Need hotel walking distance to subway, but not in downtown

We are meeting our son who lives in southern New Hampshire in Boston the first weekend of June. We would like to stay in a hotel which is walking distance to a subway station that will bring us into the downtown area. We do NOT want to stay in downtown. Nothing fancy,just a place to sleep that%26#39;s not a dump.

Need hotel walking distance to subway, but not in downtown

I%26#39;d stay in the Quincy Marriott. It%26#39;s a new hotel that%26#39;s not far from the T. It%26#39;s tucked back in an office park type place, and they have a shuttle to the T, which is probably within walking distance, but the shuttle is more convenient.

The Doubletree in Dorchester is literally across the street from the JFK UMass T stop. That%26#39;s a nice enough hotel. The area itself is more urban than Quincy. It%26#39;s not bad--I know a company that sends people there and they%26#39;ve not had any problems/complaints, but it has a more urban flavor than the Quincy Marriott, which is a little further out.

Braintree has a Motel 6 right across from the T station but that hotel strikes me as ';dumpy';.... Braintree has a Sheraton and Holiday Inn with shuttles to the T but those are beyond walking distance.

I%26#39;m less familiar with the North Shore. Maybe folks up there will have some ideas...

Need hotel walking distance to subway, but not in downtown

Hampton Inn on the O%26#39;Brien Highway in Cambridge is across the street from the Lechmere Green Line station which will get you to Park Street Station on the Boston Common in short order.

The aforementioned Hampton Inn (800-HAMPTON) Cambridge is an outstanding option for you. It is, indeed, across the street from the Lechmere T station and less than a 10 minute ride to Central Boston. It`s also within walking distance to Boston`s Museum of Science. Parking and a full, hot buffet breakfast are included in the rates. It`s also in a safe neighborhood. The Quincy Marriott is quite a hike to the T station....at least a mile. I`d also be somewhat leary about walking back to the suggested Dorchester options late at night.

On the north shore:

Amerisuites in Medford is four miles north of the city. It isn%26#39;t within walking distance but they do have a shuttle that will take you to the T.

I%26#39;d counted Cambridge as being part of the ';downtown area'; (Lechmere is right near the Museum of Science, etc.).

If you%26#39;re willing to be that close to the city, then that%26#39;s the best choice. You%26#39;re right there...

...and I said Dorchester was urban...

It depends on what you%26#39;re looking to avoid by staying somewhere that isn%26#39;t right downtown. If you%26#39;re just looking for a less noisy, busy experience, I%26#39;d recommend staying out in Brookline. There are more trees out there, but there are still shops and stuff within walking distance, and it%26#39;s a very safe area. Two recommendations would be:

Marriott Courtyard Brookline

40 Webster St.

Brookline, MA 02446

T: 866.296.2296 (toll free)

T: 617.734.1393 (local)

http://www.brooklinecourtyard.com/

The Beacon Inn

1087 %26amp; 1750 Beacon Street

Brookline, MA 02446

T: 888.575.0088 (toll free)

T: 617.566.0088 (local)

http://www.beaconinn.com/

(This is a small bed %26amp; breakfast type inn without typical hotel frills like pools, large rooms, etc. Just basic, but nice %26amp; clean, rooms in historic brownstone buildings.)

I almost forgot about the holiday inn across from the Riverside Green Line stop. That%26#39;s a longish T ride in but it%26#39;s mostly outdoors. Newton is very suburban. There%26#39;s the Holiday Inn near Coolidge Corner in Brookline, too. Brookline isn%26#39;t technically Boston, but it%26#39;s the city--an affluent, nice suburb full of apartments/condos and some very lovely single homes. The Coolidge Corner area is very nice, very walkable and pleasant but there%26#39;s traffic. As the previous poster said, it%26#39;s hard to know what you%26#39;re looking for (or to avoid). If you want to avoid a city feel, then Cambridge, Dorcheter and Brookline are all citified areas. If you want something suburban, then Quincy or Newton or Malden/Medford/Melrose might be more your cup of tea.

Why not consider a hotel on the waterfront?? It is part of Boston but not really downtown and certainly not like New York City if that is your preconceived perception. Except for the Intercontinental or the Westin Waterfront hotels, there are many waterfront hotels with restaurants nearby or in close proximity to the North End and Quincy Market. Connections by subway, taxi or by walking make the waterfront area accessible to any place in the city or the suburbs. I do not know your reasons for not wanting to stay downtown but you have much more access to everything the city has to offer without the travel time. To reiterate, the waterfront is not downtown. Boston is a compact city and you can walk almost anywhere. If you have a car, then parking is costly everywhere except the Midtown Hotel and a few B%26amp;Bs and the suburbs.

Edgers: Please advise some names of hotels on the waterfront to look into. My main reason for not staying downtown is, frankly, to avoid those ridiculous parking fees.

Thank you everyone else for your helpful suggestions!

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