What You Need to Know

Conference Hotel
Park Plaza Hotel
64 Arlington Street,
Boston MA, 02116-3912
800-225-2008 or 617-426-2000
617-423-1708 (fax reservations)

Conference room rates:
Room rates for ASI conference attendees at the Park Plaza Hotel, Boston are as follows:

Single: $119
Double: $129
Triple: $149
Quad: $169
Additional person in room: $20.00
Suites $375.00 to $800.00

As you can see this is quite a range. I inspected the hotel in August, and I think it will be a wonderful conference site. The rates for rooms are slightly higher than previous conferences, but as you can see, there is ample opportunity for doubling or even tripling up in a room and cutting costs. In addition, the location of the hotel is ideal in terms of proximity to shops and restaurants. Within walking distance of the hotel you could easily spend $150 for a meal in some of Boston's top restaurants, or you could spend $5-$10 at Fire and Ice, one of Seth's recommendations. The same is true for shopping. You could spend $800 on a sweater at Armani, or you can pop in to Marshall's around the block. The hotel is centrally located to all local transportation and getting around Boston is easy and cheap. There will be more details later, but this is just a preliminary report. For those of you who wish to make reservations now, you can do so by calling 800-225-2008 and/or 617-426-2000. Just identify yourself as an ASI member. There is no confirmation code. Please stay tuned to this web site for more information.

 

Transportation
By Air
Several airlines are offering special promotions. Deadlines for buying special fares vary so contact your travel agent now. ASI also offers special fares through Preferred Travel. Contact Gail at 800-848-6864 or 303-298-7050.

To help you in planning, the meeting opens on Thursday night, May 31, with a welcome reception and the last session ends at 5 pm on Sunday, June 3rd.

By Rail
For those interested in traveling to Boston by rail, you can of course start with the Amtrak site, http://www.amtrak.com/. They recently started express service, called Acela (pronounced ack-SELL-ah, as in "acceleration"), between New York City and Boston. That trip, which follows Route 95 (parts are very un-photogenic), takes approximately 4 hours. The same route extends south from NYC to Washington DC, but I don't know how long that takes. By summer, the Acela line should be operating to DC.
—Courtesy of Seth Maislin

A favorite website is http://reservations.amtrak.com. You can study schedules, compare fares, make reservations, even buy your ticket from this site! It eliminates the worst parts of train travel: standing in line or hanging onto the phone while waiting for an agent.
—Courtesy of Maria Coughlin

By Car from New York City
For those who drive it is possible to get from NYC to the hotel in about 4 – 4 1/2 hours—and it's a nice easy ride up the Hudson River on the Saw Mill Parkway or the New York Thruway and onto the Mass. Turnpike. Plenty of people will be willing to share the driving, and the restaurants on the way are great!
—Courtesy of Dorothy Thomas

Directions on getting to the Boston Park Plaza via various transportation methods other than private car from various arrival points:

I. From Logan International Airport
A. Via Back Bay Coach shuttle:
Upon arrival at Logan Airport, you will need to locate a courtesy telephone in your terminal. Once in the automated telephone system, press the key for Back Bay Coach and provide the customer service agent with information regarding your location and destination. This service is available daily from 7AM until 10PM. The fees, per person, are as follows: $9.00 from Logan Airport to the Boston Park Plaza $7.50 from the Boston Park Plaza to Logan Airport You may arrange shuttle service for your return to Logan Airport with the Concierge at the hotel.

B. Via services operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority = MBTA = the T.
1. Primarily via subway:
a. Look for a MASSPORT Shuttle bus (this is the shuttle to the subway) outside your terminal (they stop at all terminals at a location marked "Airport Shuttle, to Terminals and Subway"). Depending on the terminal where you are, this will be either #22 or #33, and should be marked "Subway." Buses with numbers other than 22 or 33 do not go to the subway. Board the bus and take it to the subway (Airport Station on the Blue Line). The shuttle is free.

b. At Airport Station, purchase a token ($1.00), which you will immediately deposit in the turnstile. (If you expect to do any touring and/or want to be prepared for your return to the airport, you may wish to buy additional tokens or purchase a pass good for unlimited travel one or more days -- see the bottom of this page for info on passes). Descend to the INBOUND platform and board any train (inbound trains should show BOWDOIN or GOVERNMENT CENTER on their destination signs). Take the train to Government Center. Under normal conditions, this would be four stops, but one of the intervening stations is scheduled to be under construction.

c. At Government Center, go up the stairs to the Green Line and follow the signs to the platform marked "To Boston College, Cleveland Circle, Heath St. via Park" (Westbound). The Green Line is a trolley/light rail line; board any trolley stopping at this platform and take it three stops, to Arlington Street Station.

d. Turn right as you disembark to exit the platform toward the rear of the train. After ascending to the mezzanine level and exiting the turnstile, turn right to ascend to street level on the southeast corner of the intersection or Arlington and Boylston. The Boston Public Garden should be directly across Boylston from you, with the Arlington St. Church catty corner. Walk along Arlington St. away from the Public Garden for one block and turn left. You will see the main entrance to the Park Plaza Hotel on your right.

Total time from terminal entrance to Park Plaza via subway is typically 25-40 minutes, depending on connections and crowdedness.

2. Via Boat (Water Shuttle) (Scenic but complicated -- recommended only if you're a fearless adventurer who can't miss any chance to be on the water):

a. Look for a MASSPORT Shuttle bus (this is the shuttle to the water shuttle) outside your terminal (they stop at all terminals at a location marked "Airport Shuttle, to Terminals and Subway"). This will be #66, and should be marked "Water Shuttle." Buses with numbers other than 66 do not go to the Water Shuttle. Board the bus and take it to the Logan Dock. The shuttle bus is free.

b. The Water Shuttle will take you in 7 minutes to Rowe's Wharf on the Boston Waterfront. Purchase tickets on board (One-way Fares: Adult $10.00, Senior $5.00, Child under 12 are free; Round-trip Fare: Adult $17.00). The Water Shuttle runs Monday - Friday 6 am - 8 pm, every 15 minutes, Saturday - Sunday 10 am - 8 pm, every 30 minutes.

c. You now have to get the mile-plus to the hotel. The closest subway stop, Aquarium, is closed for renovation; South Station, on the Red Line, is probably the easiest alternative. To get from Rowe's Wharf to South Station, find your way out to Atlantic Ave., turn left and walk approximately four blocks until you see an entrance marked by a T inside a circle. You'll pass the Federal Reserve Plaza on your left just before South Station.

d. At South Station, purchase a token ($1.00), which you will immediately deposit in the turnstile. (If you expect to do any touring and/or want to be prepared for your return to the airport, you may wish to buy additional tokens or purchase a pass good for unlimited travel one or more days -- see the bottom of this page for info on passes). Descend to the INBOUND/NORTHBOUND platform and board any train (inbound trains should show ALEWIFE on their destination signs). Take the train two stops to Park Street.

e. At Park Street, follow the signs to the Westbound/Outbound Green Line (to Boston College/Cleveland Circle/Riverside/or Heath St.) and go up the stairs to the platform. The Green Line is a trolley/light rail line; board any trolley stopping on either side of this platform and take it two stops, to Arlington Street Station.

f. Turn right as you disembark to exit the platform toward the rear of the train. After ascending to the mezzanine level and exiting the turnstile, turn right to ascend to street level on the southeast corner of the intersection or Arlington and Boylston. The Boston Public Garden should be directly across Boylston from you, with the Arlington St. Church catty corner. Walk along Arlington St. away from the Public Garden for one block and turn left. You will see the main entrance to the Park Plaza Hotel on your right.

Total Time: 45-75 min.

C. Via Taxi:
If you choose to take a taxi from the airport, the approximate fare including surcharge is $18-$19 but will depend upon traffic (in addition to the meter rate there are extra fees of $1.50 for all trips from the airport and $3.00 to cover the tunnel toll charge to Boston). Tips are not figured into fares. Drivers expect a tip of at least 15%.

II. From Back Bay Station (Amtrak and MBTA Commuter Rail; all Amtrak trains stop here en route to their terminus at South Station)

A. Via Foot:
The station's main exit is onto Dartmouth St.; the rear exit is onto Clarendon St. These directions assume that you've found your way to the Dartmouth St. entrance. For the shortest walk, upon exiting onto Dartmouth St. turn left and walk a few feet to Columbus Ave. Turn left on Columbus Ave. and walk three long blocks to Arlington St. After you cross Arlington St., the hotel will be on your left. (People have given other walking directions on ASI-L; these also work but are slightly longer.)

III. From South Station (Amtrak, MBTA Commuter Rail, intercity and commuter bus lines)

Note: The bus station at South Station is about a block from the train and subway stations. If you are arriving by bus, descend to the street level and turn right for the train or subway station.

A. Via services operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority = MBTA = the T.
1. Primarily via Subway:

a.At South Station, purchase a token ($1.00), which you will immediately deposit in the turnstile. (If you expect to do any touring and/or want to be prepared for your return to the airport, you may wish to buy additional tokens or purchase a pass good for unlimited travel one or more days -- see the bottom of this page for info on passes). Descend to the INBOUND/NORTHBOUND platform and board any train (inbound trains should show ALEWIFE on their destination signs). Take the train two stops to Park Street.

b. At Park Street, follow the signs to the Westbound/Outbound Green Line (to Boston College/Cleveland Circle/Riverside/or Heath St.) and go up the stairs to the platform. The Green Line is a trolley/light rail line; board any trolley stopping on either side of this platform and take it two stops, to Arlington Street Station.

c. Turn right as you disembark to exit the platform toward the rear of the train. After ascending to the mezzanine level and exiting the turnstile, turn right to ascend to street level on the southeast corner of the intersection or Arlington and Boylston. The Boston Public Garden should be directly across Boylston from you, with the Arlington St. Church catty corner. Walk along Arlington St. away from the Public Garden for one block and turn left. You will see the main entrance to the Park Plaza Hotel on your right.

Total Time: 15-30 min.