Boston hotel choice

First off, just to be clear: Most of Harvard University is in or near Harvard Square, but there are some outlying parts. (the Business school is in allston, and the medical school is in Boston, for example.) I'm assuming the program is in the Harvard Square area.

I left Boston/Cambridge 35 years ago, so I can't really talk about the area where the Boston Seaport District hotel is. I think that's a somewhat rejuvenated neighborhood but it's a bit of a slog to get to Harvard Square from there. The Doubletree is actually within a long walk of Harvard square: about 1.3 miles according to google maps. So I'm thinking you'd find the Doubletree much more convenient. And with a shuttle, that's even better.

I do see that there's a Trader Joe's not too far from the DoubleTree: it's across the river, and about a 13 minute walk from the Doubletree (1/2 mile according to google maps). By the way, there's a Courtyard Marriott right next to that Trader Joe's, though I'm guessing you already considered it and ruled it out based on price, amenities, availability or something else. Just thought I would mention it.

Staying way over in the Seaport hotel sounds too far to me personally, but this is your trip and your money, so you have to decide based on your own preferences. I guess you could list out the pros and cons of each and make a choice based on that?

Also, I don't know what you are planning to do while your daughter is in the program; are you the type who just likes to stay in their room and read/watch TV, or do you plan to get out and explore the area? The last time I was in Boston was 2019, and we stayed in an apartment on Beacon Hill. I had hurt my achilles tendon and so couldn't walk too far, but I could ride a bike with no issues; Boston had started a bike sharing program called "Blue Bikes" and I signed up for a membership (which I cancelled after my trip) and this allowed us to rent bikes for transportation. You can only keep the bikes for a relatively short amount of time (perhaps 2 hours?) but it was absolutely great for getting around. We rode from Beacon Hill to Harvard Square, etc. Very convenient, and there were lots of bikes available.

I don't know if the Blue Bikes program is still going on and if it's as good (in terms of bike availability, etc.) but it's something I wanted to mention.

One more thing: Boston in July can be quite humid, so you might want to factor that in to your plans.

And I don't know if your diabetes lets you eat ice cream, but Boston/Cambridge historically has great ice cream shops.

I hope you have a great trip!

Thanks Tony!

I will definitely be seeing the sites while my daughter is at her program! I'll be all over the place, I saw that the commuter train even goes to Hyannis and Providence and Salem. I'll be very busy. (And we're staying a few extra days so she'll get to see the sites too)

I'm leaning toward the Doubletree. It just seems more convenient. Thanks for the info about Trader Joe's, that's very useful. I may try out those bikes too.

MaryC, Lucky you! Boston has a ton of things to do. One thing not often mentioned is the Ware collection of glass flowers in Harvard's Natural History Museum. It is a fantastic collection of glass artwork, well worth a visit. We enjoyed looking at the historic buildings of Harvard.

When we were in Boston we also took the T to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, visited the lovely Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the MIT museum (mostly science), and took a tour of Fenway Park. If staying near Harvard the Ware collection and MIT museum are walkable. And we walked from the Gardener museum to Fenway Park also. It wasn't a hot day, however. Of course, the Freedom trail is always good, but I would stretch it over two days. You will not be bored while your daughter is occupied with her program. I hope there is time for her to share some of the sightseeing with you.
I feel access to the T would be a big part of my choice of where to stay.

Judy, my daughter will have the weekend before, and the Saturday after her program to site see. So we'll do whatever she wants on those days, and I'll do other things by myself.

Thanks for your wonderful suggestions, the glass artwork sounds really interesting. I've always wanted to see Boston. I was in the area a couple of years ago and saw John Adams' birthplace in Quincy, and went to Plymouth and saw the Mayflower replica and the Pilgrim village. But I didn't get into the city. So this is going to be really fun, as long as I can figure out the transportation!

My daughter lives in Cambridge and I used to live in Charlestown. Stay in Cambridge. Nothing wrong with the Seaport, but it's just not well situated for your daughter's program. Is she staying on campus or with you? A couple of years ago I stayed at the Ginkgo House B&B in Cambridge (about half-way between Harvard and MIT). At the time it had a full kitchen for guests to use. It recently changed hands and was updated so I don't know if it still has the kitchen. But it might be worth checking out. https://www.ginkgo.house/
Another hotel with a full kitchen is the Cambridge Residence Inn. It's further away from Harvard but close to the Kendall/MIT T station. If you go a little further out towards Porter Square, also on the red line, you may find other options - and Porter Square Books and Bagelsaurus.

Definitely go to the Harvard Natural History Museum. Also check out the Harvard Art Museum. A donor recently gave it a significant donation so admission is free. My favorite museum is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

The one in the Seaport district is not very convenient but not a horrible choice. The Seaport district is newly developed are and lacks charm and history. There are lots of restaurants and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Rose Kennedy Greenway, and Fan Pier Park. You have a ~15minute walk to the Silver line, which is technically an extension of the subway but is actually a bus and gets stuck in traffic often (also it may be full of people with luggage that are going to/from the airport). Alternatively, you can walk ~25-30 minutes across the bridge to reach South Station. However you choose to get to South Station, you can take the red line subway to Harvard Square. South Station is also walking distance to many tourist attractions and close to other subway lines that will take you all over the city. And yes, you can take the commuter rail to visit other cities. Just be mindful that the commuter rail schedules are meant for commuters and may not run frequently.

We found the T to be great, as we were staying a bit outside in a Polish neighborhood (Sunday masses had some in Polish) due to Boston's expensive hotel rates, and the ride into town was just fine. We got some kind of pass for the T, but it's been too long for me to remember much about that. This was some time ago and we were on a budget. (Flew there on miles, so that was cheap!)

When down by the Boston Common you can relax there or explore nearby neighborhoods. We had dinner a couple of times in the Little Italy neighborhood, and once at Legal Seafood (there's more than one I think). We went up the Prudential Tower for a panoramic view of the city, but I see they now charge $35.00 to go up! The Custom House Tower is free and may be a better bet, but you need to reserve.

We also took public transportation to Concord one day and went to Old Hill Burying Ground, but missed Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Hawthorne, Thoreau, Emerson and Alcott buried there), another sight to visit in Concord. Took the train one day to Plymouth and were a bit disappointed, although a tour of a cranberry processing plant and bog were interesting. (We did enjoy lime rickys while in Plymouth, and hubby had a lobster roll, so it wasn't a complete waste.) We did all our touring on our own...easy to do....but there may be some group tours that will suit your wishes.

As I said, you will have plenty to do! Enjoy!

Buses and subway are now tap-and-pay but not for the commuter rail.

If the math make sense, you can look into passes:
https://www.mbta.com/fares

Thanks everyone for your help, I think I'm going to go with the Doubletree which is closer to Harvard and has a shuttle. I appreciate all of the tips and suggestions!