Prepping for Your First Game
Our Venue – The Masonic Lodge
We are thrilled to be at the Masonic Lodge of Cambridge. A few helpful things to know about our site:
- This venue has stairs! You may have to go up and down stairs more than once as our game space will be split across 2 floors. Please reach out to Wendy at nhma.dc@gmail.com if you need accommodations.
- Large coat room for OOC storage
- Limited changing space – come early if you need to change on site. We recommend hair and make up be done before you arrive, the bathrooms are small. (Or bring a mirror and get gussied up in the OOC space!)
- You may bring food and drink but it must stay in the OOC room. The building is old and full of antiques.
- Water fountain on site, bring a water bottle
Parking
Do not park on the street or in the shopping center. 100% chance of being ticketed and / or towed.
If you need to park, there is a small back lot, hidden away. Getting there can be tricky – best bet is use 2055 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140 for your GPS.
At the Speedway gas station turn RIGHT onto Hadley Street.
You’ll see the parking lot on the left, where the green square is.
If you can’t figure it out you can temporarily park in the parking center and come get someone to help guide you!
Taking the T (aka the Subway or Public Transportation)
Boston’s public transportation system is called the MBTA. Navigating the MBTA is fairly simple. Use the MBTA trip planner if you’re staying some place that isn’t in Porter Square – but see below for helpful directions on getting to the subway from the airport.
If you plan to stay for the social, you cannot take the T after game. Our subway is NOT 24 hours, you need to be on your train before midnight!
Our venue and the Porter Square Hotel are in Porter Square. Porter Square is on the RED LINE.
From Logan Airport:
Follow signs to Ground Transportation. Look for the “T” symbol.
Look for the “Silver Line” signs – this is a BUS. The Silver Line SL1 bus offers connections to the subway at South Station. So if you’re not sure you have the right bus, ask the driver if they’re going to South Station. The Silver Line is FREE.
Once at South Station, you want to follow signs for the subway – the T – NOT the “Commuter Rail” and not Amtrak. You want to find the Red Line.
Before you do, make sure to stop at a kiosk and purchase a fare card. Each trip is $2.40 so if you’re just going to / from the airport you only need $4.80.
Take the Red Line INBOUND towards ALEWIFE. Get off at Porter Square. Take any exit up to the street. Use GPS to coordinate yourself from there, but the hotel is visible from the street.
Our system is old, slow, and sometimes on fire. But it will get you there, eventually. Pay attention to signs and announcements as the subway may be replaced with shuttle bu