Crash Course BOSTON Essential Guide to Transportation Shopping

Crash Course BOSTON: Essential Guide to Transportation, Shopping, Entertainment, and Culture

Introduction • How to put BOSTON into Boston College • Where are you living? Brighton Brookline Newton Chestnut Hill Beyond?

Boston College and Its Neighborhoods • The BC shuttle is the quickest way to get around the area immediately surrounding campus and to the MBTA (public transportation) • Bordering Streets: Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street • Take a look at the map in your Orientation brochure

The T: Your Friend • The easiest away to get around Boston, even if you have a car, is to take the T • Charlie Cards have a better price • Discount on monthly pass from BC Office of Transportation • MBTA website can help you plan your trip

MBTA trip planner

The Green Line • Three different lines run near BC and through the surrounding neighborhoods: • B Line (last stop is Boston College; goes along Comm. Ave toward downtown; can be painfully slow) • C Line (leaves from Cleveland Circle; goes along Beacon St. toward downtown) • D Line (has Reservoir and Chestnut Hill Stops)

LOCAL HOT SPOTS • Cleveland Circle • Coolidge Corner • Brighton Center • Newton Center • Harvard Ave. on B Line • Harvard Square, Cambridge

Newton Center • Great local stores • Sol Azteca • Union Street Bar & Grill • Johnny’s Luncheonette • Sandwich Works • Panera Bread • Starbucks • J. P. Licks

Chestnut Hill by way of Hammond Street • Chestnut Hill Shopping Center: Macy’s, City Sports, The Container Store, AMC, La Rotisserie, and Comella’s • Chestnut Hill Mall: Bloomingdale’s, Apple, Upscale Boutiques (kate spade) • Atrium Mall: Anthropologie, GAP, J. Crew, Restaurants • Star Market on Hammond Street (Rte. 9)

Cleveland Circle • Accessible by Shuttle--Reservoir Stop • C Line begins here; D Line has stop at Reservoir • Conveniences: Banking, CVS, Hardware Store, Tedeschi • Restaurants: Pino’s / Presto’s Pizza, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Eagle’s Deli, Chill • Bars: City Side, Roggie’s, Mary Ann’s

WASHINGTON SQUARE • Grocery Stores: Star Market, Whole Foods • Restaurants: Publick House, American Craft, Washington Square Tavern, The Fireplace, American Craft, Rod Dee, Athan’s Bakery • Conveniences: Starbucks, Connelly Hardware, Liquor Store, Banking, Shoe Repair, Marathon Sports, Movie Works

Harvard/BRIGHTON AVENUE • Harvard Avenue Stop on the B line • Staples, TJ Maxx, Kelly’s Roast Beef, S&I Thai, La Mama’s, Starbucks, Pita Pit • Several Popular Bars • Great Scott’s • Big City • Sunset Grill • Common Ground • Barley Hall (Griggs St. on B Line: GSA Grad Night Out!)

Coolidge Corner • Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop • Coolidge Corner Theater • Brookline Booksmith • Zaftig’s, J. P. Licks • Shopping conveniences

Other B Line Attractions • Packard’s Corner: Large Shaw’s/Star Market • Boston University Stops (lots of bars, restaurants): T Anthony’s, T’s Pub, Super 88/Hong Kong Supermarket, Brown Sugar • Charles River trail • City Sports, EMS, Landry’s Bicycles • Kenmore Square: Fenway Park, Eastern Standard, Barnes & Noble, Uno’s, Bertucci’s, Post Office, Banks, Sports Bars

Brighton Center • Located within walking distance to BC • 57 Bus Line • St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, YMCA • Bars: Green Briar, Porterbelly’s, The Last Drop • Restaurants: Devlin’s, Brighton Beer Garden, Smoken Joe’s BBQ • Coffee: Cafe. Nation, Athan’s Bakery, Starbucks • Conveniences: Banking, Post Office, Hair Salons, Flower Shops, CVS, White Hen Pantry • Johnny D’s Fruit and Vegetable Stand

Along the D Line • Brookline Village • Matt Murphy’s, Sichuan Garden, Village Smokehouse • Local Conveniences • Fenway Stop: • Regal Cinemas • Bed, Bath and Beyond • Best Buy • Staples • Cold Stone Creamery • Blick Art Supplies • Panera Bread

CAMBRIDGE • Must see with tons of shops, restaurants, Harvard University, MIT (Kendall Sq. ) • Notable stops: Harvard Film Archive, The Raven, Schoenhof’s, Grendel’s Den • Cambridge One for gourmet pizza and Border Café for great margaritas, Sole; Vegetarians hit Veggie Planet (Harvard Sq) and Life Alive (Central Sq. ) • Shopping, unique boutiques • Great movie scene

The 86 Bus • Leaves from Reservoir Station (BC Shuttle stops here) • Goes through Brighton Center at Market Street, Watertown, to Harvard • Target, Old Navy, Best Buy, Arsenal Mall are accessible at the Western Ave/Arsenal Rd. Stop

Downtown Boston • Fenway Park: take B or D Line (Fenway stop or Kenmore Stop) • Boston Marathon • Symphony Hall (Boston Pops) • Hynes Convention Center • Museum of Fine Arts (E Line) • The Esplanade (Charles River)

Downtown boston • City Hall and Faneuil Hall • Prudential Center • Newbury & Boylston Streets • Upscale shopping, AMC Theatres • Boston Common and Public Garden • Boston Public Library, Athenaeum membership library

Other boston neighborhoods • North End • South Boston “Southie” • Charlestown • Jamaica Plain • Dorchester

Beyond Boston • Beaches, Skiing, Hiking • Buses to New York City • Canada, Upstate New York • Cape Cod (Bus or 1. 5 hour drive) • Cape Ann (Rockport, Gloucester) • Basketball Hall of Fame • North Shore (Marblehead, Salem); Newburyport, Portsmouth • “Leaf Peeping” in Vermont, White Mountains in New Hampshire • Apple Picking, Walden Pond, Tanglewood, Salem, the Berkshires

Family-friendly boston (and Beyond) • Frog Pond year-round • Museum of Science, Children’s Museum, Aquarium, Franklin Park & Stoneham Zoos • Harvest Festivals, Cranberry Bogs, Apple Picking • Old Sturbridge Village

Free things to do • http: //www. boston. com • Harvard Sq. : street performers, Harvard Book Store • The Freedom Trail • Tours of Sam Adams Brewery (Jamaica Plain) • Admission to MFA for BC students • Mass Historical Society, Mass State House • Tours of Boston Public Library, Institute for Contemporary Art • Arnold Arboretum (Orange Line) • Wine Tastings at Best Cellars (Coolidge) • Brookline Liquor: • All you can drink beer tastings on Fri • All you can drink wine tastings on Sat • Mass DCR Parks and Beaches

Student Discounts • Coupon Sites • • Groupon: www. groupon. com Buy With Me: www. buywithme. com Living Social Deal: www. livingsocial. com Coup. Me: www. coupme. com • Restaurant. com: Google “ 80% discount”! • Upromise by Sallie Mae: www. upromise. com • Student Advantage Discount Card: http: //www. studentadvantage. com/ • AMC Loews Theatres: Thursdays =$8. 50 • Student Universe (travel): www. studentuniverse. com • When In Doubt: Always Ask!

Questions? • Contact us! • Murray Graduate Student Center gsc@bc. edu or www. bc. edu/gsc • Graduate Student Association: www. bc. edu/gsa • Facebook: “Boston College Graduate Student Association (GSA)” • Twitter: BC_GSA • Executive Board Members: • Director of Advocacy and Outreach: Victoria Pineiro • Director of Programming: Emily Halstead • Director of Finances: Jon Piron