Driving in Boston

I am living in Dover New Hampshire for the summer, and have a friend flying in to Boston on a Friday evening to come visit me...she wants me to pick her up from the airport. She is from DC so she doesn%26#39;t think it%26#39;s a big deal to drive in the city, but I%26#39;m from Lincoln Nebraska and am not so sure I want to do this! How difficult of a drive is it from New hampshire to the Boston airport? Are there alternatives such as having her take some sort of transportation from the airport outside the city where I could pick her up??

Thanks in advance!

Driving in Boston

The biggest factor in Boston traffic is the time of day. from 3pm til about 7pm it is brutal no matter what route you choose. If your friend is not landing in Boston during that time frame driving in from Dover should not be too bad. You would take Interstate 95 South to Interstate 93 South and then use the first exit in the Tip O%26#39;Neill Tunnel to the airport.

If you decide you really don%26#39;t want to deal with Boston, there are satellite parking lots that are served by Massport shuttles. You should check out www.massport.com for exact information.

Driving in Boston

You drive south and follow signs to the airport. Not hard. You just want to figure out your route before you leave so that you%26#39;re not unsure of where you need to be. You should also figure out which terminal you need to go to. Visit the Massport web site and look for her airline name and then when you get to the airport, you stay in the lane for Terminal C Arrivals, or whatever.

Spike is right about traffic--you could hit traffic going into the city and then traffic on your way back to NH (weekenders), but in some ways, traffic can be good for you because you%26#39;lll have time to figure out which exit you need to take, etc. One big problem people have speeding along is that it%26#39;s easy to miss an exit and that%26#39;s when things get dicey.

The airport is pretty hard to miss---there are a zillion signs downtown leading you to either of the tunnels.

The airport itself can be a little intimidating, with the car rental and hotel buses zooming around but just hold your lane, watch where you%26#39;re going and know where you%26#39;re going and you should be fine. Just remember, if you make a mistake, it%26#39;s fixable.

Have you had a lot of accidents? Are you a bad driver? Do you get lost easily? If you%26#39;ve gotten into real trouble before, maybe it%26#39;s a bad idea, but all in all, I think you should be able to do it.

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Logan is perhaps one of the most confusing airports for tourists in the world. Getting there is easy--from NH take 93 South into the city. once you get over the Zakim Bridge and start into the tunnel, it will be your first exit ';Gov%26#39;t Center/Airport.'; Follow ythe signs for the airport, through the Callahan tunnel and you%26#39;re there Find out what airline your friend is flying. Each airport has a corresponding lettered terminal. e.g., Delta Airlines is in Terminal A, Jet Blue is in Terminal C. Log on to massport.com for all the Logan Airport info, including which airline is where once you get in. Once you%26#39;ve established what terminal you%26#39;re headed to just turn off where it says Terminal A,B,C arrivals. A warning: State Troopers who work the airport are as ornery as old bulls that haven%26#39;t been fed in a while. Time your pickup perfectly--those boys don%26#39;t let you linger too long.

Okay, so that seems a bit daunting for a girl from Nebraska. Are you ready for option B? While you%26#39;re on massport.com, click on ';getting to and from Logan.'; there are a number of options, including the Logan Express. This takes travelers from the airport to a suburban location. there%26#39;s one in woburn. It%26#39;s 10 miles north of Boston. You could have her take the Logan Express to woburn and you can pick her up there, never having to venture into the airport at all.

Actually, coming from Dover, I%26#39;d wouldn%26#39;t bother going west to 93 ... 95 S to Rte 1 S to Rte 60 (follow the airport signs) to 1A S and right into the airport. (If you keep going straight, Rte 60 just becomes 1A).

The problem on a Friday evening in the summer really won%26#39;t be getting TO Logan (if you avoid 93), it will be getting back to Dover ... Rte 1 N gets congested and the backup at Portsmouth gets really bad.

That said ... there is a bus from Logan to Portsmouth: www.cjtrailways.com

Also, you could drive to Peabody (on Rte 1) or Woburn (on Rte 93) and meet up w/ a Logan Express Bus

Woburn: massport.com/logan/getti_logan_woburn.html

Peabody: www.massport.com/logan/getti_logan_peabo.html

becky416 - has your friend booked the flights yet?? It would be much easier for you both if she could fly into Manchester NH - that airport is closer %26amp; a breeze to navigate for pick-ups %26amp; drop-offs.

Where you are unfamiliar with driving in the city you may want to look into the alternatives listed. It is almost impossible to time a pick up perfectly, they will be on you to move right away. The logan express option may be the way to go. Every pick up we have made at logan has been a hassle and there have been many - always had to park far away %26amp; meet the person.

I suggested I95 South to I93 South so as not to have to deal with rotaries which for people who use them all the time are a problem.

The Woburn bus seems like a nice compromise. It%26#39;ll cost her $20 or something like that but it will save you the hassle of the Logan pickup. I do it all the time, but I guess I%26#39;m used to the airport. The state police are all over you if you are trying to pick someone up. Sometimes they broom you and you have to go around and come back. It%26#39;s not easy, but it%26#39;s one of those things you do if your friend needs a ride... If you can%26#39;t cope, then she should ask someone else to get her or consider the bus as an alternative midway... It would save you some driving and avoid rush hour if that%26#39;s when her plane comes in.