Sensible traveler Destinations Where they went Get in gear
The costs of getting to and from Logan
By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 01/05/03
|
|
||
|
Sensible traveler Destinations Where they went Get in gear
|
||
Drive and park. This could be your most expensive alternative. Rates are $22 a day, and because there is no weekly rate, a seven-day stay would set you back $154, and you'd have to schlep your luggage from the lot to the terminal. (Visit www.massport.com/logan/parki.html.)
Drive and be shuttled. This is an increasingly popular method, in which you park nearby and a shuttle hauls you and your luggage to your terminal. Logan's long-term economy parking costs $16 a day or $80 a week. Shuttle bus service is available to and from the terminals every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day. Follow the Economy parking signs from the inbound roadway.
Several companies offer shuttle service from nearby private lots for slightly less. One of the largest is Logan Park & Go in Chelsea (617-723-1114), whose costs are $15 a day and $79 a week. But if you go to www.longtermparking.com, you can print out a coupon that will give you your second day free. Another site offering shuttle deals and discounts is www.airportparkinglots.com.
Use a valet. One of the latest ventures designed to eliminate hassles is Logan Valet and Fly, the brainchild of Bill Bell of Nahant, who has operated parking lots in the past. For $99 for a trip of up to seven days, a traveler leaves the car at Logan with a valet, who parks it in a secure spot at nearby Wonderland Greyhound Park. At the end of the trip, the valet meets the traveler at the terminal in the same place the car was originally left. Bell offers a "rock-bottom guarantee" that the valet will be waiting or you get a week of free parking. Logan Valet and Fly has been operating since October and hasn't had to give away that week yet. (Call 781-289-4200 or visit www.loganvaletandfly.com.)
(The fine print: After seven days, the extra charge is $10 a day. Although the service is based at Terminal B, arrangements can be made to be met at other terminals; a surcharge may apply. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours before departure.)
Share a van. If you don't mind company, this is a relatively stress-free method in which you are usually picked up at your home and deposited at your terminals. Many companies do this — you may want to look for such businesses in your area — and the rate varies with the distance involved. An example: Back Bay Coach would take a person from Canton to Logan for a basic rate of $32 for the first passenger in your group and $5 for each additional passenger. Call 888-BACKBAY or visit www.backbay-coach.com/.
Go public. Public transportation is usually the least expensive, although not always the most comfortable way to go. If you live within distance of the MBTA, you pay $1 for the subway or 75 cents or so for the bus, and catch a free shuttle to your terminal once you arrive at Logan. Visit www.mbta.com.
Or you could take to the waters. The Airport Water Shuttle, operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority, runs between Logan, Rowes Wharf, and the US Courthouse in Boston's Financial District. Adult fares are $10 each way or $17 round trip. Visit (www.massport.com/logan) or call 617-951-0255.
Massport also operates Logan Express, providing bus service from Braintree to the south, Framingham to the west, and Peabody and Woburn to the north, with secure parking lots. The Woburn, Framingham, and Braintree adult bus rate is $9 one way and $16 round trip. Parking is $8 a day or $48 a week. From Peabody, the fare is $8 and $14, with parking at $7 a day or $48 a week. (Call 800-23-LOGAN or visit www.massport.com.)
If none of those options is convenient, check private bus lines that serve your area. A ride on Bonanza from Falmouth, for instance, costs $22 one way and $40 round trip. (Call 888-751-8800 or visit www.bonanazabus.com.)
Arrive in style. Don't care what you spend? Take a limousine and live the lush life. Boston Limousine, for example, charges from $55 an hour for a sedan that seats three to $90 an hour for a stretch limo that seats 12. (Call 781-641-0202 or visit www.bostonlimousine.com.)
(The fine print: There are minimum time requirements, ranging from 1 hours for the sedan to four hours for the stretch limo. Add $20 for transportation that starts between midnight and 6 a.m. And, of course, you'll want to tip your driver lavishly.)
Use another airport. Just as it can sometimes be cheaper to fly out of New England airports other than Logan, it can usually be cheaper to park at them, too. T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, R.I., near Providence, charges $19 a day for garage parking, $27 daily for express valet service, and $13 a day or $56 a week in the facility's weekly lot. (Visit www.pvd-ri.com.) At Manchester Airport in New Hampshire, garage parking is $14 a day or $70 a week and use of the long term lots is $8 a day with a free shuttle to the terminal. (Visit www.flymanchester.com.)
Providence deal
What's the second-largest city in New England? Why, it's Providence, which has become a solid destination for the arts, history, family activities, and dining. A new fall-winter getaway package lets visitors choose from a variety of hotels and B & Bs, restaurants, shops, and attractions. The package, valid through March 31, includes one or two nights' accommodations, breakfast for two, four vouchers for attractions, a coupon book worth up to $300 at the Providence Place Mall, a 15 percent discount at selected restaurants, two trolley passes, and a gift of a Providence coffee mug and biscotti (made in Rhode Island, of course). Prices range from $106 plus tax for the one-night version at the Radisson Hotel to $455 for two nights at the Westin.
The package is booked directly through the participating hotel of your choice, by asking for the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitor Bureau's Fall/Winter Getaway Package. For a list of the 16 participating hotels, go to www.goprovidence.com or call 800-233-1636.