The New England Science Fiction Association

Boskone 42

February 18-20, 2005

How to Get to Boskone

By Car—The Sheraton Boston Hotel is located at 39 Dalton St in Boston's "Back Bay" area.

From the North: Take Interstate 93 South to exit 26A (Leverett Circle exit) onto Storrow Drive. After 1½-2 miles you'll come to the Fenway exit which will be on the left. Stay to the left in this exit; bear left at the first and second lights into Boylston Street. At the fifth light, take a right onto Dalton Street. Proceed to the hotel.

Truck friendly route: From the north, the simplest truck route would be to continue south on I-93 until you get to Mass. Ave. and then follow the directions from the south. The clearance on this route is about 13'9". Note: Mass. Ave. from the north is not signed well in advance, but is just after I-90, which is just at the end of the tunnel.

Another truck friendly option would be to take I-93 to I-95 south (nee Route 128) in Woburn and take I-95 south to I-90 east in Newton and then follow the directions from the west. This is likely to be longer in distance but misses downtown Boston.

From the South: Take Interstate 93 North to exit 18 (Massachusetts Avenue). Take a right at the bottom of the long off-ramp onto Massachusetts Avenue. Continue for approximately one mile, and then take a right onto Huntington Avenue. At the second light turn left onto Belvedere. The hotel is on the right. This route is truck friendly / safe.

From the West: Take Interstate 90 East (Massachusetts Pike) to exit 22 (Prudential Center/Copley Square). Stay left at the fork in the tunnel to continue to Prudential Center. Once out of the tunnel and above ground, stay to the left. At the stop sign, follow the sign that says "Huntington Avenue" (not the one (on the right) that says "Prudential Parking"). On Huntington Avenue and at the first set of lights, take a right onto Belvedere. The hotel is on the right. This route is truck friendly / safe. The clearance on this route is about 13'9" at exit 22.

A note on parking: Being in a major city, parking costs are very expensive close to the hotel. The garage attached to the hotel charges $36/day ($35/day for valet parking, which includes in/out privileges). The hotel does not own the garage, so we can't negotiate a better rate. There are alternatives. Across Dalton St. from the hotel and uphill, past the Summer Shack, is the Auditorium Garage; marked by a large, vertical PARK sign on the outside wall; operated by Pilgrim Parking, Inc. As of mid-December, prices at the Auditorium Garage were $24/day.

Consider parking in one of the large lots at the end of the subway lines, and take the subway in. Riverside Station (exit 22 off Route 128), on the end of the D branch of the Green Line, has a large openair lot where parking costs $3.50/day. Alewife station, on the Red Line, charges $4.50/day for parking for its multi-story garage lot (not suitable for tall vehicles). Alewife is a little closer to the hotel than Riverside is, but you will need to change trains at the Downtown Crossing Station for an Orange Line train going to Back Bay Station. There is also a large garage at exit 13 on Route 128 at the Amtrak station in Dedham. See directions below for "by the 'T'."

By Air—If you fly into Boston's Logan Airport, you can take a shared van service to the hotel for about $9. See details at the airport or at www.massport.com/logan/getti_typeo_share.html —some will let you reserve on-line. A taxi ride will start with $6 in fees before you leave the airport; there are no flat fees in the zone that includes the hotel so costs will vary according to the time your trip takes (~$21-$28).

You can also take the 'T' (MBTA) subway system. From any terminal take a free Massport Logan shuttle bus (#22, 33 or 55) to the Airport Station subway stop (Blue Line). Take an inbound train to Government Center and change for an inbound Green Line train. Alternatively, continue on the Blue Line to State Street Station and change for the Orange Line. Follow directions below for "By the 'T'."

Amtrak—The closest Amtrak stop is the Back Bay station (Amtrak's station code BBY), the last stop before South Station. Back Bay station is at 145 Dartmouth St. To reach the hotel from Back Bay Station, you can either walk (~½ mile, most of which is indoors but includes escalators and one short set of steps (with adjacent ramp)), or cross Dartmouth St., go into Copley Mall, then follow the signs through the Marriott Hotel and the Prudential Mall to the Sheraton Hotel.

For Amtrak information, see www.amtrak.com. or call 1-800-USARAIL.

By the 'T'—There are three reasonably close subway stops: Hynes/ICA on the B, C and D branches of the Green Line, Prudential Center on the E branch of the Green Line, and Back Bay on the Orange Line. Which stop is best for you probably depends on where you are coming from and whether you mind walking outdoors. Hynes/ICA involves a slightly longer walk outside but has more frequent service and better connections. See www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_subway.asp or call 617-222-3200 or 1-800-392-6100.

Detailed walking directions are available from Hynes/ICA or Prudential T Stations.

Commuter Rail — If coming from the south or west, take a commuter train to Back Bay Station. From the north, take a train to North Station and then see above for "by the 'T'".

New! Now that I got here, how do I leave?