You might want to try the Marriot in Newton:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/tra ... tt-newton/
It's near the highway, but right against the Charles River. Quiet, pretty. It's 3 miles from the Riverside Green Line terminal. Massive parking lot. Park for (?) $5 and take the green line straight into Boston.
http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/ ... -71.252327
What to see:
-If you are around on Saturday, get on the inbound Green Line, and stop off at the Newton Centre station and walk a couple blocks over to "The Hut", where George sensei taught for years and years. I think Paul Gella and Vinnie Christiano are still leading the workout for a crew over there every Saturday around 10 AM. After class, you can hang out for lunch with them, or take the train inbound to Park Square in Boston Common/Downtown.
-Walk the Freedom Trail from downtown to the north end
-Fanuel market or North End to have lunch/dinner
-New Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) on the South waterfront is a funky place and you walk over from there to the new Legal Seafoods Restaurant (600 seats) and have dinner overlooking the Boston Harbor
-Take a nice long walk from Boston Public Garden (across from the Boston Common) up Boylston or Newbury Street through the tonier Back Bay shopping area. You'll go by Copley Square and the Copley Library - first public library in America. Walk far enough, you actually get to Kenmore Square and Fenway Park (which, BTW, is also on the Riverside Green Line)
-The Park Square station is a MBTA subway hub. Switch over to the Red Line, and take a train up to Harvard Square. Not as funky as in the past with little shops and music clubs being taken over by corporations, but the weekends usually has some interesting street performers
-Take a harbor cruise of the historical Harbor Islands. Some interesting forts and fantastic views of the Boston skyline. The launch is on a wharf next the Boston Aquarium. Or skip the cruise and visit the Aquarium (also a smaller Legals Seafood restaurant right next to the Aquarium, or the restaurants in the nearby Fanuel Hall Market place)
-Also can take a drive from the Hotel, right next to Route 128, and hear over to Lexington/Concord to see the first battleground of the American Revolution
Just some of the possibilities.
If you don't/can't stay at the Marriot Newton, look for any hotel near one of the MBTA train terminal stations, as these all have massive, cheap parking. Stations include: Alewive or Braintree (Red Line), Malden (Orange Line) or Revere (Blue Line).
david
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