or not. I usually get to the airport about 60-75 minutes before my flight's departure time and end up getting some food and sitting around at the gate for at least 20-30 minutes before boarding. I've never waited more than 15 minutes in a security line at Logan, but maybe I'm just lucky.
posted by Nothlit at 1:25 PM on April 8, 2009
As far as Logan itself, I have never had any major problems checking in or getting through security there. I check in online and print my boarding pass before leaving home, which saves me at least one line. I also avoid checking any bags whenever possible, but you don't mention whether your suitcase will have to be checked or not. I usually get to the airport about 60-75 minutes before my flight's departure time and end up getting some food and sitting around at the gate for at least 20-30 minutes before boarding. I've never waited more than 15 minutes in a security line at Logan, but maybe I'm just lucky.
posted by Nothlit at 1:25 PM on April 8, 2009
The major crimes on that section of Comm Ave are larceny of bicycles and unattended personal items at the BU gyms and libraries. There have been occasional holdups, usually at the beginning of the school year of students who are new to living in cities and who are wandering around alone late at night wearing headphones and not paying attention to their surroundings. The T will be slow and stop annoyingly frequently in that stretch, but may be worth it if it's chilly or rainy.
posted by nonane at 1:33 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by nonane at 1:33 PM on April 8, 2009
Green > Blue > shuttle is what I always do. The Silver Line may have a dedicated lane on the surface roads, but it is still essentially a bus.
You shouldn't have much trouble with that amount of luggage, even on the Green line. BU students have bigger backpacks, and Berklee/Conservatory students have bigger instruments. On the Blue line, you and everyone else getting off at Airport (except the TSA people) will have luggage.
Have a great trip!
posted by catlet at 1:44 PM on April 8, 2009
You shouldn't have much trouble with that amount of luggage, even on the Green line. BU students have bigger backpacks, and Berklee/Conservatory students have bigger instruments. On the Blue line, you and everyone else getting off at Airport (except the TSA people) will have luggage.
Have a great trip!
posted by catlet at 1:44 PM on April 8, 2009
Add me to the "you'll be fine walking around that time of night" chorus, although at 11 on a Monday night, you're probably just as well taking the T, since it shouldn't be too packed.
I always get to Logan an hour and a half before my flight because the security lines can be insane. And if you're taking the T, you'll want to budget an extra half an hour on top of that in case of delays. So yeah, plan to get there two hours ahead of time.
FWIW, if you want to take the Silver Line, you could take the Orange Line to Downtown Crossing and get the Silver Line on the street. I think the Silver Line is a lot more convenient than the Blue Line.
posted by lunasol at 2:02 PM on April 8, 2009
I always get to Logan an hour and a half before my flight because the security lines can be insane. And if you're taking the T, you'll want to budget an extra half an hour on top of that in case of delays. So yeah, plan to get there two hours ahead of time.
FWIW, if you want to take the Silver Line, you could take the Orange Line to Downtown Crossing and get the Silver Line on the street. I think the Silver Line is a lot more convenient than the Blue Line.
posted by lunasol at 2:02 PM on April 8, 2009
Casting my vote for Green-Red-Silver Line. I like the Silver Line much better than the Green-Blue-Shuttle Bus connection.
posted by MasonDixon at 2:27 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by MasonDixon at 2:27 PM on April 8, 2009
lunasol, the branch of the Silver Line that goes to the airport doesn't stop at Downtown Crossing. To make this connection, you have to go from Downtown Crossing to South Station (which is only a block's walk and would actually be very easy to do) and pick up the airport-bound branch of the Silver Line from there.
And echoing everyone else--it's a very safe walk, the T won't actually take as long as the web site told you, and that web site is run by crack-addled monkeys.
posted by jesourie at 2:30 PM on April 8, 2009
And echoing everyone else--it's a very safe walk, the T won't actually take as long as the web site told you, and that web site is run by crack-addled monkeys.
posted by jesourie at 2:30 PM on April 8, 2009
I'd suggest taking the Silver line; it may be a glorified bus that has to deal with traffic during the portions of the trip that are on the surface, but it, the Green Line between Copley and Park and the Red Line come more frequently than any other lines, and the airport shuttles are very irregular (plus most of them only go to some of the terminals.) Anything's faster than the Blue Line. You're going to have to switch lines/busses/etc. twice to get to your gate anyway; you might as well use the more efficient lines.
I generally leave 2h before departure (with a 45min trip to the airport, checking in online). That may be cutting it a little close if you are checking your luggage. The T may start to get crowded on your trip due to the airport (evening rush hour), but you will have no problems taking the green line at 11pm on a Monday. I highly recommend checking in online to cut craziness at the airport.
posted by ubersturm at 2:32 PM on April 8, 2009
I generally leave 2h before departure (with a 45min trip to the airport, checking in online). That may be cutting it a little close if you are checking your luggage. The T may start to get crowded on your trip due to the airport (evening rush hour), but you will have no problems taking the green line at 11pm on a Monday. I highly recommend checking in online to cut craziness at the airport.
posted by ubersturm at 2:32 PM on April 8, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
Estimate 5-10 minutes from the Airport station to Terminal B. It's usually not bad at all, but depending on how long you wait for the shuttle and how many stops it's making and how long it waits at each, you don't want that to be your bottleneck.
Luggage on the T won't be an issue.
I don't think you'll have issues walking from Babcock to Dartmouth -- it's a rowdy college student part of town, but not really dangerous, I'd say. But really, I'd take the T. I don't think it will actually take an hour. Just hop on the green line by BU on Comm Ave, and go in to Copley station. Done.
posted by olinerd at 12:09 PM on April 8, 2009