Commuter Rail

I took the commuter rail out to Roslindale to Leyre's house last week, and the outside of the car had been tagged with very pretty colors. I wanted to take a photo but was rushing to get on the train before it left. Turns out, I wasn't out of luck - this is what the graffiti looked like from the inside of the window it covered.

Ill Passenger

There were delays on the Red Line one day last week when I was headed home from work, "due to an ill passenger at South Station". This train sat at the platform for about 5 minutes, and I had fun watching people start running when they caught sight of it at the bottom of the stairs, then run from door to door as they realized that each one was already jam packed with people.

Click to enlarge and check out the detail.

Milton

This is where I catch the trolley every day. Only I'm usually not this low to the ground - I was just trying to make it more interesting for you guys since I haven't been straying from my usual route lately. Next weekend I promise to go on a photo adventure so I'll have lots of new things to show you!

The Pit

Harvard Square is on the Red Line, and there are two entrances/exits to the station. This is the main entrance to the station - in "the pit" which lies between where Mass Ave turns and Brattle St. Cardullo's that we showed you a few days ago is straight in front of you and across the street when you come up from this entrance. There's a HUGE newsstand in the pit, with a really great selection of international newspaper and magazines.

Also right near the pit is what I like to call "bank wars" - the Bank of America just across the street has two giant ATM vestibules, each with about eight ATMs. Not to be out done, Citizens Bank is just across the street and has a giant ATM bank with at least a dozen ATMs. It's insanity. Perhaps more insane, however, is that I've often had to wait to use an ATM on a weekend night!

Better Late Than Never!

February 1st was National Wear Red Day, a part of Go Red For Women - raising awareness for heart disease among women. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America - a fact I think is often over looked because of the attention given to other diseases (which are no less horrible!).

I found this display of support on the side of The Federal Reserve Bank and loved how it echoed the red from the South Station T entrance. Check out some other cities that went red here, and check back here tomorrow to see the Go Red projection that Maria found around town!

Stick Two

Graffiti on the Red Line.

High Speed Trolley

This is one of the Mattapan-Ashmont trolleys. The trolley runs from Ashmont, at the South end of the Red Line, to the Mattapan station with about six stops in between (including Milton, which is my stop!). The cars are originally from the 1940's and were rehabbed for this trolley line. There's a lot more info here, but I wanted to share a quick little snippet:

This short trolley operation, unique in the MBTA because it still uses PCC trolley cars, runs from Ashmont to Mattapan, the end of the line. This route, only a few miles long, has 6 stops along its way to Mattapan. It was built on a railroad right of way to help speed trolley cars into Boston from the Dorchester area. At only 2.2 miles the line is one of the shortest existing trolley lines, but it is surprisingly scenic considering its location on the border of a major city.

Peak Hour Traffic Jam.......

...in the parking lot of Alewife Station!

Every work day, between the hours of 5-7pm, commuters not only sit in their cars on the roads around Greater Boston, but also in parking lots. Alewife's main parking lot offers 4 levels of parking, on most days, the queue to pay & exit extends to the 3rd level. In this pic, you can see the headlights of the cars waiting on the first 2 levels.

The road on the far right is where Route 2, 3 and 16 meets in Cambridge.

No Snow Though Promised...

Forecast for Friday was snow in the morning, it didn't happened.... It rained, then a sunny 50°F afternoon!

This was taken earlier in the week, opposite post on the 14th. Day shot of snow covered trees on the other end of the Red Line in Cambridge.

Back Bay Station

I've always wondered why the Back Bay T Stop is covered in purple tile - I can't think of another station that has such a random color scheme.

On a side note - I want to send a huge thanks out to Willy from Bromfield Camera in Downtown Crossing. He was very patient with me while I drooled over the Nikon D40x they had in the store, and then super helpful later in the day when I went back to actually buy one. I love it, and hopefully soon I'll figure out exactly how to use it on more than just the auto settings! If you're ever in Boston and in need of help with camera gear, the guys at Bromfield are very knowledgeable and super nice!

Quiet Day

We took the T to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, and it way quieter than usual!

Peeling

Peeling paint at the Ashmont T stop. Good thing their renovating, as this is a very small sampling of all there is to see!

ETA: I'm sorry to say that we've been getting spam comments on our last few posts, so I've had to start moderating comments. If you comment and don't see it appear immediately, it's because I'm not glued to my computer at the moment.

JFK/UMass

Whit is a way for the weekend and Leyre and I have escaped to NH for a week of fun with some of our closest friends...but we won't let you down! This is a shot from yesterday while I was waiting for the T.

Oldie but a goodie

This is an old shot I found again today - we were sitting in the station waiting for the train to leave and turned and saw this guy trying to hitch a ride! He waddled off the train long before they closed the doors, but he certainly turned a few heads before his exit!

This is an ASHMONT train

I caught a bit of myself in this one, too.

Remembering Boston's Children 1980 to 2005

This is not your average MBTA bus! Rather than being wrapped in an ad, this bus is wrapped in a moving memorial, created by Thomas Starr, a professor at Northeastern University. The memorial consists of quotes from family members of children that were murdered, as well as their year of birth and death. The bus has been in service since late October 2006, and will hopefully be around for a long time to come. It's very eye catching - the color of a school bus, and covered in statements like "He liked chocolate", which deepen the sense of loss.

You can read more about the motivation behind the project here, and an article from the BU daily student newspaper here.

Rush Hour

Just waiting for the train to take me home!

Introducing Shoooooooooooes!

I randomly ended up with a pair of Red Sox tickets tonight (in the company suite, no less, so free food and booze...and who says no to that?!?), and on my way home the T was packed. I let the first three trains go past while I read my book, and by the time the fourth one came along I decided there was enough room for me right next to the drivers nook. So in I climbed! The T was still shoulder to shoulder, and I noticed that the driver was very cheerful as he warned everyone to watch their backs while the doors closed. He cracked another joke into the PA system, and a woman near me asked him what his name was. "Mr Wonderful - what's yours?!" he said. She asked if his nickname was Shoes, and he said yes. He quickly grabbed is mic and requested a round of applause for the lovely woman up front, and there were applause.

Turns out I was in the presence of a Boston celebrity! Bobby, aka Shoes, has been driving the green line trolleys for about 3 years. He says he just really loves the people, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the people love him as well. So folks, next time you're riding the green line and you hear a cheerful, joking voice coming over the PA, walk up front and say hello to Shoooooooooooooes!

Oh yeah - the nickname? Well.......he loves shoes!

Street Performers - #2 in a series

This gentleman can be found on the orange line platform in Downtown Crossing on Saturday mornings, with his seeing eye dog sitting patiently beside him as he plays.

Oompa-pa oompa-pa

I've been listening to this guy for the last few days at the Downtown Crossing T stop while I wait for my train home. He smiled when he noticed me move and start lifting my camera to take a picture, but then he studiously avoided looking at me when I was actually taking them!