Boston Marathon 2012

[Rachelle]

I got into Boston and am now feeling overwhelmed with trying to plan my trip.  Does anyone have any advice?  Is there airports outside of Boston that would be cheaper to fly into?  Is anyone interested in sharing hotel costs?  Anyone already booked a flight and found a great deal they want to share?

I don't travel much and am just looking for any advice anyone might have about traveling to Boston for the marathon.  I know several of you have been before and may have some good tips for me.  Thanks!

[dave rockness]

I used to live in Boston.  A second airport you may want to look into is an hour away- Providence, Rhode Island.  Sometimes you can save $$, yet you may lose it back with a car rental (depending on what you were planning to do).  If you stay in Boston, don't rent a car.  It's impossible to get around- the transportation system is excellent, so you'd be fine as long as you figure out a plan through your hotel for shuttle service (or take the "T").  If you want to save significantly on hotels, you'd probably have to stay just outside of Boston.  A couple of years ago, my wife and I stayed at the Adams Inn in Quincy (south side) and paid $69 per night vs. $150 last year through priceline in Boston (Club Quarters hotel- great location).  Again, a car rental might off-set the $$ you save by staying outside of Boston.  There's no real cheap way to do it unless you find someone to split costs, so maybe you'll be lucky enough to find a friend on the blog willing to do so.  Congrats on the bq and good luck!

[Rachelle]

Thanks so much for the feedback Dave.  I have been researching quite a bit today and have found some fairly good deals.  A lot of the hotels have free shuttles to downtown & the airport so I think I can definitely eliminate renting a car.  Thanks again!