So the 2004 BeanTown Blitz is under 3 weeks away. This competition is being held at the Matthews Arena at Northeastern University on May 22nd. The event will be hosted by an outstanding group of volunteers and crew members, with a top line up of competing teams! I know I personally can not wait until the event and get to spend my weekend in Boston! Lets get pumped for this event and what is everyone expecting for BTB 2004! I know i have been waiting over a year for this time to come…
I’m excited. This will be the first robotics competition that I can walk to from my dorm
i can’t wait till BTB, it should be fun.
i can’t wait to drive a robot for the first time in my life w00t =D…
I’m so bummed that I can’t go. I was really looking forward to it, but I’m getting confirmed that day. Oh well. There’s always next year.
Hmm… here’s some additional stuff you guys could do in the area
(everything listed is within 20 minute walk of NU)
Prudential Center Mall: Step onto Huntington Ave, look up… and walk towards tall building that says ‘Prudential Center’ on it
Krispy Kream (new!): Located in the Prudential Center Mall
Boston Duck Tours: Buy tickets in Prudential Center Mall, tours leave from 800 Boylston Entrance
Jillian’s (18 and over): video games, pool, food (145 Ipswich St., behind Fenway Park)
Fenway Park: 10 minute walk toward the lights!
Prudential Center Skywalk: good view of the city
Newberry Street: shopping galore! Street runs parallel with Boylston
Restaurants: are everywhere along Huntington. When in doubt… walk towards tall buildings
Dance Clubs: Lansdowne St. near Fenway Park
Economy Hardware/True Value & CVS: Walk inbound on Huntington Ave and take a left onto Mass Ave (Symphony Hall is on that corner)
Boston is such a great place in addition to everything Erin said there is also:
-Museum of Science (Take the green line inbound to the Museum of science stop) The T costs 1.25 per person so Its kind of a lot but the museum is a fun place to be.
-Aaron
Can you post a list of teams?
Radio Shack- walk up Huntington Ave (towards the Prudential center) and take a left onto Massachusetts Ave (going towards Cambridge). The Radio Shack will be up a ways on your left in a small strip mall.
To get an idea, are any teams staying overnight in hotels? Or are you just coming for the day?
Ah yes, that’s the same strip-mall as Economy Hardware, CVS, Blockbuster, & Compleat Strategist (gamer store)… one stop ‘oh crap I forgot something!’ shopping!
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26559&page=2&pp=20
go to the bottom post =D
We have a website up now, yay! (expect to be updated)
www.nutrons.neu.edu/btb
Not all the teams have sent in their registration fees yet, and 3 teams have officially dropped out. If your team wishes to be put on the waiting list, please contact me soon… because there’s a really good chance you can get in! There is no reason we cannot fill our event with 36 teams, we will stop accepting payment on May 14th.
Thanks!
erin
Also, there’s always Public Gardens and Boston Common, both of which can be reached by walking down Boylston Street, and the Christian Science plaza/reflecting pool (literally a five-minute walk down Mass. Ave) is a great place to …reflect. Har.
Or, if it’s hot, you can jump around/frolic in the Christian Science fountain!
If you still don’t know what to do in Boston, just come up and ask me. I’ve lived here for almost 3 years and have quite a few suggestions.
Using Boston’s T
Boston’s subway system is called the T. All of Boston is organized into 4 train systems (or lines as is most commonly used). They are usually referred to by their colors: Red, Blue, Orange, and Green; their direction is inbound or outbound and can also be referred to by their final destination before turning around. Northeastern University is easily accessed using the Northeastern stop on the “E-Train Heath St” Green Line. It is also possible to access Northeastern using the Ruggles stop on the Orange line.
To further confuse the Green line, 4 different trains run on this line. It’s important to take the correct train outbound because they go to different places. The Northeastern stop is located on “E-Train Heath St”, part of the system. The Heath St name designates Heath St as the final stop when headed outbound. You can identify the train by the sign on the front and sides. If you’re not sure, ask the conductor.
The quickest way to access the event location Matthews Arena is to use the Symphony stop on the “E-Train Heath St” Green line. Or alternatively, on the Orange line via the Massachusetts Avenue stop. See the Beantown Blitz directions for walking navigation.
Inbound/Outbound-
Think of the lines as the spokes of a wheel. The center/hub of the wheel being the square formed by the following stops: Government Center, Park St, Downtown Crossing and State Station. If you are headed inbound, you are headed toward one of these spots. If you are headed outbound, you are headed away from one of those stations.
Changing lines-
Changing lines is usually free and can be done at Government Center, Park St, Downtown Crossing, Haymarket, North Station and State Station.
Fare-
The fare is $1.25 per person. Occasionally, the fee is waved, but don’t bet on it. You’ll know the fee is waved if the conductor opens the side doors to the train and you don’t have to walk by him or her.
Paying with tokens is preferable and they can be bought from most indoor stops.
Times-
Times can vary, it’s safe to say that you can travel from 6am to 12am without problem. Trains usually come by a stop every 10 minutes. After that, it’s possible to use the Night Owl bus service or take a Taxi.
Attached is a subway map taken from the MBTA.
Important Links:
Anybody up for a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Lowes Theater in Harvard Square?
What they do, is combine a live-action play and the show the movie on the theater screen for a truely unique experience. The only catch is, that you have to buy your tickets early in the night or better yet afternoon, so as not to miss out on the show.
It runs very late into the night, so if you have a long drive home I suggest you either not go, or stay somewhere overnight, or just get a lot of sleep the night before BTB, which of course we all will, right??
Oh, and if you do go to it and have to park in Harvard Square, be careful where you park your car. When I went last time, we got out real late and I almost was not able to get my car out of the parking garage. If you park in a garage, make sure you know what time it closes. If it closes at any time before 2:00am then you may want to go somewhere else.
Or you can do like I am doing, and hopefully crash at a friends “pad” for the night and drive home Sunday.
I take it you mean me. Sheesh, Elgin, why don’t you ask about these things?
Anyway, to add some substance to this post (besides making fun of Elgin )…Anyone who’s up to doing something the night before, let me know…cause it looks like I’m staying here for the summer.
Whahoo! Less than 2 days to the Blitz
…I’ve been waiting for over a year for this, can’t wait!
Erin, don’t forget to get a video for Andy Baker and Survivor.
I have it noted in my signiture!