There has been so much going on lately with the MBTA, what with fare increases and service cuts, public meetings, unfair debt burdens--it's just been all too much for the Sphinx to keep up with, which explains why I haven't written in a while.
I couldn't let today pass however (although technically it has, being as it's after midnight), without saying Happy 100th birthday to the Red Line.
What runs daily at 100 years old? T’s Red Line
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year?
So it is 2012, and the best commuter news of this winter so far is it hasn’t snowed. Well, not since the Halloween storm, anyway, which technically was in the fall. I worked the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and it was amazing the difference in the traffic and Red Line ridership. I trimmed from 10 to 15 minutes off my commute every day, and that actually started before Christmas, as I think many people take time off to shop or begin their holiday travel. One day last week I zipped in on Route 2 from Lexington and didn’t tap the breaks until I got to Route 16. I remember thinking, “this is how I thought it would be.”
Ah yes, last year at this time the hell of commuting had yet to commence. I was still full of the excitement of starting a new job. I told my boss when she hired me that I didn’t want to give leave where I was to just do the same thing someplace else. Sadly, that seems to be what is happening. I gave up 11 years of seniority, only to be hitting my head against the same wall. I commiserated with a friend on the phone yesterday who assured me that it’s not me--it is the nature of the working life today.
I have started to measure out my work life in increments: this week only four days. Next week will be a full week, but then it's MLK day, and another four-day week. Then I'm out of town for a few days, come back, short week, next thing you know it will be Groundhog Day and, worst-case scenario, only six more weeks of winter.
One good thing that will happen in 2012: Now that one of my major projects is past phase I, I will be working at home one day per week. I didn’t feel I could do it while supervising interns, but the last intern leaves this Thursday. I will miss her, but I won’t miss riding the Red Line on Thursdays.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Giving Thanks
It's been awhile since I've written, partly because I've been busy and partly because I realized there was just too much going on with the T for me to stay on top of it all. Let it suffice to say there will be a "gap" in my reportage, but c'est la vie.
Life has been a little different for me lately. Two weeks ago I traveled to Seattle on business. No, I didn't try the Seattle public transit system (I had only one free day, wherein I rode the Monorail, a shameless tourist). My point is, that week I commuted only two days. I flew on a Wednesday and came back Saturday, limiting my time on the Red Line to a manageable dose.
Then last week was Thanksgiving, so I only worked three days. I was indeed thankful to once again cut the commuting time short--and it was positively joyous to have four days off in a row and not have to travel anywhere.
In the coming weeks, with the holidays upon us, I should be taking some additional time off. It makes a huge difference; nothing is as bad if you don't have to do it every day.
In the meantime, on the Red Line, they have started busing people between Alewife and Harvard on the weekends. I feel sorry for anyone who works weekends and has to deal with it. I ran into my former colleague, who lives on the street where I park. She tried taking the T from Davis the first weekend of the busing, and it took her an hour and a half to get to Park Street.
The T is spending the weekends doing some fairly critical maintenance work. (I read one Boston Globe article wherein one of the authors of a report on the system said he wouldn't ride the T past Harvard because the threat of derailment was so real).
Of course, in typical T fashion, they really didn't give people much notice. Why should they? Ridership is booming, according to recent reports. If a few people give up in disgust, good riddance!
Life has been a little different for me lately. Two weeks ago I traveled to Seattle on business. No, I didn't try the Seattle public transit system (I had only one free day, wherein I rode the Monorail, a shameless tourist). My point is, that week I commuted only two days. I flew on a Wednesday and came back Saturday, limiting my time on the Red Line to a manageable dose.
Then last week was Thanksgiving, so I only worked three days. I was indeed thankful to once again cut the commuting time short--and it was positively joyous to have four days off in a row and not have to travel anywhere.
In the coming weeks, with the holidays upon us, I should be taking some additional time off. It makes a huge difference; nothing is as bad if you don't have to do it every day.
In the meantime, on the Red Line, they have started busing people between Alewife and Harvard on the weekends. I feel sorry for anyone who works weekends and has to deal with it. I ran into my former colleague, who lives on the street where I park. She tried taking the T from Davis the first weekend of the busing, and it took her an hour and a half to get to Park Street.
The T is spending the weekends doing some fairly critical maintenance work. (I read one Boston Globe article wherein one of the authors of a report on the system said he wouldn't ride the T past Harvard because the threat of derailment was so real).
Of course, in typical T fashion, they really didn't give people much notice. Why should they? Ridership is booming, according to recent reports. If a few people give up in disgust, good riddance!
Red Line as Microcosm
On the T, as in life, there are all kinds of people, each with his or her own perspective. There are the runners, those who advance through the turnstiles and down the steps at a trot, with not a glance to the left or the right. Like racehorses with blinders on, they see little after the gates open save for their own approaching path and the reward awaiting at the finish.
Then there are the sprinters. They may approach the T stop at a businesslike pace, entering the gates without distress. But if they hear an announcement of a train "approaching" or (a bigger challenge) "arriving," they will dash like mad, knocking over small children or the elderly if necessary to join the runners and get on board.
The moderates seldom change their approach. They may walk at a good pace, but they do not bother to ever run. Is it their faith that sustains them? (I know there'll be another train right behind that one.) Or is it resignation (You win some, you lose some.) Perhaps they, like most moderates, are just too damn tired.
Dawdlers are rare. These are the people who seem to not be totally sure where they are going. They actually consider not getting on the train when it arrives, engrossed as they may be in whatever text-message drama or game is diverting them. (Now, where am I going? Ashmont? Or Braintree?)
Yes, it takes all kinds. And you cannot change any of them. They are what they are. Like our siblings and spouses, our friends and neighbors, they will soldier on in the only way they know how.
Then there are the sprinters. They may approach the T stop at a businesslike pace, entering the gates without distress. But if they hear an announcement of a train "approaching" or (a bigger challenge) "arriving," they will dash like mad, knocking over small children or the elderly if necessary to join the runners and get on board.
The moderates seldom change their approach. They may walk at a good pace, but they do not bother to ever run. Is it their faith that sustains them? (I know there'll be another train right behind that one.) Or is it resignation (You win some, you lose some.) Perhaps they, like most moderates, are just too damn tired.
Dawdlers are rare. These are the people who seem to not be totally sure where they are going. They actually consider not getting on the train when it arrives, engrossed as they may be in whatever text-message drama or game is diverting them. (Now, where am I going? Ashmont? Or Braintree?)
Yes, it takes all kinds. And you cannot change any of them. They are what they are. Like our siblings and spouses, our friends and neighbors, they will soldier on in the only way they know how.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
July's Whopper Breakdown
I'm a bit late in reporting on this, but two months after the infamous two-hour delay, it happened again, in July. The passengers were remarkably calm and forgiving. The Boston Globe was outraged.
Hundreds stranded below in another T breakdown - The Boston Globe
The guy who runs the T got promoted: Read the Boston Globe story.
Hundreds stranded below in another T breakdown - The Boston Globe
The guy who runs the T got promoted: Read the Boston Globe story.
Lessons from the Red Line
It's been almost seven months now since I started commuting on the Red Line. What I've learned so far:
- T Alerts or overhead announcements are not to be trusted: A couple of times recently, I received T Alerts warning of delays on the Red Line, only to get to Davis and jump right on a train that zipped into town. The same goes for the announced delays. If you hear one, don't immediately despair, because it might not really affect you. Only your reality counts.
- Your reality often sucks: In May, during my infamous two-hour delay stuck in the tunnel between Porter and Davis, I remember thinking, "Wow, when I get out of here, I'm going to have, like, a few dozen T Alerts about this." In fact, there was none.
- If you can take a break from the Red Line even one day per week, it can save your sanity. This week, I took the 504 one day. Next week, I plan to drive in one day. The following week I plan to work at home one day.
- Beware of the best seat. For me, the best seat is the one in the corner, because you don't have lots of people passing by all the time getting on and off. There is no door there, so it's a little more tranquil. Unfortunately, the Red Line trains have a tendency to sweat, and there is often water dripping on those seats.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Summertime, and the Commuting Is Easy
Is there any sweeter feeling than speeding down the turnpike in the 502 Express bus while your BlackBerry buzzes with T alerts bringing news of delays on the Red Line? Is there any happier morning than when you’ve got a 10 am appointment and you get into town at 9 and have time to sit at the bagel store and sip an iced coffee while watching the world rush by?
That is, essentially, today's report. My work life--and commute--does not get any better. I had a meeting in the Back Bay at 10. I started out quite early at the Watertown gym at about 6:15. Took my time getting ready, and bought an iced coffee on my way out of there, just in case. I never dreamed I'd be in town so early, but that 502 was bookin' it, baby. I was reading an old NYTimes magazine I had in my bag (the Globe delivery was not early enough today, alas), when the BlackBerry started buzzing with the news of those poor fools on the RL.
Of course, it helped that today was a gorgeous New England summer day, with brilliant sunshine and cool breezes. Had it been raining, it would have been a different story altogether, because rain in Boston brings utter gridlock and mayhem in the streets. The bus probably would have been sitting for hours. And the people riding the RL would have been laughing their asses off at the pitiful souls on the "Express" bus.
But I digress. Luck was with me today. And it's all about living in the moment and appreciating the good things in life. Yes, indeed.
The only downside--okay, one of the few downsides--was that, on my way to the office (near South Station), I encountered the strange person I mentioned in a previous post. I've decided she is for sure a woman. With a large backpack. Who shifts around and talks to herself. Who acts, in fact, very much the way I imagine a suicide bomber would act. She was with me at Copley (Green Line), then transferred, as I did, to the Red Line at Park.
But I hardly cared. I let one Green Line train go by, because it was too full, and I saw there was another train coming. Then I helped two ladies from Australia who were trying to get to the MFA. And it always makes you feel better to help someone, just a little bit, right?
That is, essentially, today's report. My work life--and commute--does not get any better. I had a meeting in the Back Bay at 10. I started out quite early at the Watertown gym at about 6:15. Took my time getting ready, and bought an iced coffee on my way out of there, just in case. I never dreamed I'd be in town so early, but that 502 was bookin' it, baby. I was reading an old NYTimes magazine I had in my bag (the Globe delivery was not early enough today, alas), when the BlackBerry started buzzing with the news of those poor fools on the RL.
Of course, it helped that today was a gorgeous New England summer day, with brilliant sunshine and cool breezes. Had it been raining, it would have been a different story altogether, because rain in Boston brings utter gridlock and mayhem in the streets. The bus probably would have been sitting for hours. And the people riding the RL would have been laughing their asses off at the pitiful souls on the "Express" bus.
But I digress. Luck was with me today. And it's all about living in the moment and appreciating the good things in life. Yes, indeed.
The only downside--okay, one of the few downsides--was that, on my way to the office (near South Station), I encountered the strange person I mentioned in a previous post. I've decided she is for sure a woman. With a large backpack. Who shifts around and talks to herself. Who acts, in fact, very much the way I imagine a suicide bomber would act. She was with me at Copley (Green Line), then transferred, as I did, to the Red Line at Park.
But I hardly cared. I let one Green Line train go by, because it was too full, and I saw there was another train coming. Then I helped two ladies from Australia who were trying to get to the MFA. And it always makes you feel better to help someone, just a little bit, right?
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