Are you planning to attend the Celtics Championship Parade on Friday but don’t know your way around downtown Boston? This is your guide to how to get there and secure a good viewing spot so you’re not sitting in traffic while all the other fans are having fun.
First, avoid that traffic. Don’t drive downtown if you don’t have to. Streets along the parade route will close at 9 a.m., two hours before the start of the parade, so traffic in the area will be worse than usual. On some streets in the West End, Downtown and Back Bay, parking will close just after midnight Friday, so finding a spot won’t be easy.
If you are riding a bike, this may be the quickest way to get to the road, although you will need to be very careful when keeping an eye out for drivers and pedestrians, who will be plentiful and can be distracted as they search for parking or a good place to go. stands up.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu urged fans to take the MBTA, which they will do Providing increased service and modified rail timetables to accommodate expected crowds. However, trains are likely to be crowded, so leave anything bulky at home and prepare for close quarters.
The parade route passes several MBTA stations, starting at the North Station, just below TD Park, where the celebration will begin. Both the Orange Line and Green Line pass through North Station, as do the railways, and the Red and Blue Lines intersect with the Orange and Green Lines in downtown Boston, so you can transfer lines and only travel two or three stops to reach North Station.
After traveling south on Staniford Street and turning left onto Cambridge Street, the parade will pass City Hall Plaza and the MBTA Government Center on the Green and Blue lines.
The celebration then moves to Tremont Street past Park Street Station, which serves the Green and Red Lines, and Boylston Station, which serves the Green Line. The Orange Line stops at Downtown Crossing and Chinatown, just one block away from Tremont Street.
At the southeast corner of Boston Common, the parade will turn right onto Boylston Street and then pass the Arlington and Copley stations on the Green Line before ending outside the Hynes Convention Center, which also has a stop on the Green Line. The Orange Line and the Railroad also stop at Back Bay Station, just two blocks south of Copley Square.
Much of the route is lined with wide sidewalks that provide room to stand and watch the show, although there will be more room to spread out in open areas such as City Hall Plaza, Boston Common and Copley Square. The Celtics will be riding duck boats that rise high above the city streets, so they should be visible from almost anywhere along the way.
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @jeremycfox.