Porter
Porter is a fun station. It’s the deepest in the system, meaning a 143-foot escalator ride. The escalator ride is great, with a mural of trains going down and a mural of birds going up. It can admittedly be kind of a scary ride, but it’s worth it. It’s also worth noting that at the bottom of the escalator, there are some bronze gloves. Finding gloves in the snow inspired artist Mags Harries to create this artwork. If you don’t want to take the escalator, you can also take the 199-step stairs next to the escalator. I’ve never tried it, since I’d imagine it’s kind of tiring, but it’s probably good exercise. In fact, it’s the longest staircase in Massachusetts! There are also elevators, but one of them is out of service until the summer. The reason the station is so deep (especially when compared to its neighboring stations, Davis and Harvard) is that it was cheaper to build the station in rock than in soft clay.
Outside the station, the first thing you notice is the kinetic sculpture outside. Called Gift of the Wind, it is three large red “wings” that spin around in response to the wind. It was created by Susumu Shingu. The station is a nice glass building, with doors leading to a smaller escalator leading to the big escalator. The station doesn’t have a busway, only a shelter on the 77 and 96 side of the station and nothing on the 83 side.
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| Gift of the Wind. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_of_the_Wind |
Inside the underground portion of the station, there’s a shop. When I went in, there were huge electronic signs advertising it, yet the shop was closed. Strangely, there are also public bathrooms, which are uncommon for an MBTA station. The Red Line platforms are stacked, inbound over outbound. The two levels are in their own little shells. The station also has some red pipes, which I assume are vents, but don’t quote me.
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| The long escalator. |
Porter Square also has Commuter Rail connections. In fact, the Commuter Rail was there before the Red Line, when the station was called Cambridge. The name was changed to Porter when the Red Line extension happened, since the Red Line has multiple stops in Cambridge. The Commuter Rail platform is below grade, and there are two ways to get to it. One is from the underground area before the big escalator. The other, more interesting route, is across the street from the station. There’s a little pedestrian walkway that feeds out from Mass Ave, goes over the tracks, and comes down onto the central Commuter Rail platform. It makes for an interesting walk. The platform itself starts out in the shade, but goes outside for most of it. The platform gets smaller and smaller, with few benches.
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| I figured my own picture was necessary, even if it isn’t that good. |
NOTE: I’m trying out an experimental format. Leave a comment to say what you think of it. I might revert back to the old one.
Station: Porter
Ridership: Locals and shoppers heading to the mall next to the station. It’s also close to parts of Lesley university, though it doesn’t have the throngs of students like Harvard station does.
Pros: It serves some important apartments and businesses along Mass Ave. Also, the station itself is really nice, with some top-notch artwork. Plus, the escalator ride alone is worth a look, as is the pedestrian walkway down to the Commuter Rail.
Cons: The Commuter Rail platform is a bit drab, without much shelter. The bus situation can also be annoying, with only a shelter (and that’s with only the 77 and 96).
Nearby and Noteworthy: The most prominent location is the Porter Square Shopping Center. This mall has such stores as:
- Porter Square Books, a great, independant bookstore
- Henry Bear’s Park, a toy store for the kiddies
- Michaels, an arts and crafts store my mother loves
Also, Sugar and Spice has some of the best Thai food ever, and WardMaps, the MBTA’s official store, is close by. There are many more places than the ones I listed, so don’t be afraid to explore.
Transit Tales: Memorable Train Quotes
When I say “train quotes,” I don’t mean the train is talking: I mean automated stop announcements. Anyone reading this blog has likely been on a train with automated stop announcements; it’s when there’s an automatic prerecorded speaker that says the names of the stops with a display screen. It’s a nice touch, and it’s much better than older trains, where the driver says the names of the stops. With those, the speakers are either too muffled to be understood (see the previous Transit Tales) or the driver doesn’t even bother to say the stop names. Based on that, the automated stop announcements are a welcome addition 95% of the time. However, they glitch on occasion. Here are some of the most memorable:
- On a Red Line ride towards Boston, the speaker kept saying “Next stop: Davis Square” even though we were nowhere near Davis Square.
- My friends were riding the Red Line, entering Porter Square. The speaker said, “Next stop: Quincy Adams” while the display said “Entering Harvard.”
- Riding a Green Line C train towards Cleveland Circle, the speaker said, “The destination of this train is: Cleveland Circle [BEEP!] Reservoir [BEEP!] Reservoir.”
Leave a comment if you experience a Memorable Train Quote, and I’ll compile them into another post when I get enough.
28 (Mattapan Station – Ruggles Station via Dudley Station)
The only reason I wanted to take the 28 is because I’m a sucker for articulated buses. The 28 uses them all the time, so that’s fine with me. The 28 is one of the 7 (!) buses connecting Mattapan and Ashmont stations to the Orange Line. It travels almost entirely on Blue Hill Ave and South St, then diverts onto Malcolm X Boulevard to Ruggles. It’s also a Key Bus Route, meaning it runs quite often.
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| The 28 at Ruggles. Though you can’t tell from this picture, the 28’s buses have a more curved profile, in line with the MBTA’s older RTS buses. |
On Sundays, the frequency is every 12 minutes. My father and I had to wait about that time at Ruggles station. Surprisingly, there were only about 5 people, including us, who boarded the 28 at Ruggles. I was surprised, since the route does use articulated buses. Speaking of articulated buses, the ones used on the 28 are absolutely beautiful. For one thing, they use LED’s (as my energy-efficient father noticed), and the lighting as a whole is perfect. Like on the SL5, the seats are cushioned, and it’s nice how there’s a second screen to tell you the stops in the back.
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| It’s so beautiful! |
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| Another 28 bus at Ruggles, in a picture taken over 18 months since this post was first published. |
Latest MBTA News: On March 17, 19, 20, 21, and 24, the Orange Line will operate shuttle buses between Sullivan Square and Oak Grove. Also, “T”rivia night is March 28. Think you’ve got what it takes? Click here.
Transit Tales: The Snail Train to Snailsville
Getting from Harvard to Alewife should normally take about 5 minutes. But today, that trip took 20 (for the record, I wanted to take the bus being the transit-obsessed person I am, but it was my friend Calvin’s turn to pick the transit method). We ended up getting a train in the 01500’s series, the oldest fleet on the Red Line. It was fine from Harvard to Porter, but then the train started going 2 miles an hour to Davis. It took forever to arrive there. When we did, the train was just sitting there with its doors open. We waited for a couple minutes, and then the driver came over the speaker. Being an old train, all we could hear was some muffled gibberish, so we still had no idea what was going on. Finally, the doors closed, and we started moving again. At the point before Alewife when the trains sometimes switch tracks, we stopped again. At first, it seemed like we were waiting for a train to leave the station, but then, looking out the window, I saw we were in the middle of switching tracks. Then the lights turned off in the train. “We’re in the middle of the two tracks,” I said to Calvin. “If a train comes now, we’re going to die,” I jokingly remarked. “Great place to stop the train,” he replied. Finally, the lights came on and the train started moving again (at 2 miles an hour, of course), and we pulled into Alewife. MBTA, you’ve got some explaining to do.
Lechmere
UPDATE 5/24/2020: With the station in this form now closed, check out this retrospective!
Lechmere is a station on its last legs. Once the Green Line West Medford extension is up and running, Lechmere will have been relocated and redesigned. Because of this, you can understand how the MBTA seems to be purposely neglecting the station. The tracks to Lechmere are over a hundred years old (but the station itself wasn’t built until 1922 – the area was used for track connections with streetcars before), which explains why the area seems so dated. The station has peeling paint, a couple of billboard frames with nothing on them, and a dank busway.
But don’t think that Lechmere is all bad: the best part is the ride to it. The Green Line is above ground at Lechmere, and it makes for one of the best views on the system. Leaving Lechmere, the tracks turn a little while ascending until the train is elevated next to Monsignor O’Brien Highway. Buildings give way to a fantastic view of the Zakim Bridge. The train dips back below ground after Science Park, but it makes for a great 45 seconds.
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| The view from the train. |
Back to the station itself: as I said before, it’s not exactly pleasant to look at. Despite not being aesthetically pleasing, it does have one quality: the fare gates. With most above ground Green Line stations, you have to board from the front of the train to pay fares. It makes times at each station annoyingly long, and you just want the darn train to start moving. At Lechmere, though, there are fare gates, making much less waiting time. Sure, it doesn’t help the fact that waiting for a train in the winter can be torture, but it makes it much faster to get onto the train, into the warmth.
The Lechmere busway, on the other hand, has no qualities. Half of it is in a dark, dingy tunnel, and the other half of it is outside with no shelter. No matter where you wait, it will still be the same temperature, so don’t think the tunnel will protect you from that. Lechmere is only served by 4 MBTA buses (plus the EZ ride shuttle), though they all have decent schedules. The 80, 87, and 88 serve Somerville and Arlington, while the 69 serves East Cambridge.
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| The clouds really enhance the dinginess. |
Right now, being the closest station to East Cambridge and parts of Somerville, people use it. But how will the West Medford extension affect the ridership? Will it still be used as much as it is now? Only time will tell. But the current station is a piece of history. Go see it while you have the chance, if not for the station, then for the ride.
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| We were waiting for the driver to get back from his smoke, so I took this picture from the train. |
Station: Lechmere
Rating (1-10): 6
Ridership: People who live in East Cambridge and Somerville, since it’s the closest station to those areas. Also, shoppers visiting the Cambridgeside Galleria.
Pros: The fare gates. I applaud the MBTA on shortening a long wait time. But the best part is the ride. If you’re from out of town, the Lechmere ride is more than worth a look.
Cons: The station is just so… dated. Paint is chipping everywhere, the busway is a mess, the billboard frames are ugly and pointless… still, though, with the MBTA’s budget problems and the West Medford extension just around the corner, a big renovation isn’t necessary. Also, it’s a bit annoying how only the E Line serves the station. Why is it only served by one line?
Nearby and Noteworthy: As I mentioned before, the Cambridgeside Galleria is a good mall. Also, though many people use Science Park to get to the Museum of Science (go figure), Lechmere is only a little farther from the museum, plus you get a great ride to boot.
Latest MBTA News: There are Orange Line shuttle buses this weekend from Sullivan Square to Oak Grove… you know the drill.
Fare Heights and Service Cuts on the Way – Again
As we all know, the MBTA is in serious debt. As we also know, fares rose 25% last year. Well, the fares are rising again – this time by 33%, on top of the fare raise from last year! There are actually two options: the 33% fare raise, or a smaller fare increase with large service cuts.
A 33% fare raise would generate $130 million for the MBTA. Unfortunately, it would be a significant difference: a bus ride would be $2 over the current $1.50, and taking the train would cost $2.60 over $2.00 now (and that’s with a CharlieCard!) However, this would reduce ridership by about 8% (go figure).
The other option is a smaller fare increase, but with service cuts. Some options for this are:
- The elimination of the 30 least used buses in the system, as well as the 6 buses in the 700s (buses operated by other companies)
- The cancellation of weekend T service (!)
- The cancellation of weekday T service after 11 PM
- The elimination of Commuter Rail service on weekends
According to the senior director of strategic initiatives and performance at the MBTA, Charles Planck, the most cost-effective service cut is eliminating bus routes, since the MBTA would actually lose money from fares with the other options.
The MBTA is also considering raising parking costs, putting more ads around the system, and cutting senior and student discounts. Other possibilities are cutting back service of the RIDE (a service for people with disabilities) and getting rid of vehicles on its fleet.
Which of the options do you think the MBTA should choose? Or do you have an entirely different solution? Leave your comments below!
Bay State Model Railroad Museum
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| A lot of care has been put into the set pieces. |
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| A great rendition of Roslindale Village. |
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| Though it doesn’t move like the other trains, this is an accurate model of the Amtrak Acela. |
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| The trolley models feature realistic wires above. |
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| The models feature cars and people, too! |
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| Normally, people can control the track switches, but during the open houses, the employees try to avoid crashes. |
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| Most of the trains also make noises. It can get loud in there! |
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| One of the towns in the museum. They’re all based on real places. |
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| “AUGH! Who’s this giant man?” |
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| There are many different tracks in the museum. |
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| This is only part of the complicated map of the tracks! |
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| A model Commuter Rail locomotive… |
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| …Compared to the real one! |
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| …compared to the real one! |
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| Old-school Boeing LRV Green Line car… |
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| …compared to the real one! |
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| A model PCC car… |
1 (Harvard/Holyoke Gate – Dudley Station via Mass Ave)
About a year ago, my father and I were at Dudley Station. We needed a bus to get home, and we ultimately ended up taking the 66 (which also goes to Harvard, but with a much wilder route). I was interested in the 1, and my father and I were back at Dudley a few months later. But that time, we took the SL4 (why we took it over the SL5 remains a mystery) to South Station. A couple more months later, my father needed a bus from Harvard to the Boston Medical Center, and I suggested he take the 1. When he got back, he was raving about how amazing the 1 is. At this point, I didn’t want to take the 1 – I needed to.
- The Red Line at Harvard and Central
- The B, C, and D branches of the Green Line at Hynes Convention Center (or Auditorium, as my father calls it by its old name)
- The E branch of the Green Line at Symphony
- The Orange Line at Massachusetts Avenue
- The Silver Line at Massachusetts Avenue, Melnea Cass Boulevard, and Dudley
Because of all these connections, the 1 is a Key Bus Route, meaning it runs about every 10 minutes on weekdays. My father and I were waiting for about that time at what we thought was Holyoke Gate. When the bus came with 12 people on it, though, we realized we were waiting one stop ahead. It didn’t matter that much, though, and we got on with two other people.
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| Here comes the 1! |
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| The view from the MIT Bridge. Too bad that car got in the way. |
SL5 (Dudley Station – Downtown Crossing at Temple Place via Washington St)
To understand why we even have a Silver Line, you need to know the history behind it. When they first built the Orange Line in 1901, it was elevated over Washington Street (the EL, as it was called). For 86 years, it provided speedy transportation over the busy thoroughfare. However, it was quite dingy at street level with a huge structure right overhead. Also, the EL was showing its age, so this prompted the MBTA to tear it down. They relocated the Orange Line to the Southwest corridor, originally to be a highway. Though the Southwest Corridor was mostly only a few blocks west of Washington Street, replacement service was needed. The MBTA compensated with the 49 bus, which in theory provided frequent service along Washington Street. However, the 49 was slow going, getting caught in traffic and stopping at every other street. The 49 was scrapped, and in 2002, the Silver Line entered service.
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| The old EL From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Line_(MBTA) |
The Silver Line is Bus Rapid Transit, meaning it…
- gets its own dedicated bus lane
- has more spaced out stops
- has higher-quality stations than regular buses
- uses articulated buses
This should make the Silver Line the ideal replacement, right? Wrong.
My father and I were on a transit extravaganza of sorts. Arriving at Dudley on the 1, we were originally just going to take the same bus back to the Green Line, where we had to go. But upon arriving, we saw the SL5 heading for Downtown Crossing. We decided we’d take that and get off at Boylston. Getting on, we immediately noticed how nice the bus was. It was a long articulated bus with cushioned seats, and it just felt sort of new. The Silver Line also has some really nice stops. They’re large shelters with silver signs (indicating the Silver Line) and even “next bus” countdown clocks. The bus travels reasonably fast… for a stretch.
When the bus gets to Chinatown is when you notice some flaws. The streets turn narrow, the bus lane is gone, and you’re forced to contend with city traffic. Our bus was barely moving, and it took forever to get to Downtown Crossing. Also, the nice stops from Washington Street are gone; as far as I could see, there aren’t even shelters once you get downtown. Finally, the bus turned off Washington Street and went onto Temple Place, a much smaller side street. This is where everybody got off, but since I know that the SL5 goes to Boylston heading back to Dudley, my father and I stayed on while the bus driver helped a man in a wheelchair off the bus. As the driver started to move the bus, though, there was a loud noise. Noticing us, the driver said, “Out of service!” Getting off, we saw that the wheelchair ramp had hit a pole or something and was really busted up. Guess we had to walk to the Green Line.
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| These articulated buses are looooong… |
Route: SL5 (Dudley Station – Downtown Crossing at Temple Place via Washington St)
Rating (1-10): 5
Ridership: The people who used to take the Orange Line EL; locals. It surprised me, though, that there were only about 10 people on such a long bus. However, the buses going the other way seemed crowded.
Pros: The buses and stations are nice, and the bus travels pretty quickly for a lot of the route. Plus, Washington Street looks a lot nicer without a huge EL over it.
Cons: Is this a good replacement for the Orange Line? No. At least not downtown. Being stuck in traffic is not the same as soaring over the street. Also, I’m wondering why the MBTA didn’t bring it all the way down to Forest Hills.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Downtown Crossing has a nice pedestrian walkway with stores including a Macy’s and a GameStop. Also, the SL5 (and its South Station cousin, the SL4) serves the theater district, where I like to go with my theater-obsessed parents.
Latest MBTA News: The MBTA put up signs around the system talking about Red Line shuttle buses this weekend between Harvard and Alewife… however, it doesn’t say this on the MBTA website. Expect anything on your commute.
Harvard
Harvard is essentially the transit hub of Cambridge. You’ve got the Red Line, 13 MBTA bus routes, Harvard University Shuttle buses, and Longwood Medical Area shuttles. It’s also the third busiest MBTA station (next to Downtown Crossing and South Station). Best of all, it has trackless trolleys, which are always a treat to ride.
Now to the station itself: the main entrance is a bit of a hassle to get to, since it’s an island in the middle of the street. There’s a food stand inside, as well as bus schedules for every bus route in the system. There’s a huge row of CharlieCard machines lining a wall, and even countdown clocks (still a relative rarity on the MBTA). Harvard is also one of the few MBTA stations with stacked platforms, with the outbound platform on top of the inbound. Another interesting thing about Harvard is the turn in the tracks just before the station. On the inbound side, trains make an extremely sharp turn, so don’t be alarmed if your train is travelling extremely slowly and making screeching noises.
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| A Red Line train at Harvard From: http://erausa.org/conventions/2012/ |
The Harvard busway is simply sent from heaven. It’s in a tunnel, so you’re totally protected from the elements! Also, it has trackless trolleys, making the busway even more awesome. Awesomeness aside, though, Harvard is home to 5 (!) Key Bus Routes, making it a very important bus hub. However, two of these Key Bus Routes don’t serve the busway. See, the routes that don’t serve the busway use CNG buses. Turns out the CNG buses are too tall to fit into the tunnel without brushing the trackless trolley wires above! The MBTA had to reroute those buses. Overall, though, Harvard is an excellent station, especially with those trackless trolleys.
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| Though it’s a bit dingy in the busway, it’s still better than waiting out in the cold. From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamlester/4753860942/ |
Station: Harvard
Rating (1-10): 8
Ridership: Students. Lots and lots of students. Based on the crowds I’ve seen at this station, it’s no wonder it’s the third busiest.
Pros: The busway is, as I said before, amazing, and the station is well laid out. Harvard Square is a great place in general, and there are trackless trolleys. You gotta love the trackless trolleys.
Cons: The process of getting off a bus in the lower busway is annoying. You have to get out of the right side of the bus, then walk around to the left where the platform is. I’m always afraid I’ll get run over when I’m walking in front of the bus, going to the platform.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Too many to list. The Harvard Coop is an huge bookstore with a wide selection of books (among other things). There’s also Harvard University, of course. And being theater fanatics, my parents often take me to shows at the A.R.T.
Latest MBTA News: Orange Line shuttle buses – yay! There will be shuttle buses running from Sullivan Square to Oak Grove tomorrow until 3:00 PM. Normal service will resume after that.
At Least the Blizzard’s Good For Something!
I understand that this blizzard’s really bad for some people. 650,000 homes in the Northeast have lost power, people aren’t allowed to drive, and the MBTA isn’t running until Monday (hopefully). However, last night, my friend Max and I made good use of the blizzard. We shoveled piles of snow onto sleds and brought them over to the end of the street. We piled the snow into a huge block, and then carved a big “T” symbol into it! Let this be a lesson to you, kids: hard work pays off (a few hours later, the sculpture got covered up by snow…oh, well).
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| Max is on the left; my weird hat is on the right. |
350 (North Burlington – Alewife Station via Burlington Mall)
Let me start out by saying that my mother hates buses with a passion. So when she suggested taking a bus, of course I said yes! The bus in question was the 350, which I had actually been wanting to take for a while. The route travels to Mass Ave, then goes onto Mystic Road/Route 3 at Arlington Center. It makes its way up to the Burlington Mall and its terminus up in North Burlington.
Arriving at Alewife, my mother and I looked around the maze known as the Alewife busway for the bus. When we found it, some MBTA workers were having a conversation. They told us to wait a couple berths away while they talked. We waited for 10 minutes for the workers to stop talking. Finally, the bus started up and we got on. Leaving Alewife, the bus had about 15 people on it, which is a lot if you think about the fact that we hadn’t even made any stops yet. Travelling along Mass Ave, there are a lot of businesses along the route. Eight people got on at Arlington Center, which I actually found kind of surprising (we also noticed a snail on the window of the bus, but snails don’t pay fares). Once it turned off of Mass Ave, it became very residential. The bus pretty much ran express during this portion, though there were a whole bunch of stops being announced. I’m assuming on weekdays, people use these stops, but it was quiet on a Saturday. There was also some stuff to see, primarily the Mystic Lakes.
There are some businesses at Woburn Four Corners, and then it’s back to residences. Near Route 128, the bus turns off of Cambridge Street (which Mystic Street turns into) and goes by some office buildings. Again, on weekdays, people probably use the stops on this portion of the route. The bus goes onto Burlington Mall Road and drops people off at Macy’s. On our trip, almost everyone (including us; I’ll have to go up to the terminus some time) got off at the mall, except for two people.
Soon, it was time to take the return trip. After waiting for a while, the bus came. 14 people got on, including us, and one person had come from Burlington. The bus went very fast through the residential area, and it was actually very relaxing. For the sake of this review. I stopped myself from falling asleep, but I probably would’ve.
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| At least there’s some light getting into that busway… |
Route: 350 (North Burlington – Alewife via Burlington Mall
Rating (1-10): 7
Ridership: On weekdays, probably people going to those office buildings I mentioned. On weekends, people use it to get to the Burlington Mall. There are also a few small malls along the way, but they don’t generate as much ridership. There was a max of 27 people on the bus, which is a lot, especially for a weekend.
Pros: It’s the only Alewife bus that goes on Sundays! Also, it’s great having a bus connection to the Burlington Mall. The 350 also has its own spin-off of sorts, the 351 express bus to the EMD Serono Research Center in Billerica. However, it only runs on weekdays, four times a day.
Cons: Considering how many people used it to get to the mall, the headways seem criminal. It runs every hour on weekends. Every 45 minutes or even every half hour would be much preferred, and it might boost ridership. Also, the waiting area at the Burlington Mall is just the area that you walk into to get into the mall. You’re forced to just lean on the wall, which isn’t very comfortable. You’d think the MBTA could spring for a bench or two.
Nearby and Noteworthy: The Burlington Mall – duh! Also, though I’m not a gardener, I still enjoy the occasional visit to Mahoney’s in Winchester. And Punjab in Arlington Center is absolutely the best restaurant ever (if you like Indian food).
Latest MBTA News: Due to the incoming blizzard, the MBTA is shutting down all service at 3:30 PM today. Don’t plan on taking any long train or bus rides, or else you might get stuck.
Service Change: Amtrak Northeast Regional and the 6 – Lexington Avenue Local
This weekend, I went to New York to see Cinderella on Broadway, and I took some fun train rides while I was away. To get to New York, we took Amtrak down. It’s nice being able to enter the station and be able to immediately board the train. At an airport, you have to get your baggage checked, go through security, etc. Anyway, the train starts going extremely slow to Back Bay (which is laughably close to South Station). Don’t be fooled, though. The train passes Forest Hills in under 10 minutes. The train is also pretty quiet and very relaxing. The food on the train is all right, definitely better than the food you get on a plane. Walking through the cars is also really fun.
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| It gets cold in this area between cars. See the button to open it? |
But the most interesting part about the ride is the things to see. You can see cornfields, rock piles, sand piles, big cities, small towns, a little bird in the water surrounded by ice, two little boats next to the track, a huge boatyard, blue water with a thin ice sheet, some playgrounds, a huge highway bridge, a tipped walkway, a statue of a whale, an old shack, a quarry, a bunch of foot-high trees, an auto junkyard, a trailer park, abandoned buildings, a baseball stadium, a bunch of birds swarming a building, a trampoline, barbed wire, and a LOT of graffiti. There’s just so much to see, I never touched my reading material during the ride. Plus, you have no idea how satisfying it is to pass huge traffic jams on I-95. I don’t see much point in taking the Acela express, since it makes most of the stops anyway. Nonetheless, it’s a great way of getting to New York, or any of the other stations on the route.
After dealing with the crowds on the New York subway, Boston seems extremely tame. My father and I rode the subway at 10:45 at night, and we still couldn’t get a seat. Also, on the New York subway, you’ll see things like people lying down, sleeping in the subway car. And while we were riding, someone shouted “F*** that s***!” I’ve never seen that in Boston. Anyway, I forced myself to wake up early, so my father and I could take a subway ride. We were originally going to take the J (Nassau Street Express to Jamaica Center), which runs almost all above ground. However, there were some service complications, so we ended up on the 6 (Lexington Avenue Local to Pelham Bay Park).
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| Wrong train! Argh! By the way, no one make any comments on my weird hat. |
After a relatively short wait (despite being a Sunday morning), we got on. Again, it was a Sunday morning, so there weren’t too many people on the train. As we rode, I observed the train. The seats are much less comfortable than the cushion-y seats on the Red Line, but the New York ones are more durable. The trains are subject to graffiti, unfortunately, and there’s always some form of litter on them. The stations, though simple, aren’t very aesthetically pleasing. There’s always a bunch of paint chipping, and there’s always a bunch of litter on the tracks. The thing I love about the trains, though, is the destination displays. In Boston, they just say the next stop and the destination, depending on how close you are to the station. In New York, though, they say the time, the next stop, and the destination in a cycle. It’s much better, I think.
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| Seriously, these are so cool! |
The trains also have really cool maps inside them. In Boston, the in-car maps just show the route. In New York, they tell you the boroughs on the line, the direction you’re going, and the station you’re at. On the map, the lit up stations are the ones you have left, and the station you’re at blinks. It’s so cool!
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| I can’t get enough of this map! |
Anyway, due to construction, the 6 was running express northbound. It goes above ground after Hunts Point Ave. There were a lot of interesting businesses to see, and the snow made everything more beautiful. It also made it easier for my father to observe heat loss in each apartment building. There was a particularly fun part where the train went on a bridge over a huge train yard. Finally, we reached the terminal at Pelham Bay Park. You could see huge trees in the park from the station. I was a bit surprised, though, that at the terminus the track just stopped. In Boston, there’s usually a yard or a turnaround loop or something. Oh, well. Overall, both rides were extremely fun. Also, you can’t help loving New York.
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| Me and my weird hat again. |
Alewife
Alewife is, simply put, huge. You can spot this structure from extremely far away. However, I’d never really explored the main station until I started this review. I usually go into the station via the much smaller Russell Field entrance. That entrance consists of two fare gates, a small customer service booth, and some system maps. Meanwhile, the main station is gigantic. It has elevators, escalators, a transit police office, 10 fare gates, a Dunkin’ Donuts, a newsstand, a Redbox, you name it.
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| Not my picture, but a good one of this huge station. From: http://sah-archipedia.org/detail%2Fcontent%2Fentries%2FMA-01-NC5.xml?q=type%3Acorridors |
The station at platform level is much less impressive. It’s simply a center platform and some ads. Despite its simplicity, it’s a nice, easy setup for quickly grabbing a train. An interesting thing about Alewife is the fact that down the tunnel, there’s the underground train yard in Arlington. I would absolutely love to stay on a train and go to the yard, but, you know, that’s illegal. The location is also extremely convenient. There are a lot of office buildings near Alewife, and it’s the closest station to towns like Arlington and Lexington. People actually drive to the station, park in the parking lot, and get on the train.
Moving out of the station, there’s the Alewife Busway. It actually serves quite a few buses, serving Arlington, Lexington, Bedford, and Burlington. Unfortunately, only two of those buses run on weekends, and only one on Sundays. The busway also serves buses to New York, which are pretty cheap and only make one stop (Riverside station).
Of course, no discussion about Alewife is complete without mentioning the elevators. It’s worth parking on the roof of the garage just because of the elevator ride. The elevators are glass, so you get a view of the highway. Then you descend into the station, getting a bird’s eye view of the main concourse. It’s just so much fun!
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| It’s me! |
Station: Alewife
Rating (1-10): 9 for the location, but 6 for the station itself
Ridership: Locals and people from Arlington, Lexington, and beyond. The station can get extremely crowded, or it can be deserted, depending on the time of day.
Pros: Again, the location is great. The station has a huge parking lot, with 2,733 parking spaces. It also has two large Pedal and Park bike cages with 174 or 500 bike spaces, depending on the source (which is right? I have no idea). Also, you can’t help loving that elevator ride!
Cons: First of all, the only bus running on Sundays from Alewife is the 350 to Burlington, added with the 62/76 to Bedford on Saturdays. All other buses run weekdays only. Also, the busway itself is a complete mess. I never have any idea where anything is in there. Plus, you’re really just waiting for the bus in a cold, dark parking lot.
Nearby and Noteworthy: Besides the places in the station itself, Bertucci’s is located right outside the station (it’s actually in the building, but they the station and the restaurant aren’t connected.). It’s a real treat for people who like pizza. Also, the Fresh Pond Mall is about a 5 to 10 minute walk down the road. It has, among others, a Whole Foods, a TJ Maxx, and an Entertainment Cinemas.
Latest MBTA News: More Orange Line shuttle buses between Sullivan Square and Oak Grove this weekend. Again.
30 (Mattapan Station – Forest Hills Station via Cummins Hwy. and Roslindale Square) – Technically!
My father and I had some things to do in Ashmont, and we thought we would take a bus while we were at it. We planned to take the 31 (Mattapan – Forest Hills via Morton St), so we took the Mattapan High Speed Line to Mattapan. It took us a while for to find the 31 berth, and the bus wasn’t coming. After about 10 minutes, we saw the 30 pull up at a parallel berth. We figured it would take us to Forest Hills anyway, so we hopped on. The 30 takes a very residential route on Cummins Highway. You even get to cut through a graveyard, just like the Mattapan High Speed Line.
After riding for a bit (we didn’t make many stops), a strange sound came out of the CNG bus we were riding. We stopped for a minute, and then continued. We made it a few more blocks, and then it happened again. We found out that the bus was losing its transmission. It didn’t help that Cummins Highway happens to have a bunch of steep hills. We stopped completely at Hyde Park Avenue. “Does anyone have to go to Roslindale?” Asked the bus driver. One person did. “As for the rest of you,” the bus driver continued, “I recommend you get on the 32 on Hyde Park Ave.” We all got out and waited at the bus stop (no bench or anything). A few minutes later, we saw the person who wanted to get to Roslindale get kicked out of the bus. After waiting for a really long time for the 32 (isn’t it supposed to be a Key Bus Route?) my father and I decided we could walk the rest of the way. He wanted to walk on Hyde Park Ave to Forest Hills, but I wanted to walk to Roslindale and take a bus from there. We ended up doing my idea, so we started walking on Cummins Highway. “Is Roslindale close to here?” my father asked a passerby. “Ya, ya!” he replied. Good. This would be a piece of cake.
20 minutes later, we came to the Roslindale bus shelter, extremely tired out from those hills (but it was a shorter walk than what my father suggested). At the shelter, we waited for about a half hour for a bus to Forest Hills. Finally, a 36 came along, and we were soon on the Orange Line.
So, I guess that was more of a story than a bus review. And I guess I only took about half of the 30, but that’s enough to constitute a review, right? I hope so…
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| As you can probably infer, I did not take this picture during my ride. Actually, I happened to be in Forest Hills and I saw the 30, so I took a picture. This happened over three months after originally posting this. |
Route: 30 (Mattapan – Forest Hills via Cummins Hwy. and Roslindale Square)
Rating (1-10): 5
Ridership: Locals, locals, locals. And very few locals at that. There were only about 10 on the bus, including my father and me. Granted, it was a Sunday, but the 30 still isn’t exactly a Key Bus Route.
Pros: You get to see a quiet part of Boston unknown to tourists. It’s an interesting ride overall, especially the graveyard-cutting. Plus, you can’t help liking the hills.
Cons: Who uses it? 10 people on a bus, even for a Sunday, isn’t very good ridership. I mean, about a fifth of the Cummins Highway portion of the route is graveyard-cutting. Not much ridership comes from that section, I’ll bet. Also, though not affecting the score, I can’t help thinking differently about the CNG buses in Boston now.
Nearby and Noteworthy: I have no idea what sort of interesting things are in Roslindale, since we didn’t really explore it. However, I desperately want to visit the Bay State Model Railroad Museum. It’s only open Wednesday nights, but it looks really awesome for train-obsessed people like me.
Latest MBTA news: More Orange Line shuttle buses this weekend (sigh). Like before, the buses are running between Sullivan Square and Oak Grove.