Getting To and Around Somerville
If you live in Somerville, we recommend leaving your car at home. Visitors arriving by car, please park your car and leave it parked and use other modes to get from studio to studio.
Mix it up
At just over 3 miles long, the City of Somerville is remarkably walkable. Walk to a studio, catch a Trolley up hill to the next, and pick up a bike share to ride the flat or coast down to the next station.
Plan your visit in advance, plot a course, and leave room for serendipity!
MBTA
Arrive in Somerville by T to Porter or Davis (Red Line) or Sullivan (Orange Line), then connect to a cross town bus or the nearby free SOS trolley.MBTA Bus
An MBTA bus can be a quick way to go straight from one end of the city to the other. Routes 80, 83, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 94, 95, 96, and 101 may be of use. Arrive in Somerville by T to Porter or Davis (Red Line) or Sullivan (Orange Line), then connect to a cross town bus or the nearby free SOS trolley. For more information on routes (including helpful mobile apps!), see www.mbta.com the MTBA Trip Planner or Google Maps
SOS Free Trolley
Look for the Old Town Trolleys, sponsored by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the City of Somerville. The trolleys will run every twenty minutes during SOS, making convenient stops along the way. This year, SOS will provide live tracking of trolley locations.
Trolleys will run from noon to 6 pm, Saturday and Sunday.
PLEASE NOTE: If at the end of the day you need to be at a specific place and are using the trolleys, please note that the trolleys begin their last route around 5:30pm. The trolleys finish their route at Joy Street by 6pm.
Because of several large construction projects, including the Green Line extension, SOS 2019 will have a different trolley route and stops from previous years. Here are this year's stops:
- A. Joy Street Studios, 86 Joy Street
- B. Mudflat Pottery, Broadway at Indiana Ave.
- C. Mad Oyster Studios, Pearl Street at Bradley Street.
- D. Vernon Street Studios, opposite 20 Vernon Street.
- E. Highland Avenue at Conwell Street. Bus stop before fire station
- F. Davis Square: Tufts shuttle-bus stop across from Somerville Theatre
- G. Across from from Nave Gallery, 155 Powder House Blvd.
- H. Kidder Ave. at Liberty Ave., far side of intersection
- I. Highland Ave. at Willow Ave. bus stop
- J. Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave.
- K. Somerville Museum, Avon Street at Central Street
- L. Dane Street at Tyler Street, near Artisan's Asylum
- M. Washington Street at Perry Street bus stop, across from Washington Street Studios
- N. Union Square: bus stop in front of Mandarin Chinese restaurant
- O. Brickbottom Artist Building, end of Joy Street at Fitchburg Street
Bicycle
Riding between artist sites is a fantastic way to get around, but if you want to park your bike and walk, look for large bike corrals in most business districts.
Remember: Lock up! Never lock up to a handicap parking sign. Your bike may block a disabled person from getting to the curb.
Parking
Thanks to the support of the City of Somerville and Mayor Curtatone, resident-only parking restrictions are lifted during SOS hours. Parking on side streets is still limited. Never block hydrants or driveways. Remember: meters are in eff ect on Friday and Saturday. Only use handicap spaces if you have an appropriate tag.
The City of Somerville has donated FREE PARKING in three large city school lots. The FREE TROLLEY will loop past or near all of these lots. MIX IT UP!
Ride a trolley to the top of a hill, walk to a few sites, then rent a bike from a bike share station to coast down hill. At the end of the day catch a trolley back to your car. So “pahk yah cah” once, and enjoy the compact tree-lined streets of Somerville.