October 28, 2004 -- Boston has great reason to celebrate. The Red Sox have won, finally, after an 86-year drought. On Tuesday, native son John Kerry makes a run for the leader of the free world. Not to mention American Colonial architecture and history is somehow prettiest in the fall. No, there might not be a better time to visit Boston central than now.
If you happen to be from Alaska or the great Northwest, the price has never been so right. Alaska Airlines Vacations is offering an air/land inclusive package from such departure points as Fairbanks, Anchorage, Yakima, and Seattle. From Fairbanks, a three-day weekend with a mid-November Friday departure including accommodations at a deluxe hotel in the Boston theatre district is going for approximately $850 per person. Included in the price is roundtrip airfare from Fairbanks to Boston, hotel accommodations for the number of nights selected and all applicable taxes (airfare and airport taxes not included). You can only purchase this package online at https://vacations.alaskaair.com/Boston/Boston-Go-Card.asp. No obligatory travel dates are listed.
USAir (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usair.com) has good roundtrip last minute airfare deals from major United States departure points. For all you people who want to travel to Boston for this weekend's ticker tape parade and World Series celebration festivities, roundtrip prices from Buffalo to Boston come in at $138 for Saturday, October 30, 2004 departures with return trips good from Sunday, October 31 till Tuesday, November 2, 2004. From Charlotte, for all you Red Sox fans stuck down South, airfare costs $198. From Pittsburgh, $188. This is another Internet special, so you need to book online.
Expect heavy traffic (in a town notorious for already heavy traffic) and hectic commutes if you're heading up the parade, which starts at 10am. Boston transit authorities have posted a special page offering suggestions for getting around town. That's online at www.mbta.com/traveling_t/transitupdates.asp#RedSoxCelebration.
AirTran Airways [tel. 800-AIR-TRAN (247-8726); www.airtranairways.com] also has good specials to Boston this fall like Akron to Boston from $108. Flights to other locations cost $108 from Boston to Baltimore, $238 from Boston to Los Angeles and $78 from Boston to Philadelphia. You must buy your tickets by midnight on November 4, 2004 and travel is good through March 2, 2005. A ten-day advance purchase required and fares are not valid on Sundays or good on restricted travel dates over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve.
Hotel deals for the greater Boston area can be found at www.boston.com. The excellent site lists many of the better Boston hotels. Specials for a stay at the 3.5 star Club Quarters start at $159 to $169. Located just off Devonshire Street, Club Quarters sits in the heart of Boston's downtown district. For a midtown location close to all major sites but slightly more affordable, the Midtown Hotel has rooms starting at $146 per night. Call 800/401-4731 for these and other special Internet rates.