2009 Boston Regional
 

Team 701 is "totally stoked" to be heading way out east this year. We have just reserved some airline tickets for the team and plan to arrive late Tuesday, leaving the Wednesday before the competition wide open to see the sights and such.

Anyone have advice of what our team should do in Boston on that Wednesday??

Looking forward to the competition!!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Search ChiefDelphi and you'll find info from past years. I found this thread at the bottom of this thread. I'm sure there are others. Here are some random places --

Museum of Science -- Though last year FIRST splurged and got us all in for free on the Friday evening. But a couple of hours (plus everyone jamming the food court) is never enough for the MOS. IMAX and planetarium is extra. Make sure you see the Van de Graaff generator demonstration! Boom! Pow!

New England Aquarium -- I haven't been there in a while, but the center tank is great to watch, and the penguins too! Also has an IMAX

MIT Museum -- Never been there but hey, it is MIT.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace is one large food court -- or used to be. I haven't been in there for years.

A little out of the way but unusual is the USS Constitution. There is a "water taxi" that gets over that way across the harbor. (I think it's part of the MBTA, so see their website.)

For Boston itself, if is a walkable city, and a lot of historic places that are on, um, I forget what it's called. A red brick "historic tour" line that winds thru town. There is (or was) a tour that starts at the Boston Commons for the history. I'll let someone more knowledgeable pipe up.

Depending where you are staying, the MBTA, the local subway system (known as "the T") goes to all above. Four subway lines (red, orange, blue subway cars, and the green trolley lines). There are bus lines and commuter trains too, but for the downtown the subway -- or walking! -- are better.

And for the record-- the event is at BU's Agganis Arena. There is parking, but the "B Line" of the Green Line trolley stops right out front. McDonalds is still gone (still a chance for another fast food to go in), but there are other places all up and down Comm. (short for Commonwealth) Ave to eat.

Oh, I almost forgot. The 2008 Game Hint location! 42.348805, -71.076072, 342.242026. It's on the Green Line -- see the thread for details.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

The Constitution is not out of the way. The Freedom Trail actually takes you right to that area as the Bunker Hill Memorial is right behind it. Can you elaborate on what you actually want to do? I've been literally everywhere one could possibly be on foot.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Ah, The Freedom Trail -- I forgot the name. And you can walk to the USS Constitution. A very nice walk (~1.5 mile) if it isn't too hot or too snowy. I meant it's not right downtown. (The last time I went was a very hot summer day, not a very good time to walk the grandparents around Boston and to the Constitution -- and not likely there will be a heatwave the beginning of March*.)

*But worst things have happened in Boston when it gets hot in the winter.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

If there are any seniors who are interested in going to college in Boston (seeing as there are so many!) Wednesday would be a good chance for them to see these universities. I know particularly Northeastern has "Engineering Wednesdays" for interested students.

The Museum of Science is Fantastic, but Faneuil Hall is also fun/historic. If the weather's nice, a boston Duck Tour really gives a great scope of things in ~1 hour.

PS I am SO STOKED for the boston regional this year :)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Thanks Kim! I'm looking at Northeastern and I'll definitely try to come check it out before the regional. That's right folks, I'm coming to my very first Boston Regional! Can't wait :) I've heard it's an awesome time.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Boston is a great time. Our team has gone every year we have been around, and it is a blast.
I know I'm looking forward to it!
-Anna

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I'm currently a freshman at Northeastern University one of the classes I'm taking is Boston History. We've done 4 walking tours this year through Boston and this is what I would recommend.

Definitely Head over to Fanuiel Hall and the Quincy Markets. The best T stop to use to get there would be Government Center.

After that walk over to the north end and walk down Hanover st. Mike's Pastries is an amazing pastries shop, excellent cannolis. There are numerous other pastries and eateries also located on Hanover st. Also the Improve Asylum is an extremely funny show.

If shopping is more your interest then Newbury St. is where you want to go. Many shops to choose from.

The Boston Common and the Public Garden are both nice places to walk through and relax.

Hope that this information helps.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

While I don't have any places to add ...

I'd like to remind you that, while Boston is a great city to walk around in, Boston can also get very cold in early March and that you will need to be prepared for the cold.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Just in time, today's Boston Globe article on Freedom Trail tours, with "Captain Daniel Malcolm - revolutionary, patriot, privateer" giving a tour to some fifth graders:
The walking tours certainly give you better history than a book.

Daniel is very correct: watch the Boston weather before you fly in. It can get from too warm to too cold in less than a day. Remember the April Fools Day snowstorm? Wasn't the next day in the 50s? (Still no school -- no one could shovel out!)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

northeastern university....check it out ;)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I'll be there (at least on Saturday if not Friday, too) and so will Jack in the Hat. Be sure to stop us and say hi if it's your first time in Boston!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

BOSTON REGIONAL TRAVELING ATTENDEES BEWARE!!!

I was just contacted by the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge Mass, trying to recruit our team to stay at their location. I dont know where they are getting the info from, as we arent even able to attend the Boston Regional, but we had an absolutely HORRIBLE experience there two years in a row, and I HIGHLY encourage teams to BEWARE of this hotel. I am displaying his email (which was also preceeded by a phone call, not sure who is distributing TIMS info to them, but they shouldnt have team captain info!), as well as the letter I wrote to them two years ago, which was given no attention or response at all.

I just wanted teams to be aware of the issues with this Hotel, and encourage them to find other places to stay...

Book with the Raddison or ANY other place in town... they are HORRIBLE!!!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Team leaders going to Boston, please read her attachment.

To be fair Kim, the pizza box did have two FREE slices of pizza next to the feces.

Don't all FIRSTers want free pizza?


The first four bullet points could be chalked up to bad luck - listing them first lures the reader into a false sense of righteousness (Of course we were renovating, we do that once a year - what is your problem?) and may cause people to skip over the last two. However, listing them after the pizza would completely rob them of meaning by contrast. As point of caution, it could be that a non-FIRST team was also staying with you in the Hyatt, causing this catastrophe.

Thanks for the heads up. I wish I had a team traveling to Boston so we could boycott them as well.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

For those that attended the Boston Regional last year you will know that the Blue Man Group preformed, which was amazing, if you get a chance you should go see their full show at the Charles Play House, right in downtown Boston, it was truly an amazing show. If you are in the North End and want some amazing pizza I would say Pizzeria Regina is the place to be, you WILL wait in line, but it's worth it.
http://www.blueman.com/tickets/boston

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Eric, I definitely agree that it could have been bad timing/bad luck (and hopefully NOT a FIRST team), and to be honest, I have worked in the service industry and I give all establishments the understanding that they cannot always be responsible for every thing that happens... but if they want me to come back, I want them to at least acknowledge and perhaps try and make up for any issues... they did nothing. When I let the front desk know about the bathroom, they didnt seem to care, and certainly didnt get it clean in the next hour, when I talked to the staff after our stay, they did nothing to try and compensate us, and when I contacted Hyatt's main corporate office, they never responded or acknowledged our issues. After two years in a row of issues with them, we will never stay there again, and if we can help it, never stay in another Hyatt again.

P.S. This is JUST a warning about the paticular hotel. We absolutely LOVED the Boston Regional the two years we went... and in my opinion its one of the best regionals out there!! The Committee does a great job pulling in everything from colleges to free food to great entertainment. We loved the event, the teams there, the high profile judges and everything about it... definitely go if you get the chance... just dont stay at the Hyatt!! lol :)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I remember staying at that hotel and I didn't have a problem with them at all. Then again they also had a lot more money to loose if they were inept because it was for a conference.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Has anyone gotten their volunteer assignments for Boston yet? I got one for CT about a month ago, so I was just wondering. (I know that the regional volunteer coordinators are probably super busy, so I'm not trying to be whiny or anything. They're awesome, and they deserve great thanks for everything they do!)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Dear Doug,

Congratulations on picking an awesome Regional. We are from CT and this will be our second Regional in Boston. We loved it last year. There is so much to do. I read many of the suggestions from other people and agree with them. Our students love Faneuil Hall Marketplace. We do not have subways near where we live, so our students love taking the subway over to Faneuil Hall. I have heard similar complaints about the Hyatt. We stay in a smaller quieter hotel in Cambridge. Where are you planning to stay?

We are planning to go up on Wed. Some of our students use the day to visit colleges and the Duck Tour is a great overview. I lived in Boston for 3 years and loved it. If you have time and the weather cooperates, walk the Freedom Trail. It is a red line painted down the sidewalk that takes you past so many historical places in Boston. Boston is a very compact and walkable city.

Feel free to contact us, if you have any more questions.

Manyhats
Team 1099 Co-Founder and Co-Advisor for FRC Team 1099 in Brookfield, CT

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I'm going to second these. I've been to all of them recently, some more than once (Faneuil Hall is amazing, and so is the Museum of Science.) Also, if you want to explore the city and it's history, consider going on a Duck Tour.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

For more information on the 2009 Boston Regional, please visit the event's website: http://bostonfirst.org/

There you might find the confirmed info that Blue Man Group will once again be putting on a special performance for the spirited Boston crowd. Also stay tuned, as you never know what tricks the planning committee, which always strides to up the ante and levels of fun, has up its sleeves.

If you, your friends or family members would like to volunteer for the event please encourage them to register in VIMS https://my.usfirst.org/vims/

We're looking forward to another great Boston Regional and having you all there!

-wayne

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Does anyone know what T stop is closer to Agganis Arena? Would that be BU East, BU Central, or BU West?

Edit: Nevermind, I finally found it on a map. For anyone else wondering, BU West is the answer.

Edit 2: Since I thought of this... anyone interested in trading team shirts? If so, PM me.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Just to be even more specific...BU West off of the B trolley on the Green line (there is a B, C, D and E trolley for the green line, make sure your on the B line aka the "Boston College" line)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Of those three stations, yes, BU West is the closest. But the closest station to the Agganis Arena is Pleasant Street, which is the second stop beyond BU West. Here's the MBTA station map of the Green line.

I work across the street from the Agganis, and once upon a time used to take the T. (Now I have a parking spot!) Mind you, any of those stations along Comm Ave and BU is walkable to the Agganis; students walk the length of Comm Ave every day. I've even walked to Pleasant St from Kenmore in a driving snowstorm.

And Blue Man Group!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

HELLOOoooo:D from the North East to the North East and anyone going to Boston TEAM 88 TJ2 will trade our team shirt with anyone,come see MOE in the pits.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL SEEeeee YEAHhhhhhh SOOOOooon
oh yeah ???? OH YEAH !!!! tye dye for ever .....:yikes:
MOE and team 88 TJ2

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Howdy everyone,

Just a heads up: if anyone still needs to make hotel reservations, the Courtyard by Marriott in Brookline is only offering its FIRST rate through Monday the 16th. Give them a call and ask about the FIRST group discount if you're still looking for a place to stay. (That hotel is T-accessible to the Arena)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Well lucky for you every Wednesday is Engineering Wednesday at Northeastern University. http://www.coe.neu.edu/coe/about/visitoptions.html

And if anyone wants something more personalized that happens to be our spring break. We'll be at BU helping to set up in the afternoon but if you PM or email me I'm sure we could arrange for a special tour, maybe even one with the NUTRONS lab in it, during the morning.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Has anyone gotten their volunteer assignment yet? It's getting pretty close and I'm just curious.

EDIT- Coincidentally got it this morning, so disregard.


In other news, I hoping for some good media coverage for the regional this year. I'm almost sure the Boston Globe will run at least a blurb ahead of time promoting the event with (hopefully) a picture from NJ next week. When it gets a little closer, I'll see what other media outlets I can try and drag in. Last year I met with the editor of Boston.com and he seemed very interested/inspired by the program, so I'm hoping that they'll run something of reasonable size this year.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

On the radio driving to work this morning I heard a commercial for the blue man group and at the end it said "catch them at the FIRST Robotics competition at Agganis Arena, Saturday March 7th!"

needless to say I got excited...

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

But Saturday is March 7th...

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

whoops

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Thanks everyone for all the tips about staying in Boston. We have booked into the Brookline Courtyard Marriott and are coming in Tuesday Night. We are spending our Wednesday doing a variety of things: visiting colleges, The Freedom Trail (which ends up at the Marketplace from what I understand), and the Museum of Science. We are so looking forward to this trip and can't wait to see and meet everyone.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Make sure you visit Northeastern University!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Typically in the past there has been an official Team Social at the Boston Museum of Science on Friday night.
Is that not the case this year?
I'm sure you have, but just in case you haven't done so, look into that & make sure that's not the case before you go on Wednesday.

To get the full Boston experience - and to not duplicate visits, IF there is a team social there Friday night, then I suggest you go to the Aquarium on Wednesday night instead.

Have fun in Beantown!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

There is a team social at the Museum of Science! Free admission for your team on Friday night, and a discounted rate on the Mars Rover IMAX movie that's currently playing. We posted our Welcome Packet at http://www.bostonfirst.org (look at the right sidebar) if you'd like to take a look at all the info.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

If you'd like to lose all hope in public transit, you can ride the T for a few hours (whether or not you'd like to!)

Beyond that,
The aquarium might be cool. I've never been there.
Gov't Center/Quincy Market is always fun(ish)
Maybe Fenway is running tours?

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Having lived in boston, here's my suggestions:

MIT museum --- Strongly suggest this one. Has some of the most sophisticated robot's(software wise) in the world
Museum of science --- Very good museum
Aquarium --- Large, ergonomic area. Worth it, Very worth it...

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I did notice that, but figured that the MOS was just a place to have the social, I didn't understand that it would all be opened up as well. Way Cool. I'll check into the Aquarium to round out our Wednesday. We have a MIT tour lined up and the Freedom Trail tour as well (we'll be splitting up most likely).

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Bring your "winter clothes" - we are scheduled to get a noreaster tonight and additional snow showers on Thursday and Friday. It seems to be a novelty for teams from warm climes, but for a lot of us up here, we're just tired of winter by now! :)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

So excited for the regional. Good luck to all the teams as far as travel and competition. Hope to see you all there.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Does anyone know the link to the webcast of the event?

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

It will be here: http://www.thebluealliance.net/boston09/

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Well, the east coast down to Georgia got the "novelty" over the weekend! The sidewalks are clear now.

For those feet that will be walking on the Field, you might want to bring a second clean indoor pair of sneakers to keep the outdoor dirt from mucking up the floor.

The pile of snow in my photo almost melted last week, but the plows built it back up yesterday.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Two more days (unless you're coming up on Wednesday)! Who's excited?

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Now that week 1 is over, I can be REALLY excited for Boston. I get on the train tomorrow morning, and I simply can't wait. See you all there! :)

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Yay! I'm also excited to meet you and Wayne in person... thanks for coordinating all the volunteer stuff, and get ready to get queued. :cool:

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

You+Wayne+Me+Boston = Captain Planet?

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Absolutely, V-Dubs.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

It's official, the Boston Regional webcasting setup is capable of sending video of me playing Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast to ustream.tv. We have much to look forward to later this week.

Otherwise, field setup starts later today! [technically, it may not be today depending on your definition]

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

A 53-foot tractor-trailer truck just left the loading dock at 8:30am -- is that the field delivery or the robot crate delivery?

And no, I'm not anxious, I just happened to be walking that way. It's COLD but sunny today!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Well the NUTRONS are off to set-up the regional. We'll see everyone tomorrow!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Any plans for Thursday night? I plan on robot inspecting all day and would love to catch up.

erin

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

HELLOOoooooo from the North East :D
YEP it's old MOE hope all are ready for the Boston REG. The time has come for all the Teams to meet at BOSTON we will have another HOOT in OLD BEAN TOWN, oh yeah ???? OH YEAH !!!! :ahh: May we all show, the FIRST WORLD, how to have a fun time, Boston should be a super event for all. We have some of the oldest teams in FIRST with a good group of new Teams that should have another great time.;)
-------GOOD LUCK TO ALL---------
MOE and TEAM 88 TJ2 TYE DYE for ever oh yeah ???? OH YEAH !!!!
SEEeeeee ALL SOONNnnnnnnn......:yikes:

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Two bits of Boston multimedia have been posted online so far.
One is on Boston.com -
http://multimedia.boston.com/tn/1/fe...id=14897482001
(Not sure if that links directly to the videos, or just the most recent ones. But it's there).

And one is from WBZ's Carl Stevens-
http://www.wbz.com/pages/3175088.php

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I'm thinking about going, but I don't know if I will have enough money to travel over. Hopefully I will make it!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

The Boston Regional Planning Committee and the local teams do a great job getting media coverage for the event.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I am in the pits right now, we just had the welcoming ceremony, Thursday went great and we are really excited for whats in store for us today and tomorrow.
Good luck all the Boston teams and anyone else competing this weekend!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Be sure to check out the 5thGear Simulation set up later today and tomorrow at the regional!

If you enjoy playing, be sure to find two more friends and sign up as a team for the mini 5thGear tournament.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Make sure you try the DaVinci robot on the concourse. Yes! Anyone can play with this surgical robot. This is their demo robot used to train surgeons. It is used in the majority of surgeries on newborns at Boston's childrens hospital.

Also, say hello to me, I'm the pit admin supervisor... I'll be at pit admin :]

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Right now, I'm incredibly tired, I ache all over, and I'm ridiculously far behind in work.... but it was worth it! Thank you to everyone for making volunteering at the Boston Regional a wonderful experience for me! My first time at the Boston Regional was great. I got to see old friends from teams that were there, as well as to meet new people. All the other volunteers I worked with this weekend were great. :] A big thank you to the event coordinators and everyone who put so much of their time and efforts into making the regional as fantastic as it was.

Also, congratulations to all of the teams who participated! It took a lot of work to get this far, and you'll all return home having learned even more. To my friends on 178, I'm really proud to see you take home the Engineering Inspiration Award. So many people agree that you deserve this. Team 88, I was hoping you would win the Chairman's Award. You exemplify what FIRST strives to teach us. Team 190, I've known you and seen you at events since I first got involved in FIRST, and you've always had so much to teach me to go along with your amazing robots. I was rooting for you- I was glad to see you team up with teams 61 and 1099 and pull off that win. I saw some good strategy and teamwork on the field.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I wanted to thank everyone for attending the Boston Regional and for being so great to work with. We had some amazing teams with a lot of spirit (I lost count of the hugs I got from team mascots) and you made the game a lot of fun to watch. All of our judges and VIPs were extremely impressed with what you guys did -- I love having those conversations with potential sponsors who say, "Wow, this is so much cooler than I expected! How can we help?"

I hope you enjoyed Blue Man Group and all the other fun things we try to throw in. We're always looking to make things better, so please feel free to send any suggestions my way. If you'd rather talk over email, try me at mikell@bostonfirst.org.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional LOST
 

Hi all,I'm a happy and tired Overclocked 246 mom. I'm posting this for another 246 family:
Kit Haines was at FIRST on Saturday at Agganis and lost her stuffed dog, her constant companion called Tchaikovsky. If any parents or students have accidently picked up the dog, please let us know he is sorely missed. He is about 12'' and dark brown with a label from People Pals.

I will pay for shipping should anyone have found this dog - Kit is very , very sad.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Some lost items ended up at Pit Admin. Contact frcteams@usfirst.org with the info to see if it ended up there. Best of luck!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Found lost items are in one of two places:

• In the Pit Admin crate
• At Guest Services in Agganis Arena

When we packed up the pit admin crate we had: Some eyeglasses, a baseball cap and some other random things. They can be be claimed by contacting frcteams@usfirst.org.

You can contact Guest Services at Agganis Arena to inquire about any other lost items. The contact information is here.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

I stopped by Arena Management just now -- they had nothing in their computer database. I left my name and number if anything pops up. I work across the street so it's no problem to collect little Tchaikovsky and send him home.

Roger.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Now that I've caught up on sleep and schoolwork, I wanted to take the time to say how incredible the Boston event was. Assisting as a Volunteer Coordinator was a really fun experience, and a great way to see the other side of the event. (Next time you're at a FIRST competition, be nice to the people with the headsets- and speak slowly! It's really hard to listen to you when we have voices in our ears too. :)) The energy and excitement in the arena was fantastic- I don't think I've ever seen so many people that excited over a regional competition- and I've been going to events since I was two! Blue Man Group was a great treat- especially incorporating the Orbit Ball into their setup; that's something that nobody else gets! I hope everyone in attendance can take home a special memory like that from Boston. I know I will.

Thanks to the Boston Regional Planning Committee for putting together a spectacular event. I'm definitely going to try to keep Boston in my schedule for next year.

-Libby Kamen

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

WOW - what a regional!! We fielded a ton of questions about why we would come all the way from California to go to the Boston Regional. Well one of the reasons was that we heard it was one of the best regionals and it lived up to it by far. The caliber of competition was high, the teams were very nice and helpful - special thanks to Team 839 - Rosie Robotics for letting us borrow tools and such through out Friday and Saturday and team 549 - the DevilDawgs for the constant cheering and infectious spirit. Also thanks to Legendary Team 190 for clarifying why our robot code got erased in match 23 and a big congrats to you, Team 61, and Team 1099. Team 1153 - the Robo Rebels, your robot was amazing and it was fun trying to slow you down in the Quarterfinals. Thank you also to our alliance partners 125 - the Nutrons for picking us, and also team 1350 the Rambots.

Also, we did take part in the Freedom Trail tour on Wednesday morning - burrrrr, and also a tour of MIT. We had several students applying to schools in the Boston area and they very much enjoyed the trip. If the opportunity ever presents itself to any of you, please consider coming out west - we'd love to have you and would welcome you with enthusiasm.

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

As usual, this was an absolutely great event. I still maintain that Boston is the most spectacular regional, and it's extremely well run. Blue Man Group and the 6500+ spectators helped prove that! From what I saw, the VIPs and media were very impressed, especially at how well-spoken many of the high school team members were.

Some of the photos I took at the event can be found here.

See you all next year!

Re: 2009 Boston Regional
 

Team 1350 The Rambot's had a great time at the awesome Boston regional!
3 years in a row we have been very impressed with this very well run regional and the high quality teams that attend.

A special shout out to our new friends on team 701 and 125 who picked us to be on their alliance. We put up a great effort but couldn't get beyond the quarter finals.

We are glad to hear 701 had a good time in Boston - we hope you come back again!

Congrats to team 88 TJ squared - you guys deserved the award!

And to our regional winners - Good Luck in Atlanta!