Boston Work

If you live in Massachusetts then you’ve been to Boston at least a few times in your life. In my experience, it is generally a trip for fun. I park down at the Coast Guard station (because it’s free) and I walk up the north end for Italian, pastries and access to everything else. As of current I am really blessed to be able to have a job that allows me to travel and work in other locations on their dime. Although Boston is really not much of a trip for me, the experience from fun to business is far different than I could have imagined. Unfortunately, the obsessive planner I am, I was in no way prepared for my week in Boston. I share with you: When in Boston for work – by Jen. Now most who travel for work quite often will probably think I am silly for my mistakes, but if you’re like me and it’s your first time – well, you’re welcome. 🙂

My Hotel
I won’t share with you where I stayed because it really was quite nice and the staff were wonderful. However, upon arriving to said hotel in sort of the middle of Boston, I was not prepared to learn that my company would be charged $50 a night for my car to be parked there. Apparently it is bizarre to come to a hotel with your vehicle and expect to keep it there…so….there’s lesson numero uno – if you’re going to stay in Boston…maybe don’t… or at least make sure parking is included in your hotel stay.

Free Breakfast is Everything
The first few days in Boston I was up by 5. Being able to shoot down at 6:30 for a full breakfast or even just as much coffee as I could ever desire was so awesome. Plus, I could stash fruit or pastries in my room for when I got back in the afternoon and had to wait for food. I don’t eat lunch when I’m working so I’m dying of starvation when I walk through the door – free breakfast is life.

The USS Constitution
I love history. What I do not love is being scared shitless within the first 24 hours of my hotel stay to what sounds like a bomb going off. First off I’m in Boston, for those who do not remember, there was a bombing during the Boston Marathon in 2013. The week I stayed in Boston was the week prior to the Boston Marathon for this year (which takes place tomorrow btw). After two nights at the hotel and realizing that this bombing sound was taking place twice a day around the same time I went to Google for some help. Turns out, it is the USS Constitution maintaining a tradition it has done every day for over 200 years…firing the cannons. The USS Constitution happen to pretty much be outside my window. After figuring out what it was, I have to say it was a more welcomed sound than before.

Bring an Umbrella and Better Shoes
The first day I was in Boston it rained…all day. I didn’t have an umbrella with me and since I did in fact have to walk everywhere I was soaked by the end of the day. And if you think “oh a CVS..they should have an umbrella!” you will be wrong. So bring your own umbrella. Also bring good walking shoes. I don’t wear heels for work, I wear pumps, and while they are actually quite comfortable to walk in and give me just enough height to be taken seriously – they are not meant to be walked through Boston….on cobblestone….wet cobblestone….for 3 miles….just don’t do it. My boss told me about a shoe line called Lifestride that specializes in dress shoes for this purpose and she swears by them. I shall definitely be ordering a pair for myself.

The Early Bird Gets the Best Parking
If you’re like me, at least the first two days, and you’ve never used a transportation app, a taxi, a bus, or a train – or you don’t like being on anyone else’s time (also me) and so you insist on driving and parking your car in Boston, you better be up before everyone else. Parking prices are ridiculous and honestly they can be – because you have to park. A lot of the parking garages will offer super cheap prices if you park your car before a certain time. Don’t be misled though, if you think you’re the only one trying to get that $27 all day parking before 9am you will be sadly mistaken. It’s like black Friday at Best Buy but a Boston parking version – literally.

Door Dash & Uber – They Are Your Best Friends
I’m not an app girl, I don’t have snap chat, Instagram, I have a Twitter for my blog that I use only for that and the app isn’t even on my phone, I don’t have the Facebook app on my phone, I hate Alexa, and I couldn’t tell you anything about these new payment apps, I’m also the only one in the world it seems that doesn’t have an IPhone – go figure. So for me the thought of buckling down and learning this Uber thing was a brain battle, I just didn’t want to. After two days of parking and walking all over Boston I realized not only was I aggravated at the parking prices, the traffic and all the walking, I was also wasting time trying to do all those things. I bit the bullet and downloaded Uber – best. idea. ever. It was insanely cheap, super quick, and amazingly convenient. Needless to say I won’t be using anything else on my trips. In the evening for dinner I was running into the same issue. Sit in traffic, search for parking, pay $20 plus dollars for a five minute trip into a restaurant to grab food. Thus I downloaded Door Dash – also. best. idea. ever. That’s really all I have to say about that!

GPS, Don’t Mind if I Do
If you’re going to be walking Boston and you’re not familiar with the area, you’re going to rely heavily on your GPS. Frankly yes you could Uber to every single destination but the money will add up. For me, I was stopping at about 5-8 places at a time, times that by $7-$10 depending on the time of day and I would have been better off parking. I will say that my GPS would tend to get a little confused so I would have to use landmarks or businesses more than what the GPS itself was telling me to do. All in all it was super helpful and I didn’t have to look stupid asking for directions.

I actually had a great time in Boston despite the learning curve and I’m already planning my next few weeks back. This time I’ll be rocking it! ❤