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
Random Photos: View From Lynn Parking Garage
I found a batch of random photos that were never published, so I'll be putting them out. The first one is the decent view from Lynn Station's parking garage. Looking over downtown. And towards Nahant. The birds circle above an interesting-looking tower on a...
8 (Harbor Point/UMASS – Kenmore Station via BU Medical Center and Dudley Station)
It's not often you miss the last stop on a bus. But once we reached the last stop of the 8, the driver decided to drive away before yelling at us. Thus, for all intents and purposes, my friend Jason and I missed the final stop of a bus route. What an...
64 (Oak Square – University Park, Cambridge or Kendall/MIT via North Beacon Street)
I never really gave the 64 much thought until I read Jordan King's guest post about it. The route sounded interesting, and I figured I'd have to give it a try at some point in time. Then a few of my friends, with no interest in buses at all, told me I should ride the...
75 (Belmont Center – Harvard Station via Concord Ave)
I think buses look amazing in the snow. It's a shame, then, that on a snowy day I had to wait for the 75 in the underground Harvard busway. That said, I'd much rather wait for the bus in a tunnel rather than a sign out in the middle of nowhere, especially if it's...
Davis
There are four folders on my computer that have pictures of Davis in them. The problem is, there aren't too many non-blurry ones. Why? Because this station is too darn dark! I don't know what it is - there are lots of lights at Davis, but they don't seem to have...
Lynn
I said in my post about Lowell that the station was pretty depressing. It was very functional and all, but just didn't feel...right. Honestly, though, Lowell doesn't even come close to how foreboding Lynn is. Really, this place is a dump. The tall,...
Beachmont
I love small neighborhood stations. I also love modern, recently renovated stations. And I really love elevated stations. Beachmont manages to embody all three of these things. And so, I love it! The station from across the street. Beachmont wants to let everyone know...
119 (Northgate – Beachmont Station via Revere Center and Cooledge Housing)
Well, I was very surprised at the view on this route. Honestly, I never suspected that there would even be one, but it was there, and actually pretty nice. But before we can get to the view, we have to start in pitland, the Northgate Shopping Center. Right when I got...
2nd Anniversary!
Wow. Has it really been two years? It feels like so long ago that I would be proud to have gotten 40 or fewer views in a day. Now, 300 or more is the norm. Back then, my plan was to do a post every Friday, or four a month. Yet in November of 2014, there were as many...
429 (Northgate Shopping Center – Central Square, Lynn via Linden Square and Square One Mall)
Well, this was a crazy one. The 429's primary purpose seems to be serving the Square One Mall in Saugus, along Route 1. It also goes all the way down to Northgate Shopping Center, which is another reasonably popular destination. Along the way from Lynn, it takes a...
North Station
If South Station is the king of MBTA stations, then North Station is most certainly the queen. (Back Bay is like the 6 of hearts or something.) This massive complex features 10 tracks, serving both the Commuter Rail and Amtrak Downeaster to Maine; an underground...
Lawrence
I was pretty upset that I had to walk over a mile to get to Lawrence Station from the MVRTA's Buckley Transportation Center. There's no street signage leading the way, so I had to go to a library to ask for directions. And the station's pretty far from downtown...
Service Change: MVRTA – Route 41 (Lawrence – Lowell) and the Buckley Transportation Center
Yes, I actually went on another non-MBTA transportation authority while in Lowell. This is the MVRTA (Merrimack Valley Regional Transportation Authority), which covers a large area around its hub in Lawrence, going as far as Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. The 41...
Lowell
In my post about the LRTA's downtown shuttle, I made a mistake. I said that the Robert Kennedy Transportation Center forms the whole of the complex: bus station and Commuter Rail station. But it turns out that only the bus station is the Kennedy Transportation Center...
Service Change: LRTA, Part 3 – 2 (Belvidere)
The 2 is a crazy route meant to serve residential areas to the east of Lowell. I had wanted to ride another LRTA route for fun, and the 2 showed up at the Kennedy Center. When I got in, I asked the driver if it would loop around and come back to Lowell. "This is...