Planning Your Trip to Boston - Boston 2009 - page 18

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Planning Your Trip to Boston

A visit to Boston requires as much or as little forethought as you want, taking into
account one important general rule: The later you plan, the more you'll pay. That isn't
strictly true in the depths of winter, but for the other 46 or so weeks of the year, you'll
most likely find yourself balancing spontaneity against thriftiness.
This chapter addresses practical issues such as transportation to and around Boston,
timing your visit, and finding more information before you leave home and after you
arrive. Getting your bearings is famously difficult, thanks mostly to the baffling street
pattern (urban legend says it originated as a network of cow paths, but the layout owes
more to 17th-century London and to Boston's original shoreline); this chapter will help
you start getting acclimated. Here I'll also fill you in on the unpredictable climate and
the events, festivals, and parades that can help make your trip even more memorable.
For additional help in planning your trip and for more on-the-ground resources in
Boston, please turn to the “Fast Facts, Toll-Free Numbers & Websites” appendix on
p. 284.

1 Visitor Information

BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME
The Greater Boston Convention & Visi-
tors Bureau, 2 Copley Place, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02116-6501 ( & 888/SEE-
BOSTON or 617/536-4100, 0171/431-
3434 in the U.K.; www.bostonusa.com),
offers a comprehensive visitor informa-
tion kit ($10) that includes a travel plan-
ner, a guidebook, a map, pamphlets, and
coupons for shopping, dining, attrac-
tions, and nightlife discounts. The bureau
also publishes a Kids Love Boston guide
($5) and free smaller guides to specific
seasons and special events.
For information about Cambridge,
contact the Cambridge Office for
Tourism, 4 Brattle St., Suite 208, Cam-
bridge, MA 02138 ( & 800/862-5678 or
617/441-2884; fax [phone]; www.
cambridge-usa.org).
The Massachusetts Office of Travel
and Tourism, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 4510,

Boston, MA 02116 ( & 800/227-MASS
or 617/973-8500; fax [phone];
www.massvacation.com), distributes infor-
mation about the whole state. Its free
Getaway Guide magazine includes infor-
mation about attractions and lodgings, a
map, and a calendar.
AFTER YOU ARRIVE
Head to a visitor information center to
pick up free maps, brochures, listings of
special exhibits and events, and other
materials.
National Park Service rangers staff the
Boston National Historical Park Visi-
tor Center, 15 State St. ( & 617/242-
5642; www.nps.gov/bost; T: Blue or
Orange Line to State St.), across the street
from the Old State House, and lead sea-
sonal free tours of the Freedom Trail.
The center is open daily from 9am to
5pm. The ranger-staffed center at the