Accessibility via Public Transportation
via the T
Tufts is readily accessible by the T (the Boston metro subway system.) The outward-bound Tufts/Medford branch of the Green Line will bring you into the middle of campus and a short 5-minute walk to the venue. Tufts is also a 10-15 minute walk from Davis Square which is on the Red Line. This should open up a number of hotel options in the area.
via Bus
Inbound bus lines:
#80 to Lechmere Station via Medford Hillside
#94 to Davis Sq Station via West Medford
#96 to Harvard Station via Davis and Porter Sq
Parking
There is some availability for metered street-parking around Tufts and the venue in particular (on Boston Ave.) To park the whole day is about $10 via the meter. These spots will fill up by 9 am typically and you'll have to find a spot further north on Boston Ave.
There might be a possibility to purchase a pass to park in the visitor garage about 0.5 mile north of the venue on Boston Ave. Please reach out to Taritree to find out more about that.
Lodging
There are no arrangements with local hotels for blocked rooms for the conference.
Some info about area hotels (will be updated as we collect more info.)
Hyatt Place Boston/Medford - Has a complimentary shuttle to Tufts from Tuesday-Saturday 7 am to 9 pm. (Note the lack of service for Sunday/Monday unfortunately.) The hotel is close to bus stops for several lines that run through Medford Square (e.g. 96 Bus to/from Harvard Square T-station). There seems to be a site that provides a means to book at this hotel at a moderately discounted rate -- but we are not affiliated nor familiar with this company:
https://campustravel.com/university/tufts-university/hyatt-place-boston-medford/
Dining
Lunch is provided as part of the conference fee.
In the Tufts area:
Oasis: Brazillian churrasco restaurant. (Like Fogo de Chao but priced to be a neighborhood restaurant.) Pro-tip: you probably don't need to go with the all-you-can-eat option for the steak+buffet and can stick with the by-the-pound option. In general, the fairly large Brazillian diaspora in the Boston area means that the Brazillian spots in the area are all pretty decent.
Pikachi Ramen: a little further north of campus but a good ramen option (when open -- best to check ahead on Google).
A little further away:
R.F. O' Sullivans: 5-10 minute walk from the Porter Sq. T-stop. Big hamburgers and "fries", the latter which are more accurately described as a slice of potato. Potato skins are also great. Please do not go into the restaurant wearing lots of conspicuous Yankees apparel.
Food Digressions:
Any roast beef place: One example of "local cuisine" is the roast beef sandwich, an apparent tradition of the North Shore (i.e. the suburbs north of Boston). Places offering beef and pizza slices are almost as numerous as Dunkin spots. Ask for a roast beef "three-way" to get the traditional topping: American cheese, mayo, and a specific branch of BBQ sauce (James River Barbecue Sauce). Remember to save the paper bag to use as a back-up napkin.
Lobster: late August is still a decent time for lobster if you are into that kind of thing. The most cost-effective option for the whole-lobster experience is to go to a grocery store and order lobsters by the pound. They will steam them for you and put them into a plastic bag. The Wegman's in Medford is a short Uber ride from campus and has a park across the (busy) street to have an evening picnic. The Market Basket in Sommerville is a more public transportation-friendly option. When it comes to lobsters, bigger isn't necessarily better: the 1 lb lobsters are considered by many to be the best and are also the most abundant and cheapest.
The other traditional lobster option is the lobster roll. The best spot depends on who you talk to. One of the local organizers prefers "Alive-and-kicking" in Cambridge in part because you can eat in what seems to be a grandfathered-in zoning anomaly.
