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I am searching for a efficent, small, reasonable accomodation in the downtown Boston area for a week in the summer. Can anyone recommend a place?

Thanks!

Like many popular city destinations, Boston isn't cheap. With the good weather, comes the tourists. Hotels can be very pricey. Your best bet may be the

HI Hostel Fenway

I think this is where Michy_b stayed around Christmas.

The other standby option of course is Craigslist.
Good luck.

Try couchsurfing.com if you are used to that type of "accommodation"

HI Fenway is a good option. I've known a few travelers who've stayed there and I've been in the lobby and kitchen, both looked decent. It's in the Northeastern University neighborhood (my old stomping grounds!), and there are people in school there year-round, so it won't be as dead as some other parts of the city are in the summer.

I also know booties who have had huge success with hotels.com for cheap, last minute, accom in Boston. If you're traveling with someone, you might find a hotel for near the same price as two dorm beds. Be careful with the neighborhoods though, you might want to check with a local before booking.

There's very few bad neighborhoods in Boston and the 'dangerous' areas are like Cleveland's safe areas. I live in Chelsea which most people around here fear, but it's a nice family-oriented Hispanic neighborhood. The Fenway area is the most disturbing area due to all the drunk, idiot Red Sox fans, though I think the hostel is away from that (isn't in near Berklee?). Overall, Boston is a very pleasant and safe city.

"Chelsea which most people around here fear, but it's a nice family-oriented Hispanic neighborhood. "

While that may be true it is also noted for it's crime rate, drug problems, horrible school system as well as it's poverty.
The only good thing is that, there is a great place to get Steak Tips, The New Bridge Cafe. Other than that stay on the other side of the Bridge.

People in the suburbs here are afraid of certain areas of this city for no good reason. That is a fact. My dad brings a gun everytime he comes to visit me in Chelsea, which is a complete overreaction.

Forgive for trying to give a more accurate picture of this great city.

And as for Red Sox fans, I actually let them off easy. A more obnoxious group of people would be very difficult to imagine.

Well, first off, my suggestion about checking into the 'hood first was *mostly* T-related. The new Best Western over by the medical center and some of the cheaper places in Somerville, Malden, Chelsea, etc. are just not visitor-without-car-friendly.

Part of my warning was about safety, but you're right, there are some parts people overreact to. I lived on Mission Hill, near Roxbury Crossing and the Park St projects for a while. I got annoyed at having to constantly reassure people I was safe. That being said, I wouldn't cross St. Alphonsus St, get off at Roxbury Crossing or walk through the projects after dark. It's just not safe. Given that this kind of awareness of a one-block difference between safe and not-so-safe is something only a local could know, it's usually a good idea to check with a local before booking a cheaper hotel, no matter what city it is. On another note, you have to remember things are also in a constant state of change in Boston. Mission Hill is full of students now, Chelsea is also on the upswing, but these places USED to be terrible, scary places.

Anyway, this is all really and we should get back to the cheap accom discussion.

Oh yeah, that and you should come to the next mini-Boston meetup

quote:

There's very few bad neighborhoods in Boston and the 'dangerous' areas are like Cleveland's safe areas.

Like that BillE? I'm from Akron, so no part of Boston looks bad to me.