Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plaza, Government Center (
&
617/973-
9000
); 10 Post Office Sq., Financial
District (
&
617/482-4400
); 187 Dart-
mouth St., Back Bay (
&
617/262-6188
);
and 1 Mifflin Place, off Mount Auburn
Street near Eliot Street, Harvard Square
(
&
617/497-0125
).
For more information, see “Staying
Connected,” p. 52.
Legal Aid
If you are “pulled over” for a
minor infraction (such as speeding),
never attempt to pay the fine directly to a
police officer; this could be construed as
attempted bribery, a much more serious
crime. Pay fines by mail, or directly into
the hands of the clerk of the court. If
accused of a more serious offense, say and
do nothing before consulting a lawyer.
Here the burden is on the state to prove a
person's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,
and everyone has the right to remain
silent, whether he or she is suspected of a
crime or actually arrested. Once arrested,
a person can make one telephone call to a
party of his or her choice. International
visitors should call your embassy or
consulate.
Lost & Found
Be sure to tell all of
your credit card companies the minute
you discover your wallet has been lost or
stolen, and file a report at the nearest
police precinct. Your credit-card com-
pany or insurer may require a police
report number or record of the loss. Most
card issuers have an emergency toll-free
number to call if your card is lost or
stolen; they may be able to wire you a
cash advance immediately or deliver an
emergency credit card in a day or two.
Visa's U.S. emergency number is
&
800/
847-2911
or 410/581-9994. American
Express cardholders and traveler's check
holders should call
&
800/221-7282.
MasterCard holders should call
&
800/
307-7309
or 636/722-7111. For other
credit cards, call the toll-free number
directory at
&
800/555-1212.
portion, though not 100%, of your pre-
paid trip cost.
TravelSafe
(
&
888/885-
7233;
www.travelsafe.com) offers both
types of coverage. Expedia also offers any-
reason cancellation coverage for its air-
hotel packages. For details, contact one of
the following recommended insurers:
Access America
(
&
866/807-3982;
www.accessamerica.com);
Travel Guard
International
(
&
800/826-4919; www.
travelguard.com);
Travel Insured Inter-
national
(
&
800/243-3174; www.travel
insured.com); and
Travelex Insurance
Services
(
&
888/457-4602; www.travelex-
insurance.com).
Internet Access
Tech-happy Boston
has relatively few dedicated cybercafes
but makes up for the lack with tons of
Wi-Fi (some free, some not). Many hotels
have a wired terminal for guests' use, and
most offer on-premises wireless. To find
public Wi-Fi hotspots, go to
www.jiwire.
com
; its Hotspot Finder holds the world's
largest directory of public wireless
hotspots. Other resources are the
Boston
Wireless Advocacy Group's
directory
(www.bostonwag.org/projects/hotspots.p
hp) and
Hotspotr
(http://hotspotr.com/
wifi), a Google Maps mash-up that
indexes user-generated listings.
Tech
Superpowers,
252 Newbury St., 3rd
floor (
&
617/267-9716;
www.newbury
open.net), offers access by the hour
($5/hr.; $3/15 min. minimum) with or
without a computer, and provides the free
wireless you'll find in most businesses on
the upper end of Newbury Street. The
city of Boston coordinates free Wi-Fi at a
number of locations around town,
including Faneuil Hall Marketplace
(the rotunda of Quincy Market) and
Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park;
visit
www.cityofboston.gov/wireless
for
more information. For wired access, the
ubiquitous
FedEx Kinko's
(www.fedex
kinkos.com) charges 10¢ to 20¢ a
minute. Locations include 2 Center
