GUIDE
BOSTON
3-WEEK BASICS TO LIVE IN BOSTON
FOOD Grocery stores & food courts
TRANSPORTATION Traveling with a tight budget
SHOPPING & TOURISM Nearby shopping malls &Â places to go
BOSTON GUIDE
This guide was created thinking of you because we know how busy the GCLOG program can keep you. We present the basics but must-to-know tips regarding food, transportation, shopping malls, tourism and others for this 3-week challenging but rewarding experience.
FOOD Where to Eat at Campus Two of the most popular places amongst GCLOGers 2017 were: 100 Main Marketplace Located in the Sloan School of Management, 100 Main Marketplace serves breakfast, lunch, and early evening meals. The menu includes made-to-order hot breakfast, panini sandwiches, and stir fry. 100 Main also offers a full grill menu including burgers, grilled chicken, and a large salad bar. Forbes Family CafÊ Forbes Family Cafe is in MIT's Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer Information and Intelligence Sciences for breakfast, lunch, or just a cup of coffee on the go. You can try their pizza, pasta, and sandwiches, or the full salad bar. There are also lots of food trucks outside the buildings. More retail dining places at MIT: https://studentlife.mit.edu/dining/retail-dining If you bring your own food, you can store it in the fridge of the Program’s Kitchen.
Where to Buy Groceries1 Here are some of the top-rated places to buy your groceries nearby campus. On Campus
1
http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/where-to-buy-food-mit-groceries-guide
• La Verde’s On-campus convenience store with basic eats plus a salad bar, all-day breakfast, sushi & sandwiches. Address: Stratton Student Center, 84 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 Hours: Open 24 hours Grocery Stores •
Trader Joe’s Grocery chain with a variety of signature items, plus produce, dairy & more (most sell wine & beer). There are two locations near campus. • Trader Joe’s on Memorial Drive Located in: Memorial Plaza Address: 748 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139 Hours: Open 8AM–10PM • Trader Joe’s on Boylston Street Address: 899 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02115 Hours: Open 9AM–10PM
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Whole Foods Eco-minded chain with natural & organic grocery items, housewares & other products (most sell wine). There are two locations near campus: • Whole Foods on Prospect Street Address: 115 Prospect St, Cambridge, MA 02139 Hours: Open 7AM–10:30PM • Whole Foods on River Street Address: 340 River St, Cambridge, MA 02139 Hours: Open 8AM–10PM
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Star Market Address: 20 Sidney St, Cambridge, MA 02139 Hours: Open 7AM–12AM
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HMart Asian grocery store chain supplying imported packaged foods & housewares plus readyto-serve meals. Address: 581 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Hours: Open 8AM–11PM •
Harvest Co-Op Community-owned supermarket specializing in carefully sourced produce, meats & dry goods. Address: 580 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 Hours: Open 7AM–10PM Groceries Savings App Basket Savings gives you the real-time information you need to find the best prices, sales and coupons at nearby stores.
Drinks • • • •
The Muddy Charles Pub. This bar is located in the MIT campus, you need to bring your MIT ID to get in. Cambridge Brewing Co John Harvard Brewery The Miracle of Science
TRANSPORTATION Getting Around MIT • • • •
MIT Campus Map MIT Mobile App MBTA Maps & Trip Planners MBTA monthly passes
Bus & Subway It is advisable to buy a Charlie Card to save money and have access to both services. You may check these two passes: Monthly LinkPass $84.50/month Valid on Subway plus Local Bus.
From Airport to MIT
Day/Week LinkPass $12.00 for 1 day $21.25 for 7 days
A taxi ride from the airport to the Residence Inn can cost you approx. USD $40. Once you arrive at Boston, you can take the Silver Line buses (Logan Airport - South Station via Waterfront) from Logan Airport which is free. This bus will connect you to the Red Line at South Station, then you can take the Red Line towards the station Kendall/MIT.
UBER UBER is a cheaper alternative to taxis, all you need is to download the app https://www.uber.com and connect it to your credit card. You may check the 1st free ride at https://www.uber.com/airports/
HUBWAY Bike Service If you want to rent a bike, you can try Hubway. You pick up a bike at any station around Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville, take as many short rides as you want while your pass or membership is active and then return your bike to any station. 24-Hour Pass $8 / day 24 hours of Hubway access
Monthly $20 / month Month-to-month flexibility
SHOPPING & TOURISM Where to shop near MIT •
MIT COOP The MIT COOP is where you can buy all your souvenirs with the MIT Logo, from shirts to clocks. Address: 325 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02142 Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:30 - 6:30 Saturday: 10:00 - 6:00
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Cambridgeside Galleria The closest shopping mall near Kendall/MIT station (20 min walk) is the CambridgeSide Galleria. There you can find an Apple Store, Best Buy, clothing and restaurants amongst others. You may have discounts on buying laptops on the Apple Store. Bring your MIT ID with you. Address: 100 Cambridgeside Pl, Cambridge, MA 02141 Hours: Mon–Sat 10am-9pm Sun 12pm-7pm
There is a free shuttle service between CambridgeSide Galleria and MBTA Kendall Square T Stop (Red Line) with a stop at Binney and Sixth Street near the Cambridge Police Station. The bus runs every 20 minutes from 9am to 8pm Monday through Saturday and 12pm to 7pm on Sunday. Other popular shopping malls can be found here: http://www.10best.com/destinations/massachusetts/boston/shopping/shopping-centersdistricts/
What to do in Boston Here are some of the wide variety of activities you can do at Boston. • Museum of Fine Arts • Museum of Science • Skywalk observatory • Freedom Trail (Make sure you try the lobster rolls at
Quincy Market) • • • • •
Charles River Kayak JFK Presidential Library Boston Public Garden Commonwealth Avenue/Back Bay Harvard Campus
OTHERS Where to Work Out We know that exercising boosts your productivity and lower stress. The MIT Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center is located in building W35 http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=W35. When you go to the gym, take an ID (student or government issued ID) along with the MIT Access card you will receive and you will be able to get the student day pass rate of $8/day.
Electric Power in the USA Electric power in the USA is set at 110 Volts and 60 cycles. Standard electric plugs, as illustrated on the image, have two flat blades. The plugs on some newer appliances have a thirdround grounding pin. If you bring any electrical appliance to the USA, you may need an adaptor to fit the US electrical receptacles. You may also need a converter to change the voltage from 110 volts to 220 volts.