Directions to MIT
From Logan Airport
By Taxi:
Taxi fare from the airport is about $15. Under normal traffic conditions the taxi ride will take about 15 minutes.
By Subway:
From any terminal at Logan Airport, take the Silver Line bus to South Station. At South Station, take the red line subway towards Alewife Station. Get off at the Kendall/MIT Station (take the outbound train toward Alewife). Under normal conditions the ride will take about one-half hour.
By Car:
The drive from Logan Airport can be rather nasty, depending on traffic conditions. Take the main exit from the airport (not the Ted Williams Tunnel) and follow the signs toward Boston via the Sumner Tunnel. The Tunnel toll is us $2. As you exit the tunnel, turn right onto the expressway (93 north). Take the second exit, marked 'Storrow Drive West'. Immediately take the right fork of the road to a stoplight. Turn left, then immediately turn right and drive over the Charles River. The Boston Museum of Science will be on your left. Turn left at the next stoplight onto Memorial Drive. Follow Memorial Drive for about a half mile and MIT will be on your right side.
From the North (I-95 or I-93)
If you are heading South on I-93, follow I-93 into Boston then follow the I-93 instructions below. If you are heading South on I-95, take the I-93 South exit then follow the instructions from I-93. alternatively, take the I-90 East exit from I-95 then follow the instructions from I-90.
From the South (I-95 or I-93)
If you are heading North on I-93, follow I-93 (the Southeast Expressway) into Boston then follow the I-93 instructions below. If you are heading North on I-95, take the I-93 North exit then follow the instructions from I-93. Alternatively, take the I-90 East exit from I-95 then follow the instructions from I-90
From the West (I-90) (Mass Turnpike)
Follow I-90 East to the Cambridge/Brighton exit (Exit 18). Following the signs to Cambridge, Cross the River Street Bridge, and continue straight about 1 mile to Central Square. Turn right onto Massachusetts Avenue and follow Massachusetts Avenue for about a half mile. The main entrance to MIT will be on your left. If you cross the river again, you have gone too far.
From Route I-93
From I-93, take exit 26, and follow the signs to Back Bay along Storrow Drive West, approximately 1.5 miles, to the exit for Route 2a. The exit will be on the left, just before the Harvard Bridge (more appropriately called the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge). The Charles River will be on your right. As you cross the bridge, you will be looking at MIT - the great dome and academic facilities are on the right, the dormitories and athletic facilities are on the left.
By Hood Blimp
Take the blimp to the tall building with all the glass windows (that would be the Hancock Tower). Head North over the Charles River and have them put you down on top of the large, convex, concrete structure on the north shore of the river (that would be the great dome of MIT). Watch out for police cars on the roof.
Parking
Parking in Cambridge and Boston is generally not an enjoyable experience. Whenever possible, park your car at the hotel at which you are staying, and use public transportation to get to the MIT ampus. If you must drive to the campus, there are both on- and off-street parking available, but most public parking is not very close to the center of the MIT campus (unless you arrive early in the morning or late in the evening).
There is unmetered parking on Memorial Drive (most of the spaces fill up at around 8:00 am), and metered parking on Massachusetts Avenue.
There are a number of lots at which you may park for a fee. These include a lot at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street, Park and Lock on Third Street, Kinney Systems at 4 Cambridge Center (entrances on Ames Street and Broadway), and Kinney Systems at Ten Cambridge Center (entrances from Broadway and Binney Street).
Directions to the GTL
From the Marriott Hotel, Kendall Square
Exit the hotel through the doors facing MIT and cross the street (Main Street). Turn right on Main Street and pass a set of traffic lights (Ames Street). Keeping going straight on Main Street until you come to another set of lights and a parking garage; you are on the corner of Main Street and Vassar Street. Turn left on Vassar Street. (Construction work may necessitate your crossing the street.)
Continue approximately 3/4 of the way down the block. You will pass a building with an all glass front on the left, some tall shrubs, then a driveway on your left side. Follow the driveway underneath the building. As you come out, you will see a building on your right with a fire escape. This is the GTL. The main entrance is to the left of the fire escape; going around the trees and the lawn, you will come to the ramp and the main door. Over the door the inscription will read "Sloan Automotive Laboratory". Come up three flights of stairs (top floor, no elevator) and we are in 31-264, to your left.
From the Intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street
At the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street, there is a parking lot adjacent to a Fleet Bank ATM. (There is a fee to park in the lot.) Exiting the lot, with the parking lot attendant to your right, take a left toward Vassar Street. At the lights, cross the street so that the parking lot is behind you. Take a left on Vassar Street and you will pass a driveway with a chain across it. Keep going until you come to another driveway. Follow the driveway in; you will see a guard-house on your left and a fire escape on your right. This is GTL. The main entrance is to the left of the fire escape; going around the trees and the lawn, you will come to the ramp and the main door. Over the door the inscription will read "Sloan Automotive Laboratory". Come up three flights of stairs (top floor, no elevator) and we are in 31-264, to your left.
