While we recognize that waiting in long lines to board cramped buses has long been a treasured AGO Convention tradition, the realities of Boston demand we buck this trend:
- The circuitous former cow paths that, over time, have transformed into Boston’s roads and streets are not exactly conducive to large fleets of chartered buses. Narrow, curvy roads do not pair naturally with dozens of large, fifty-fife-person vehicles traveling together.
- Even if the armies of buses could efficiently and effectively traverse the streets, many of the venues cannot load buses immediately nearby. Indeed, at several venues, buses would have to load and unload a couple blocks away. Since our venues are so close together, one might as well walk!
- Even if these hurdles were surmounted, we would still be able to load only one or two buses at a time in most locations. When you consider the number of buses needed to move many hundreds of people, that is a very long time to wait in line. Better to use this time experiencing wonderful music!
The convention schedule has been organized to maximize programmatic time while making travel as efficient as possible. Many activities are centralized in the Back Bay neighborhood, near the convention hotel.
When travel to other parts of the city is necessary, we have strived to ensure that:
- The trip is worthwhile, by scheduling multiple events in that location;
- There is adequate time to make the transfer; and
- When appropriate, there is also time to eat en route.
Allowing folks to travel without the confines of a chartered bus enables maximum personal flexibility for each convention attendee and also reduces overcrowding at critical establishments—namely restaurants, coffee shops, and bars—immediately adjacent to the convention hotel. Finally, it’s simply the “green” thing to do.