The blog that started it all! Check out reviews of every bus route and train station in Boston, as well as ongoing reviews of the regional bus systems in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Recent Posts from Miles on the MBTA
Waverley
Why did they paint it salmon? Why did they paint it salmooooooooooon? Waverley used to be at street level, but it was depressed into a trench...with salmon-colored walls. Now, perhaps salmon is your favorite color, but it's certainly not mine. Yuck. Looking at the...
554 (Waverley Square – Downtown Boston via Newton Corner and Central Square, Waltham)
This is a bus I've been wanting to take for a while. An incredibly circuitous route, the 554 is an express from Belmont to Boston. Wow, that must be great for Belmont commuters! Oh, wait, it goes via Watertown, Waltham, and Newton first. Yeah, not too many people take...
Greenwood
What a lovely station name. Gosh, what do you think Greenwood's surroundings are like? Rolling green hills, extending way out into the horizon, covered in beautiful trees...or perhaps a few houses and the back of a bank. The second guess was better... Well at least...
Melrose Highlands
This is the second time the "heights" (or "highlands", in this case) Commuter Rail station has the most ridership in a town! Unlike Needham Heights, however, which gets very good ridership, Melrose Highlands' is very low. But also unlike Needham Heights, Melrose...
131 (Melrose Highlands – Malden Center Station via Oak Grove Station)
Okay, 10/10 time is over! The 131 is a weekdays-only local route that serves quite a large portion of Melrose. It's kind of a "scenic alternative" to the 136/137, at least as far as Franklin Square. It operates as a loop, taking the "scenic route" in the peak...
Long Wharf – Charlestown Navy Yard (Ferry)
While the Hingham/Hull ferry is primarily meant for commuters, the Charlestown ferry feels much more touristy. Even so, it's still the fastest and most reliable route from Boston to the Navy Yard, and runs frequently. It's also pretty cheap, with a $3.25 one-way fare....
Service Change: NYC, Part 6 – The Acela “Express”
Well, I hate to say it, but the only high speed train in America is a bit of a joke. For a beefed up price, you only save about half an hour from New York to Boston. And on our trip, we lost about 45 minutes because our train stopped in the middle of nowhere for...
Service Change: NYC, Part 5 – The A and the 1
After our Staten Island adventure, my father and I wanted to take one more ride. Well, I wanted to take one more ride. Okay, anyway, we decided to take the 1 up to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Problem was, the 1 is a slow local train. The solution was taking...
Service Change: NYC, Part 4 – X1 (Express Between Staten Island and Manhattan)
The ferry is the touristy way of getting from Staten Island to Manhattan, but what do commuters do? Well, actually, a lot of commuters take the ferry, too. But other commuters use the network of express buses between the two boroughs. One of those buses is...
Service Change: NYC, Part 3 – The Staten Island Railway
Staten Island does not feel like New York City. I mean, sure, you've got your downtowns with a few buildings, but much of the borough is suburban - or even rural. Seriously, there's a lot of parkland here. Because of this, Staten Island only has one rapid transit...
Service Change: NYC, Part 2 – The Staten Island Ferry
Many a tourist has gotten on the Staten Island Ferry for the views, and for the fact that it's free. But when they get to Staten Island, they usually just get on the first boat back to Manhattan. Well, I wanted to explore the strange, isolated Island of Staten, so we...
Service Change: NYC, Part 1 – The M20 (NOT!)
I went to New York over the weekend! And I took some trains! And buses! But not the M20. Let me explain: to get to Staten Island, the most obvious (and touristy) way is the Staten Island Ferry. And the most obvious way of getting to the ferry is by taking the 1 train...
Forest Hills
Here we go. The big one. The huge Orange Line terminus featuring a bunch of bus connections on two different busways, a Commuter Rail platform, and even some retail inside the mezzanine. We shall wait no longer, and commence this review of the monster hub known as...
Stony Brook
Heading south along the Orange Line, Jackson Square is kind of the "last frontier" before the big hub of Forest Hills. But in between those stations, there are two quiet, local stops with no bus connections. I've already done Green Street, but what about the other?...
Jackson Square
Man, the MBTA really pulled out all the stops with Jackson Square, at least in terms of artwork. There are so many art installations here, it's really great. As for the architecture? Well, we're in the Southwest Corridor, so expect lots o' brutalism. Here we go....