Driving to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
This first post discusses how to drive to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA from the north (NH).
My husband, Ron, was given a choice for consultations between driving to Lebanon, NH or Boston, MA. His immediate choice was the longer but easier commute to Lebanon, NH up route 89. My immediate choice was Boston, MA. Ron will NOT drive in Boston. The only way he would go there is if I drove him. That was decided very quickly when I told Dr. Buff from New Hampshire Oncology-Hematology PA that we would be going to Boston since I would be driving.
Driving from NH into Boston, MA we knew would be a challenge. Congestion is a constant in certain areas at all times on 93 North and South. Knowing that vehicle traffic can be lighter from 10 AM – 2 PM, we opted to have afternoon appointments.
We leave the house 75 minutes before a 2 PM appointment. I have found that I drive very different in Massachusetts that anywhere else in the United States!
Traveling down 93 South at 12:45 PM has been a fairly smooth drive until we reach Exit 20. We need to take a right at Exit 18, however, just before that exit, there are merging lanes. You want to be in the very right lane as you near Exit 18. Once you take Exit 18 to Storrow Drive, there are 2 lanes. I tend to move into the left lane. The 2 lanes will merge into one before opening up to 2 lanes again. You will want to merge into the left lane as soon as possible. The road will curve and you will need to be in the left lane to go into the short tunnel onto RT-28 South toward RT-3 North, Storrow Drive.
If you can, try to move into the left lane before coming out of that tunnel. Once out, there will be a merging lane on the right. This can back up traffic.
Stay in the left lane. Once it opens up to to 3 lanes, stay in the middle lane. The left lane will be an exit only lane for the Copley Square area. After the left exit for Copley Square, you can move over to the left most lane or stay in the middle lane. Follow the signs for Fenway and Kenmore Square Exit.
This is a 2 mile stretch with people weaving in and out of lanes due to the lower speed limit. It is important to stay in either the left or middle lane. The right lane will be an exit only lane that you will not want to take.
As you near the left exit toward Fenway, slow down since it is a sharp curve. Here is where people take the wrong exit or in the incorrect lane for where they need to be. As you take this sharp left, there is a quick right exit that you DO NOT want.
After taking this sharp left curve, stay in the right lane. There will be merging traffic on your right. As you get closer to the light signal, there is another merging lane on your right. You will need the right turn after this merge.
Take the light that will take you to Boylston Street. There is a light shortly after making the turn. The light is set up strangely. The left lane can have a red light to make a left turn but show a green arrow to go slightly to the right. If you are in the left lane, you could get stuck waiting for the red portion of the light to turn green to allow cars to make the left turn onto Park Drive. Although it may seem to be a longer way going 25 miles/hour, it is a less frustrating way to go that I highly recommend you take. Stay in the left lane the entire way. At the light at the major intersection, you need to be in the left lane to take a left turn onto Brookline Ave.
If you do take the slight right down Boylston Street, you will want to be in the left lane. The right lane always has busses stopping, garbage trucks stopped and/or food delivery services stopping abruptly without parking and will leave cars to navigate around them or be stuck waiting until they finally move.
From Boylston Street, at the light after the Star Market on your left, you will continue straight (slight left) that will take you onto Brookline Ave. If you are coming from Park Drive take the left turn onto Brookline Ave. Once on Brookline Ave, stay in the left lane. Busses stop and go in the right lane.
At the light where Longwood Galleria is on the left (Sweetgreen is on the right corner), stay straight ensuring you are in the left lane. You will pass the Joslin Diabetes Center on your right. At the light directly in front of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital on your right, you will take a left onto Jimmy Fund Way.
Once on Jimmy Fund Way, Dana Farber is on your right. There is a small area to drop off patients. Directly after the drop off area take the right to go down into the parking garage for Dana Farber.
When you take your parking ticket, be sure not to put it near your mobile phone. This will demagnetize the ticket. (This has happened to me twice.) The first 2 floors are for valet parking. I have not used valet and can not speak to how that works.
Continue down to floors 3 through 6. You will need to take wide turns to ensure those coming up have room to make the turn. If you have a small vehicle it is easy to navigate and park in the spaces. If you have a large vehicle of truck, it will be harder to navigate but not impossible.
Each floor has an electronic board displaying the number of parking spots available on that floor. When coming down the ramp to the next floor, you take a left and circle through. I recommend NOT parking in the first area since the elevators for patients is in the larger area where you drive across instead of continuing down the ramp a lower level.
The best parking, in my opinion, is on a floor that shows at least 20+ parking spaces available and either next to the elevators or along the wall where the parking is along one entire side of your vehicle. Many of the other spaces have concrete poles to work around when opening your car doors or people who take too much space and overlap into 2 parking spots.
Be sure to bring your parking ticket into the hospital with you. At one of the check-in areas they will ask you if have parking to validate. Give them the ticket to validate. The most you will pay is $12/ day.
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