Travel & Stay

Getting to Boston

By air

Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is the region's major airport, located about 3 miles (5 km) east of downtown Boston and roughly 4 miles (6.5 km) from the MIT campus in Cambridge. It has direct connections to most major hubs in North America, Europe, and Asia, making it the most common way for international and long-distance attendees to arrive.

By train

Boston is well served by Amtrak, with most trains arriving at Boston South Station in downtown Boston. South Station has direct high-speed Acela and regional Northeast Corridor service from New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and other Northeast cities, as well as connections from further afield. From South Station, it's a quick Red Line subway ride to the venue (see "Getting to the venue" below).

By car

If you're driving, MIT and Kendall Square are just off I-93 and Storrow Drive/Memorial Drive, on the Cambridge side of the Charles River. Note that parking in Kendall Square is limited and expensive — most nearby hotels and public garages charge daily rates, and given how walkable the area is and how easy the T (Boston's public transit system) is, driving is generally not necessary once you're in Boston.

By bus

Regional bus lines including Greyhound, Megabus, and FlixBus connect Boston to many Northeast US and Canadian cities, with most stops at or near South Station, from which you can continue to the venue via the Red Line.

Getting to the venue

AIR Workshop (10/27) at MIT

Venue: MIT Building E28, 4th Floor, 314 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142

From Logan Airport:

  • Subway (T station): Follow signs inside the terminal for the free Silver Line (SL1) bus, which runs from all terminals to South Station. At South Station, transfer to the Red Line (direction Alewife) and ride to Kendall/MIT — about 4 stops. Total travel time is roughly 30–35 minutes, and the fare is about $2.40 (the Silver Line leg from the airport is free).
  • Taxi / rideshare (Uber, Lyft): About 15–25 minutes depending on traffic, typically $30–45.

From South Station (Amtrak/bus arrivals): Take the Red Line (direction Alewife) directly to Kendall/MIT — about 4 stops, 10–15 minutes.

DCASE Workshop (10/28-10/29) at Tufts University

Venue: Breed Memorial Hall, Tufts University, 51 Winthrop St, Medford, MA 02155

  • Option 1: Take Red Line train to Davis Square and then take the Tufts University shuttle (every 30 mins) to the Carmichael Hall stop, and a short walk to Breed Memorial Hall. Details here (Including a live tracker of the shuttles)
  • Option 2: Take Green Line train to the Medford/Tufts stop and walk 5 minutes to the venue.
  • Option 3: Uber/Lyft from your hotel in Cambridge should be fast and inexpensive.
  • Parking: Park at the Tufts University Dowling Hall Garage. Automated payment on the first floor near the elevator. Street parking is also available.

Accommodation

The AIR Workshop, DCASE Workshop and SANE Workshop will be located in MIT and Tufts University. Cambridge, MA has a good range of hotels close to our venues, including Red Line stops such as Kendall Square, Davis Square, Porter Square, Central Square and Harvard Square. There is no official partner hotels for DCASE.

Public transport

Boston and Cambridge are served by the MBTA ("the T"), which includes subway (Red, Orange, Blue, Green Lines), buses, and the Silver Line rapid bus. For getting around during the workshop, the Red Line is what you'll use most, since it runs directly through Kendall/MIT and Central Square.

  • CharlieCard: A reusable, tappable fare card, the cheapest way to ride. Subway fares are around $2.40 per ride. CharlieCards can be picked up for free at subway stations with a CharlieCard machine, or you can use the mTicket / Charlie app on your phone.
  • Contactless payment: Many Red Line stations now also accept tap-to-pay with a contactless credit/debit card or phone at the fare gates.
  • Walking and biking: Kendall Square, MIT, and Central Square are compact and very walkable. Cambridge is also flat and bike-friendly, and the city's Bluebikes bike-share system has docking stations all around campus — day passes can be purchased directly at the kiosks or via the Bluebikes app.

Around MIT and Cambridge

Kendall Square has grown into one of the densest biotech and tech hubs in the world, but it's also become a genuinely good food and culture neighborhood in its own right — and Central Square, MIT's other neighboring square, has a livelier, more eclectic scene worth the 15-minute walk or one-stop T ride.

Coffee and food near the venue:

  • Tatte Bakery & Café (a Boston phenomenon), Blue Bottle Coffee, Flour Bakery + Café, Bakey (good babka), Toscanini's Ice Cream
  • Eastern Edge Food Hall — many quick bite options right next to the venue
  • Quick bites: CAVA, NAYA, Life Alive
  • Area Four (pizza), Cafe Luna, Shy Bird, Cicada, Pepper Sky's, MuLan Taiwanese Restaurant

Things to do:

  • MIT Museum — hands-on science and technology exhibits, a short walk from the venue.
  • Charles River Esplanade — a pleasant walk or run along the river, connecting Cambridge and Boston, with views of the Boston skyline.
  • Harvard Square — about 25 minutes on foot or a short bus ride from MIT, with Harvard's historic campus, bookshops, and its own dense restaurant scene.
  • Museum of Science — large interactive science museum, easily reached via public transit.
  • Freedom Trail and downtown Boston — the historic core of Boston, about 20–30 minutes away by subway, covering sites from the American Revolution.

Late October in Boston also means fall foliage season — if you have extra time, a short trip out to New England's countryside is a popular add-on for visiting researchers.

Map