Boston Colleges

After lots of great advice from many of you, my daughter and husband';s June 18-21 trip is being finalized.

Day 1: Fly into Boston early Monday, purchase 7-day bus/T passes/$15, rent a car for the day to drive to Clark University, drive directly there for scheduled appointments 1:30 P.M. through late afternoon. Return to city, check into hotel, drop bags, return car to airport, T back to hotel (Millennium Bostonian-$90 per night/Priceline).

* * Is city traffic manageable to drop bags at Hotel(we live in Pittsburgh where there is plenty of traffic), then return car, instead of having to drag them on shuttle?

* * Depending on weather, looks like Logan Shuttle to Harbor Express could be a good scenic route back from the airport?

Day 2: Green line, E branch to Northeastern for A.M. appointments, then back toward city, exit E branch at Copley, ext. cross street, enter going outbound onto B branch for early P.M. appointment with Rowing Coach at Boston College (couldn%26#39;t sched. this with other B.C. appt. next day). Remainder of the day playing in the city. Suggestions?

* * Would the D branch be a better way to go, albeit, a walk from station to campus? I%26#39;ve heard heard it is a shorter ride/less stops.

Day 3: Boston C. for 9:30-11:30 appointments, then onto Boston U. for 12:30-4:15 appointments. Evening playing in city, or maybe walk through Harvard since last appointment is at B.U. boathouse on Charles R. in Cambridge.

* * Green line via D branch vs. B branch to B.C.? Back toward B.U. on B branch.

* * Suggestions for Public transportation from boathouse (619 Memorial Drive) to Harvard campus? Or, would it be better to visit Harvard the following day coming back from Tufts via the red line? Daytime or evening better to visit? (Harvard isn%26#39;t one of my daughter%26#39;s possible school choices).

Day 4: Travel on Red line to Tufts for appts. 9:20-10:30. Return to city in P.M. (Harvard?/Boston?) to play until 7:55 p.m. flight back home.

Once again, I would welcome any advice from all of you Boston Experts out there. Sites not-to-miss in a short visit; dining recommendations (good food, reasonably-priced); etc.

This site is a gem!

Thanks again.

Boston Colleges

* * Would the D branch be a better way to go, albeit, a walk from station to campus? I%26#39;ve heard heard it is a shorter ride/less stops.

Yes, the D branch is faster. The walk from Chestnut Hill to the BC campus is uphill, and if I remember correctly, about 15 min. It may be worth it depending on what side of the campus the meeting is, as it took me 10-15 min to walk from one side of the campus to the other when visiting.

* * Suggestions for Public transportation from boathouse (619 Memorial Drive) to Harvard campus?

They can walk along Memorial Drive for a scenic walk along the river. For Harvard Sq, they should make a right at the fourth bridge (JFK Street -- note: they won%26#39;t be walking over the bridge, but it will be visible on the left as they turn right). From there, walk up JFK St and you are in Harvard Square! To see Harvard%26#39;s main campus, keep walking straight and it will be right in front of you -- just cross the street, go into the gate, and have a look around.

If your husband and daughter prefer a Cambridge city view, they can turn right on Brookline St from the boathouse and walk straight until they get to Central Square. Then, they should turn left onto Massachusetts Avenue and walk for another 15-20 min until reaching Harvard Square.

In Harvard Square, I would recommend John Harvard%26#39;s for reasonably priced, American/pub-style food. Harvard Square is equally busy/happening in mid-afternoon as evening. For a quirky store there, visit Black Ink -- it%26#39;s one of my favorites :) Full of random, silly gifts.

Boston Colleges

Thanks for the advice. I wish I was going!