On Wed, 2002-02-27 at 08:56, Moller, Edward N. wrote:
> I am not kidding about McDonald's.  The last time the regionals were in
> Worcester (2000), we found much to our dismay that every decent joint near
> the Centrum had gone out of business.  We ended up eating in the arena.  I
> can't say whether anything has opened up since.

I'm not sure how well you looked for places to eat, seeing that the
Worcester Common Outlets mall is right across the street from the Arena.
:-)  While it has a food court, and might have a McD's in the mix, at
least you won't have to go to the MA Pike.

There is an Aku-Aku on the other side of the new Med City hospital (you
can see it getting off of 290), and there are a number of restaurants in
the hotels in that area as well.  The best restaurant in Worcester,
which unfortunately is rather expensive and generally has a long wait,
is the Sole Proprietor, which is a mile or so up Rt. 9W from the center
of Worcester.  I usually don't eat in the center of the city, so I am
not the best source regarding the restaurants in that part of town.

If you are willing to get in the car and drive for 10 to 15 minutes, Rt.
9E has a number of restaurants, such as a Vinny Testa's, Uno's and
others.

For more restaurants and information about Worcester, the local
newspaper has a pretty good web site.
        http://www.telegram.com


As for driving directions:

        From Boston:    A: 90 W (MA Pike) to 495N [exit 11A]
                           495N to 290W
                           290W to Rt 9 exit [16/18?] in Worcester.
                           Follow signs to Centrum.
                           [basically: right at bottom
                           of ramp, straight through
                           lights (slight left turn), should be a                          straight line to the
centrum after
                           a few more lights.]

                or      B: 90W (MA Pike) to Auburn/290 [exit 10]
                           290E to Rt 9 exit [16/18?]
                           Take left on 9W at first set of lights.
                           Take left at lights at the bottom of
                           the hill.  Should be a straight shot
                           at the Centrum after another few lights.

        From North/NH:
                        C: Take 495S to 290W, see A above from there.

                or      D: Get to 190S (Connects with Rt. 2 in                     Leominster) this will
merge with
                           290W in Worcester.  The first exit
                           after the merge is the route 9 exit
                           mentioned above in A.

        From South/CT:  84N to 90E (MA Pike) to Auburn/290 [exit 10]
                        See B for rest of directions.

        From West:      90E (MA Pike) to Auburn/290 [exit 10]
                        See B for rest of directions.


I'm not completely sure how the parking is in that area... the Worcester
Common Outlets has a very large parking garage right across the street
from the arena, though that will probably be the most pricey method.
Compared with the Boston area, though, the parking isn't too bad.

Hope this helps,

Adam
--
Adam Bryant  ([log in to unmask])
Atmospheric & Environmental Research, Inc.
131 Hartwell Ave, Lexington, MA 02421-3126
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