Was long duration here too. It started down in Brockton where I lived like 4pm or so as some OE, but ramped up as that initial fronto band pushed north. I was asked to stay at my Grandmother's place in Hyde Park (neighborhood of BOS on the SW side) to help shovel out. It also helped that she was a great cook and I would eat like a king.
It was a classic wall of snow as Tip said. We ended up moving out of the snow heading north on rt 24, and not a flake at her house around 6pm. Her house was on a hill with a clear view of the Blue Hills ski slope. A short time later, I could not see the lights on the ski slope...maybe 4-5 miles as the crow flies...yet it took over an hour for that snow shield to advance.
Anyways, it was banded, but snowed OCNL MDT to HVY through the aftn. Still lingered into Saturday evening. Back in Brockton we had just over 2' with an astounding snowpack after the 12" a few days earlier.