Boston/Worcester Queen Fans Unite!!

Thanks Stardust for the update....appreciate it.

Streetsigns ARE easy to follow...just not always in these parts, particularly to someone from out of town. From NY to Worcester should be pretty easy....and considering we have wonderful things like Mapquest and Yahoo, etc. i suppose it can be a breeze. :)

Ah...skip the car ride and take the train! It would be cool to have a trainload of Queenies going out to Worcester for the big show! Breakthru Train anyone?

Thanks for the help guys. I have lived in the states for 6 months before so I have navigated around before. Although I do take you point that it does vary a lot from state to state :-)

As I only have 4 days in the US I was thinking of flying to Boston to save time but if it only takes 3 hours by car this might be the better option. Also in my previous trips to the US I have never managed to get to Boston and I hear it is a beautiful city.

I think I might end up waiting till the last minute to decide. If some great seats come on sale at the last minute (i.e. unsold Platinum seats) then I will definitely make the trip. Hopefully get to meet some of you there as I will be travelling by myself.

Thanks for all your help so far!

Hello Paul..

I would highly recommend a trip up here to Boston. The venue is lightyears better then the NY venue and the City itself has a lot to see and do. You can usually grab a cheap flight from Newark to Boston pretty easily...If you fly out of NY it might be pricier. I'm sure someone here has more expeience in this area, maybe they can post some airtravel tips. Check the travel sites like Travelocity or CheapTickets...they usually have some decent deals.

Yes, i am certain that there WILL be tickets for sale a few days before the show. This is always the case, even for the most sought-after events. So many folks scoop some unbeleivable seats right before the show. Don't be afraid to wait it out! You are'nt alone!

Hope to see you up here. Nothing quite beats Boston-area Queen Fans!

See ya there!

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Deacons 1st Choice wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Most certainly....

Let's all hope the weather is good in March...with no snowstorms threatening to put the show comencement in jeapordy!

Argh! That's all we need...another blizzard like in 93' the LAST time Brian and Co. came through MA.

Cross yer fingers folks...let's hope it happens![/QUOTE]

Mm-hmm... my mother was four months pregnant with me at the time and REALLY wanted to go but then decided against it for my saftey. When she told me this, I was really mad... thank god for Q + PR, that's all I have to say.

You're right, Boston has always been very receptive to Queen, and the fans are some of the best. Now we gotta set up where to meet before/after the show!

The fan following in Boston is absolutely HUGE! I've covered this in the past in other threads..but in a nutshell Queen "started" in Boston as far as the States go. It was local radio stations that played the first single ( KYA) way back in 73'. The song was pretty much unheard of until that happened. The thriving college community got behind it and Queen became huge here before anyone really "knew" them at that point. It's been the same ever since...

In 82' the Mayor of Boston proclaimed it "Queen Day" on the day of the Band's concert at the Garden. This was a huge event..the fans are still taking about it! The Band was presented with a official certificate that was later published in the OIQFC mag. It would later come to light that this date was the LAST time Queen played live in Boston.

In March of 93'The Boston Herald ( a major newspaper here) featured Brian May on the front cover the day of his first solo appearence. I'll never forget seeing that...talk about support! What other major US newspaper puts Brian May on the front cover? BOSTON BABY!! :)

Can't wait to see what happens this March. The word is out and it's strong. It's still such a shame they could'nt secure a venue actually IN the city proper. The Garden would have been AWESOME for a return triumph, but i'll take Worcester. Hey, at least they are back in Ma!

Meetup...yes! I say let's all meet up at the Omni Park Plaza Hotel right in the heart of the city. It's easy for anyone to get and it's steeped in Queen History. I beleive they have a resturant in there as well...perhaps a little pre-show Lunch before the gig? I would be up for that...anyone interested in taking the MBTA Commuter Rail to Worcester give a a hollar. Perhaps there will be a group going via train and they can all meet up at the Parker House.

Anyone else who lives locally feel free to make suggestions. There are many excellent places to hang out in the city.

Zoom ahead 24 years..and here we are today!

Here's the link to the Parker House's site. Be sure to check out all the related link as it features some neat info about the city itself as well as travel directions and info.

www.parkerhouseboston.com

The hotel does have a fancy resturant and a bar in the lobby! Woo Hoo!

On the website it seems to imply these are for hotel guest use...as in not for the general public's use. It's not clear...further investigation may reveal more.

Back in the early touring days when Queen did their first two tours here they would often stay at the Parker House. It's probably most famous for being the place where Brian awoke one morning feeling absolutely awful and it came to light that he had hepetitus. The rest of the tour was cancelled due to his health and he had to fly home to spend a period of time in hospital. It was during that period the foundings for the classic Queen Album "SHA" was created..and Brian wrote "Now I'm Here" from his hospital bed!

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]staardust76 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Hi guys;

Just to clarify:

It takes about 3 hours to get from Worcester to New York by car....

[/QUOTE]

Sorry to disagree, if you can drive from anywhere in NY to Worcester MA in 3 hours i would hire you as my personal chauffer. 3 hours - not gonna happen.

Depends on how you drive. It's about 180 miles from Worcester to my uncle's, who lives in Queens. 3 hours is approximate estimate. Even in traffic it's closer to 3 hours than 4. However, it is 4 hours if you take a bus.
It is even less when you drive at night. It's not that I am interested in becoming your chauffer, but 2 weeks ago I went down to Poughkeepsie (which is well into New York State territory) to see Almost Queen (high recommendations!). The show ended about 1:15 and I got back to Worcester by 4.
Needless to say I'd rather come 1 hour ahead of time, than be 10 minutes late. So plan your trips wisely. Cheers!

To Deacons 1st Choice:

I am almost definitely going to make the trip to Boston. Planning on booking flights and hotels this week. Would you suggest staying in Boston or Worcester? How easy is it to travel between the 2? If I stay in Boston which is a good area to stay in?

Thank for you all your help :-)

Hello Paul!

First off, i'm really glad you have decided to come up to Boston! I think you will be happy that you did, as Worcester is going to ROCK!

I suppose it's up to you where you stay, but i will say this: i do not have any experience staying in Worcester. There are a few hotels near the venue...one of them ( Hampton Inn) looks to be within walking distance. I also do not know what the area is around those parts..some have told me in the past it can be a tough place at night. Boston i am very familiar with and can safely say most of the areas the major hotels are in are fine. I have never had any problems with safety in Boston itself. Worcester though...well, i have heard things. If someone here reading has been to the area and the venue out there in Worcester it would be great to hear from you! I myself would like to know what i am getting myself into! I suppose if you survive NY ( i did! ) then anything up here will be a piece of cake....

I myself am still trying to decide wether or not i should stay at a hotel in Worcesterafter the show, or just hop the last train to Boston and grab a cab home from there. I'm undecided.

As far as accommidations go in the city itself, Boston has a lot of hotels, many are very nice and the prices usually reflect this. It is worth looking on the travel websites like www.travelocity.com and the like to check out their hotel listings. Often such sites give you a good deal on a hotel room. I have used Travelocity for most of my 'adventures" related to Queen and i have'nt been disspointed yet.

If you stay in the City, you can easily take public transportation to South Station and catch a commuter rail train to Worcester. From there, it looks to be a short walk to the venue. I say looks to be as i have never been there in person, this is based on photo maps i've looked at online.

The DCU Center ( previously named Worcester Centrum) is a major venue so it's not hard to get to by car either if you would rather drive. Directions can be found on www.mapquest.com or even Yahoo has a directions service now i think. Driving tims varies, but on the average i would say about 45 mins to an hour to reach Worcester from Boston proper. If you need further details let me know.

Hope this helps! My plan is to take the train to Worcester the day of the show..hang out, view the show, and then either stay up the road at a hotel or return via train back to Boston. I'm sure i won't be the only one doing this!

Awwww, 1 month, i week, 3 days left!!! We are gonna have the time of our lives! XD ^.^

I'm staying at the Crowne Plaza, which is a couple of blocks from the arena.

Couple blocks....i am wondering if this is the place i was thinking about staying at. Probably, as there is'nt much in the immediate area and i needed a place within walking distance.

Mr. Jingles, do you know if this hotel IS indeed within waling distance from the venue? I have looked at a photo map and it looks close, but not so close it's obvious that the hotel is truly within a short walk.

I was terribly misled regarding the hotel i stayed in NJ. This was stated as being within "walking distance" from the venue and it took a half hour to walk! I should have stayed at the Hampton Inn!