Boston to Northampton: Car? Bus? Both?
October 9, 2017 1:12 PM Subscribe
What's the best way to handle transportation from Boston to Northampton and back, plus a few days in Boston proper? I'm trying to decide if I should rent a car for part of my trip, all of my trip, or not at all. Boston locals or frequent visitors: what do you think?
Details below the cut.
I'm taking a redeye and arriving at Logan at 7:15am Thursday. I need to get to western Mass (Easthampton) later that day Not on a strict schedule, but not excited about four+ hours on a bus. I'll be staying with friends in Easthampton Thursday-Monday morning, then back to the city and staying with friends in Allston Monday-Wednesday afternoon. Both sets of friends have vehicles and could pick me up/drop me off at transit stations.
Should I rent a car? Where from? For how long?
Here are the options I've come up with so far:
1. Rent a car, keep it for the duration of my trip
2. Rent a car to get to and around western Mass, return it when I get back to the city on Monday, and rely on the MBTA for the Boston segment of the trip.
3. Don't rent a car; take a combination of bus/commuter rail to Easthampton and back to Boston, rely on MBTA while I'm in the city.
Reasons to NOT rent a car: I really don't need one when I'm in Boston (I've lived there and am comfortable with the transit/nervous about city driving), and I'll be with friends who have cars in western Mass. The main use would be to get me between the two parts of the state.
Reasons TO rent a car: Convenience and freedom to get myself around and explore. I like to be in charge of my own schedule as much as possible. Also, I can't readily tell what mass transportation options are available/ideal between Boston and Northampton--driving looks easier at the moment.
Any thoughts or tip on renting a car in/around Boston? Should I go off-airport for better rates? Take the commuter rail as far west as I can get and rent a car from there?
BONUS Q: If I *do* rent a car, any recommendations for places to stop for breakfast/lunch/interesting touristy stuff between Boston and Northampton?
Thanks!
I'm taking a redeye and arriving at Logan at 7:15am Thursday. I need to get to western Mass (Easthampton) later that day Not on a strict schedule, but not excited about four+ hours on a bus. I'll be staying with friends in Easthampton Thursday-Monday morning, then back to the city and staying with friends in Allston Monday-Wednesday afternoon. Both sets of friends have vehicles and could pick me up/drop me off at transit stations.
Should I rent a car? Where from? For how long?
Here are the options I've come up with so far:
1. Rent a car, keep it for the duration of my trip
2. Rent a car to get to and around western Mass, return it when I get back to the city on Monday, and rely on the MBTA for the Boston segment of the trip.
3. Don't rent a car; take a combination of bus/commuter rail to Easthampton and back to Boston, rely on MBTA while I'm in the city.
Reasons to NOT rent a car: I really don't need one when I'm in Boston (I've lived there and am comfortable with the transit/nervous about city driving), and I'll be with friends who have cars in western Mass. The main use would be to get me between the two parts of the state.
Reasons TO rent a car: Convenience and freedom to get myself around and explore. I like to be in charge of my own schedule as much as possible. Also, I can't readily tell what mass transportation options are available/ideal between Boston and Northampton--driving looks easier at the moment.
Any thoughts or tip on renting a car in/around Boston? Should I go off-airport for better rates? Take the commuter rail as far west as I can get and rent a car from there?
BONUS Q: If I *do* rent a car, any recommendations for places to stop for breakfast/lunch/interesting touristy stuff between Boston and Northampton?
Thanks!
Best answer: Quick googling indicates that Peter Pan has bus service between Boston and Northampton, so if you don’t need a car in western Mass then that’s probably what I’d do. It will certainly be much cheaper than renting a car and take about the same amount of driving time. All you would need to do is get to South Station from Logan which is super easy (and free!) on the MBTA Silver Line. Then just take the same bus back and take the T around town.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 1:26 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by DiscourseMarker at 1:26 PM on October 9, 2017
The last time that I took a bus from Easthampton to Boston (and I had to board the bus in Northampton) it took me over two hours with all the in-between stops to get there. A car might be quicker.
I would go with option 2.
Also, woo-hoo! Easthampton is my home town, and I hope that your friends will take you to some of the cool restaurants, and events that are there now, and not just to Northampton! Enjoy!
posted by Hanuman1960 at 1:26 PM on October 9, 2017
I would go with option 2.
Also, woo-hoo! Easthampton is my home town, and I hope that your friends will take you to some of the cool restaurants, and events that are there now, and not just to Northampton! Enjoy!
posted by Hanuman1960 at 1:26 PM on October 9, 2017
(Upon more research it looks like the bus is not super direct so would take more time, though frequently they have WiFi).
posted by DiscourseMarker at 1:30 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by DiscourseMarker at 1:30 PM on October 9, 2017
I would do #2.
If you are not too cost-sensitive, I would just rent the car in Logan and drive to western MA, return the car to Logan and then spend the rest of the time in Boston proper. Getting the car in Logan means you can pretty much be on highways to get out of Boston (which avoids the hairier parts of Boston city driving).
If you want to save some money, you can look into picking up the car somewhere in the city, although I would only do this if you're really saving a ton of money.
I would not take the commuter rail and rent a car, because the MBTA commuter rail is very peak commuter focused, i.e. the large majority of trains go inbound in the AM and outbound in the PM. (There are only 4 inbound trains from 12 pm to 5:30 pm from Worcester, for example.) I'd imagine you'd probably arrive at the commuter rail station a little after the morning peak, and then you might get stuck waiting a long time for the next Boston-bound train.
posted by andrewesque at 1:41 PM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
If you are not too cost-sensitive, I would just rent the car in Logan and drive to western MA, return the car to Logan and then spend the rest of the time in Boston proper. Getting the car in Logan means you can pretty much be on highways to get out of Boston (which avoids the hairier parts of Boston city driving).
If you want to save some money, you can look into picking up the car somewhere in the city, although I would only do this if you're really saving a ton of money.
I would not take the commuter rail and rent a car, because the MBTA commuter rail is very peak commuter focused, i.e. the large majority of trains go inbound in the AM and outbound in the PM. (There are only 4 inbound trains from 12 pm to 5:30 pm from Worcester, for example.) I'd imagine you'd probably arrive at the commuter rail station a little after the morning peak, and then you might get stuck waiting a long time for the next Boston-bound train.
posted by andrewesque at 1:41 PM on October 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
As someone who has lived in both Boston and Northampton (and Easthampton) and frequently traveled between them, I say option 2 unless car rental is ruinously expensive for some reason. Last time I took the bus I had to change buses in Springfield, and the second bus was late, and meh. Not a great bus experience (and I am not a bus snob!).
If you want to take the scenic route to the Pioneer Valley, I would head out Route 2 instead of the more direct Mass Pike (I-90), and maybe check out Greenfield or Shelburne Falls, or the Yankee Candle "Scenter of the Universe" in Deerfield. It's a less interstate-y route, but correspondingly slower.
Unless you're in evening rush hour traffic, if you take the Mass Pike it shouldn't take more than two hours or so from Logan to Easthampton. You cross most of the state, but it's a small state!
posted by mskyle at 1:45 PM on October 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you want to take the scenic route to the Pioneer Valley, I would head out Route 2 instead of the more direct Mass Pike (I-90), and maybe check out Greenfield or Shelburne Falls, or the Yankee Candle "Scenter of the Universe" in Deerfield. It's a less interstate-y route, but correspondingly slower.
Unless you're in evening rush hour traffic, if you take the Mass Pike it shouldn't take more than two hours or so from Logan to Easthampton. You cross most of the state, but it's a small state!
posted by mskyle at 1:45 PM on October 9, 2017 [2 favorites]
Do #2.
Plus, having a car in Western MA right now will be nice - if your friends are busy or need downtime, you can go out on some nice walks in the fall scenery.
posted by barnone at 1:46 PM on October 9, 2017 [5 favorites]
Plus, having a car in Western MA right now will be nice - if your friends are busy or need downtime, you can go out on some nice walks in the fall scenery.
posted by barnone at 1:46 PM on October 9, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yeah, my experience is that commuter rail is really not going to help you get to Western Mass from Boston.
I think you can take commuter rail out to Framingham(?) and pick up a Peter Pan bus there, but honestly it would be a huge unnecessary pain in the ass. Unless you have some reason to be on the ground in Framingham it's easier just to get the Peter Pan directly from South Station.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:47 PM on October 9, 2017
I think you can take commuter rail out to Framingham(?) and pick up a Peter Pan bus there, but honestly it would be a huge unnecessary pain in the ass. Unless you have some reason to be on the ground in Framingham it's easier just to get the Peter Pan directly from South Station.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:47 PM on October 9, 2017
Best answer: nthing that option 2 is your best bet. I haven't been to Easthampton, but I've done the Boston to Northampton drive a number of times, and it's very straightforward.
As to your other questions:
You can compare prices of airport rental vs not airport rental, but unless it's saving you a ton of money (or you really need to cut corners as much as possible), I think it wouldn't be worth the hassle of going to a non-airport location to rent a car.
If you rent at Logan, then you can hop right on the mass pike and be on your way without having to deal with any public transport hassle and without having to actually do any city driving.
I think your best bet would be to get a little outside the city before you stop for food or recreation. My personal recommendation (for convenience and reasonable food options) would be to hop off at either exit 17 for newton corner/watertown or Exit 15 for I 95/waltham.
If you get off at Waltham there is a cute little breakfast place there called Joseph's Two that has an old fashioned New England feel. It's pretty close to the highway, so won't take you too far out of your way. (Basically, you get off on 95 for 2 minutes, exit onto South Street, and then South Street intersects with Main St.) My personal favorite is the Berkshire breakfast which is French toast with apple crisp over it. Service is generally fast, especially on a weekday morning, I would imagine.
If you want to do some sort of sightseeing, you could visit the Rose Art Museum on the Brandeis campus. (Looks like it doesn't open until 11am so the timing may or may not work out for you.) Admission is free, and it's a neat contemporary art museum, but it's small so won't be very overwhelming.
You'll pass right by Brandeis on your way back to the highway if you get food in Waltham, so it could be a good way to stretch your legs for a bit before getting back on the road. There's also a CVS and Walgreens on Main Street as well as a grocery store (Hannaford's), so if you want to pick up some water bottles or snacks or whatever, you could take care of that before you get onto the pike.
(You'll pass by a couple rest stops on the Pike that have a variety of amenities, but things will be much more expensive there.)
posted by litera scripta manet at 3:37 PM on October 9, 2017
As to your other questions:
You can compare prices of airport rental vs not airport rental, but unless it's saving you a ton of money (or you really need to cut corners as much as possible), I think it wouldn't be worth the hassle of going to a non-airport location to rent a car.
If you rent at Logan, then you can hop right on the mass pike and be on your way without having to deal with any public transport hassle and without having to actually do any city driving.
I think your best bet would be to get a little outside the city before you stop for food or recreation. My personal recommendation (for convenience and reasonable food options) would be to hop off at either exit 17 for newton corner/watertown or Exit 15 for I 95/waltham.
If you get off at Waltham there is a cute little breakfast place there called Joseph's Two that has an old fashioned New England feel. It's pretty close to the highway, so won't take you too far out of your way. (Basically, you get off on 95 for 2 minutes, exit onto South Street, and then South Street intersects with Main St.) My personal favorite is the Berkshire breakfast which is French toast with apple crisp over it. Service is generally fast, especially on a weekday morning, I would imagine.
If you want to do some sort of sightseeing, you could visit the Rose Art Museum on the Brandeis campus. (Looks like it doesn't open until 11am so the timing may or may not work out for you.) Admission is free, and it's a neat contemporary art museum, but it's small so won't be very overwhelming.
You'll pass right by Brandeis on your way back to the highway if you get food in Waltham, so it could be a good way to stretch your legs for a bit before getting back on the road. There's also a CVS and Walgreens on Main Street as well as a grocery store (Hannaford's), so if you want to pick up some water bottles or snacks or whatever, you could take care of that before you get onto the pike.
(You'll pass by a couple rest stops on the Pike that have a variety of amenities, but things will be much more expensive there.)
posted by litera scripta manet at 3:37 PM on October 9, 2017
Another vote for Option 2. Once you get out to Easthampton, car is the best way to get around the area, which is not well served by public transport. But you definitely won't need it in Boston.
posted by Miko at 3:46 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by Miko at 3:46 PM on October 9, 2017
Best answer: Would your friends in Easthampton be able to pick you up and/or drop you off at Springfield Union Station? The Amtrak ride from Boston to Springfield is only about 2.5 hours, and Easthampton is only about a 20-minute drive from Springfield. The main issue might be timing; there's only one train per day, and it can be quite delayed going back to Boston (since it originates in Chicago.) Amtrak's website is down right now or I could give you more info about the time of day for each train.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:35 PM on October 9, 2017
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:35 PM on October 9, 2017
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posted by cakelite at 1:23 PM on October 9, 2017