Visitor Information

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A reduced rate for visitors to MIT is available at the Hyatt Regency, Marriott, and Sonesta hotels in Cambridge and at several Boston hotels, depending on the season. Visitors must request the MIT rate when reserving a room and when registering. Bed and breakfast accommodations are also available through numerous local and area agencies.

TravelWeb (http://www.travelweb.com) offers listings of hotel accomodations in the Boston area.

Contrary to popular belief, the buildings at MIT do, indeed, have names. But most people at MIT refer to the buildings by their numbers. And, also contrary to popular belief, there is logic to the way they are numbered.

When someone gives you a location at MIT they will use a format such as 10-250. The first part, 10 in this case, is the building number. The second part, 250 in this case, is the room number. The room number will also indicate on which floor the room is. In this case, the room is on the 2nd floor.

MIT buildings are numbered depending upon which section of campus they are. The campus is divided into six sections: central, west, north-west, north, north-east, and east. Use the campus map to find specific buildings or to find the names for buildings.

Buildings in the central section of campus have a number between 1 and 100. Buildings in the main section are further classified by their relation to Killian Court. In the main section, buildings east of Killian Court are even numbered, buildings west of Killian Court are odd numbered. Buildings north of the railroad tracks have an N preceding their number. Buildings west of Massachusetts Avenue have a W preceeding their number. Buildings east of Ames Street have an E preceeding their number.

Snacks and meals are available in the Student Center and in the Walker Memorial Dining Hall. There are restaurants and small eating places in the Kendall Square area of the campus and in the local hotels adjacent to the campus. A List of Area Restaurants and Menus of Local Restaurants are available in hypertext format.

A calendar of events is published in the Tech Talk newspaper almost all Wednesdays during the school year. Copies are available in the Information Center, Building 7-121. The Office of the Arts has current calendars for upcoming Arts events around MIT. The following 24-hour numbers are available for recorded information on current arts events:

          Arts (all events)                 253-ARTS
          Concerts                          253-9800
          List Visual Arts Center           253-4680
          MIT Museum                        253-4444
          Theater Arts                      253-4720

Copies of the Access: A Guide to Facilities for Persons with Disabilities are available from the Information Center, Building 7-121.

Parking is available for a fee at a small lot located on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Vassar Street and also at the Cambridge Center Garage located on Ames Street behind Legal Seafoods Restaurant.

The Stratton Student Center includes many stores, restaurants, and offices. It is located at 84 Massachusetts Avenue near the crosswalk.

MIT house telephones are located in many of the campus lobbies including the Student Center, and the Building 7 lobby at 77 Massachusetts Avenue. To reach an office extension from a house telephone dial the last 5 digits (e.g., 3-4795) of the number.

There are pay telephones in the Student Center and in the Building 7 lobby, as well as other locations around the campus. To obtain MIT telephone numbers dial 253-1000 from a pay telephone or dial 0 (operator) from a campus telephone.

Student-guided tours of the campus leave the Information Center, Building 7-121, each weekday (except holidays) at 10 am and 2 pm. This is a walking tour and lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Following the tour, the Admissions Office has a question and answer session for prospective undergraduate students and their families.

New England weather is notoriously fickle. Intellicast offers a four day forecast for the Boston area, and sometimes they're pretty accurate (http://www.intellicast.com/).

Spring temperatures range from the 50s to the 60s (degrees F) and often include rain. Summer temperatures range from the 70s to the 90s, often with high humidity. Fall temperatures range from the 40s to the 60s. Winter gets downright chilly when temperatures dip well below freezing. Boston typically gets little accumulated snowfall, but lots of rain and freezing rain. The cloudscapes can be spectacular.

The rain in Boston is often accompanied by wind, so umbrellas are often less effective than a good raincoat. Many of the sidewalks in the Boston area are made of bricks, so waterproof shoes with good traction are a must for the winter and spring.