A New Adventure

I had my first MBA class tonight. Of all the wonderful higher learning institutions in the Boston Metro area, I pick Boston College, located at the end of the B line. Fortunately, there is a BC shuttle bus that routes around the campus, with a stop at the Reservoir station [also Cleveland Circle area for those of you not familiar with this part of town]. Getting there is such a bitch; but getting home in 20 minutes isn't so bad. I can't wait for the winter.

Summer Luck

Amazing. I timed all three trains perfectly, despite my fear of the Red Sox game traffic. I even was able to get a seat on the crowded Green Line, despite the fact that it was summertime, when the students are out of town. Maybe it was because I remembered my handy dandy little notebook today, which I threw in my bag in an effort to write and record on a more regular basis than I have been doing. You always remember your experiences [frustrations] more distinctly when it is in the now.

The Chicken vs. The Egg

The urban ring. What a nifty idea for public transportation in the city of Boston. "If you build it, they will come." But will they? MBTA says that they will not build if there is not a demand. What should be the driving factor here?

The issue of transportation delves much deeper than just getting from Point A to Point B. It creates an impression of a city to a traveller. It influences the master planning of the city and its growth. It reflects the social and economic classes of the city.

The Urban Ring: Envisioning An Interconnected Boston is an interesting article I found while surfing the web one night Googling the MBTA. The article states that the study was initiated in 1995. Fortunately, the urban ring project has come into being. Click here for the MBTA official website.

Sure it will be expensive to build this urban ring, but the possibilities are endless! One has to keep in mind the historicism of the city of Boston and what logistics this project will have to overcome.

Paranoia

The Cleveland Circle train broke down last night in the tunnel in between Government Center and Park Street. Makes you wonder what the emergency precautions were put in place. I was half an hour late to meet my friend.

Nothing Has Happened

Very uneventful commutes. I'm grateful.

I suppose one of the reasons is because of my boss, who I try to hitch a ride with at night from work. She lives down the street from me. There is a brief walk, but it's so much faster than taking the Green Line. Grass grows faster than the Green Line.

The Silver Line Rocks

I do have to give kudos to the MBTA for the Silver Line. I can't be ranting all the time. It got me from literally leaving the doorstep of my office at the World Trade Center to South Station in 10 minutes. 10 MINUTES. Wow. I know, it's not that far, but when you take into account waiting time in a city where it takes forever to go 2 miles, that's pretty damn cool.

The inbound Silver Line bus runs every 3 minutes during evening rush hour. They are well staffed with courteous and safety-conscious people in bright orange safety vests holding clipboards, seemingly recording logs of when the buses actually arrive and depart each station. I wonder why this only occurs on the Silver Line and not any other line. [I have the Green Line specifically in mind when I say this...] I know it's new...I can only hope these improvements will start to migrate to the other lines which are in need of streamlining.

Check it out: http://www.allaboutsilverline.com/

Morning Exercise Routine

Thankfully, today's commute was easier...I even got a seat. It really helps when you leave on time before the rush hour. I was still running late at 7.15am though. The T does seem to have the uncanny ability to make you run for the train [in heels]. I think of it as a morning exercise routine. Oh well, what can you do but numb your senses and drown yourself in your iPod and a book and hope the world goes away...but hopefully, you come to when the train pulls into your stop.

In the beginning... The First Rant

I should have started a blog on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority a long time ago. Probably should have started it 2 years ago, when I moved out of the comfortable Cambridge and Somerville towns and the efficient Red Line to the Allston area, where I am resigned to taking the not-so-efficient Green Line.

This morning's commute was beyond horrifying. Sad to say, it probably was not the worst train ride I ever experienced. Albeit, I was going to work later than normal. I leave my home. I see the train rattling down Commonwealth Avenue. I, at least, have the luxury of seeing the train rattle down Comm Ave. and have a limited amount of time to run like crazy for the train. Since the snow had started falling, running seemed like too much wasted energy and out of the question. I would never make it there on time. So, I let the train go. Needless to say, along came another train within less than a minute of the one prior. By then, I knew I had to run for it. I almost got there. The train pulled away right when I managed to arrive, after being almost hit by multiple cars while jaywalking Comm Ave.

Then, there was the wait. Of course, when there are two trains in a row, the third never comes soon enough. By then, a crowd had started gathering. I knew the commute into the city was going to suck. I prepared myself mentally. The train finally came. It wasn't as crowded as it could have been, but it was annoying nonetheless. We jammed in and endured.

Now, can anyone explain why they will not open all doors to a train when they arrive at a stop? When there are as many people jammed into a train as this morning, why would they insist on the people debarking the train to wedge their way through half a car and a million people to finally make it to the first door of the car? If they want to claim 'safety' as their excuse, then ease off the brakes a little, will you?