Boston

[printman2000]

We will be arriving into South Station on 448 on a Friday night. My plans right now are to take the T to our hotel. Our hotel is near the Green B Washington Street Station. Few questions to those familiar with Boston...

Is this an okay area? We will have about a block to walk from the station to the hotel with our bags.

How late can 448 arrive and us still be able to use the light rail to get to this station?

If we must take a cab, are they available at South Station and any ideas on the cost? Do cabs take credit cards or cash only? (I have used a cab only once in my life)

Thanks!

 

[MrEd]

BOSTON (WBZ) ― An undercover investigation by the WBZ-TV I-Team put Boston cabbies to the test. If you're having a tough time getting a cab at South Station you're not alone. The I-Team's Kathy Curran found some drivers are breaking the rules, refusing to take customers where they want to go.

http://wbztv.com/iteam/Boston.Cab.Drivers.2.584728.html

Good luck with the cab, bring some walking shoes just in case.

 

[p&sr]

How late can 448 arrive and us still be able to use the light rail to get to this station?

The "T" subways in Boston shut down in the neighborhood of 1:00 AM. Fare is $2.00

Using their on-line Trip Planner, I found this itinerary that would work as the last run on a Friday night.

From Boston South Station... entrance to Subway is inside the Station, downstairs near the front entrance.

Take the Red Line, direction "Alewife", to Park Street Station, which is the Second Stop.

12:41 AM --> 12:44 AM

Transfer there (staying underground) to the Green Line, choosing the Platform and Train for "B Boston College".

When it leaves the Subway, it becomes a regular streetcar. You will probably want to ask the Operator to notify you when you approach your stop at Washington Street.

12:49 AM --> 1:18 AM

If we must take a cab, are they available at South Station and any ideas on the cost? Do cabs take credit cards or cash only?

So if your train is much later than 12:30, ie over 2 1/2 hours late, then you will probably need to take a taxi.

South Station itself is open all night, and is a pretty civilized place, so somebody there should be able to assist you with this if needed. Taxis would be on the street right outside the front entrance. Not cheap, and it would be VERY RARE for one to accept a credit card.

$1.75 to start the trip, then $2.40 per mile. They like about a 20% tip, or if you give them a bill large enough to cover they prefer to keep the whole thing and not give change. (Subject to negotiation, I suppose.)

Your trip will be about 7 miles and about 20 minutes long, so your fare could be around $20 to $25 as an estimate.

Good luck, and enjoy your trip!

 

[printman2000]

Thanks for the info. Anyone know anything about the neighborhood at Washington Street? Looking at Google, it looks like a pretty residential neighborhood with a lot of apartment buildings. We will be walking a couple of blocks down Commonwealth to our hotel.

 

[Anthony]

My house is about a fifteen to twenty minute walk from that location. "Comm Ave" (as everybody calls it; saying "Commonwealth" will out you as a visitor ) is a major, well-lit road, but the residential streets in the area can be fairly dark at night. Pretty safe, but keep in mind that a lot of students live in the area (Boston University is not far) and, depending on whether you are arriving during the school year, you may find some revelers or barhoppers, loud and tipsy, returning from clubs or bars in the area on a Friday night. The Washington St. intersection and station are probably far enough away from the places frequented by students, though, so you might not notice much of that.

Cabs are plentiful at South Station - you can find them either at the front door of the train station or outside of the adjacent bus terminal.

 

[printman2000]

My house is about a fifteen to twenty minute walk from that location. "Comm Ave" (as everybody calls it; saying "Commonwealth" will out you as a visitor ) is a major, well-lit road, but the residential streets in the area can be fairly dark at night. Pretty safe, but keep in mind that a lot of students live in the area (Boston University is not far) and, depending on whether you are arriving during the school year, you may find some revelers or barhoppers, loud and tipsy, returning from clubs or bars in the area on a Friday night. The Washington St. intersection and station are probably far enough away from the places frequented by students, though, so you might not notice much of that.
Cabs are plentiful at South Station - you can find them either at the front door of the train station or outside of the adjacent bus terminal.

We will be there later this month. Thanks for the info!

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

The "T" subways in Boston shut down in the neighborhood of 1:00 AM. Fare is $2.00

I once had dinner with a large group somewhere near the far end of the Green Line, possibly at Coolidge Corner, and as we were all going home, we were surprised to discover that the last train had already left, somewhere around 11:30 PM. So I think saying the system shuts down around 1:00 AM is a little misleading.

The last southbound Red Line trains depart Alewife somewhere around 12:20 or 12:30 AM, I think.

If you can get your hands on a CharlieCard, the fare goes down to $1.70; if you aren't running late, it wouldn't hurt to ask the MBTA staff if they have one they can give you (there shouldn't be any charge to get one).

 

[AlanB]

The last southbound Red Line trains depart Alewife somewhere around 12:20 or 12:30 AM, I think.

IIRC though the system shuts down a bit later on Friday & Saturday nights, and the OP is arriving on a Friday night.