Practically the size of your thumbnail, Boston is an easily walkable city. But considering the miserable weather that persists at least half the year and, for that matter, each week (no matter the season), you’ll learn to love Boston’s remarkably efficient public transportation system (including the oft-ignored buses). Car owners will quickly learn to curse Boston’s narrow, twisting streets plagued by arbitrary one-way designations, deathtrap rotaries, and non-existent signs, as well as its eternal Big Dig project, notoriously insane drivers, and suicidal pedestrians. To top it off, parking downtown is nearly impossible.
America’s oldest subway system, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, or, the T), maintains a far-reaching but sometimes roundabout system of tunnels and trolley tracks through Greater Boston. At a newly-increased rate of $1.25 for most stops, fares are still among the lowest in the country. Monthly passes with unlimited usage only runs $44 (buy online at www.mbta.com). The Green Line, which splits into four lines at one point, has strange fare quirks: many of the stops farther afield cost over $2 if you’re headed inbound, but outbound travel is free from these stops. The T is fairly safe—just use common sense at night. Routes are color-coded and easy to understand, once you decode the terms “inbound” and “outbound” (archaic terms that no one has bothered to change, strangely enough). Any train heading towards the intersection of the Red, Orange, Green, and Blue lines (you could think of Park St. as the approximate center) is inbound; otherwise it’s outbound (check the map). For example, a round-trip from Harvard to South Station involves taking the “inbound” train both ways (see, it makes no sense). On Su, fewer trains run, so expect to wait. The last trains depart around 12:30-12:45am.
The T’s pitfalls are somewhat alleviated by an extensive (though sometimes sluggish) bus system, which links the streets to the subway lines. Many buses use Harvard Square as their home base, leaving from the underground stop in the Harvard T station or Johnston Gate. Buses cost 90¢ ($31 for a monthly pass), but you must have exact change (or a token), and there is no free transfer between buses or to the subway. Grab a schedule from any major T stop, and the efficiency of the system might surprise you; few Harvard students take advantage of buses that can take you straight to the end of the Green Line (#86, #69) much faster than the T can. Most buses run from about 5am-1 or 1:30am on weekdays and Sa, 6am-1am on Su. In addition, the Night Owl Service, started in Sept. 2001, runs 9 “Rail Buses” parallel to subway lines and 5 existing bus routes every half hour between 1:30-2:30am on F and Sa; catch them from Government Center for $1.25 or a T token each way (passes not accepted).
The outlying communities (well, Providence is a little more than a “community”) of the Boston are connected to the city by the Purple Line commuter rail. Many of these lines leave from North Station (on the Green Line), and the rest from South Station and Porter (on the Red Line), Malden Center, Back Bay, Ruggles, and Forest Hill (on the Orange Line). Fares vary by distance but are still very reasonable. The service is fairly quick, and the trains are comfortable. It’s cheaper to buy tickets at the station than on the train, though ticket-checking is sporadic. The rail runs to places like Brown, Wellesley, Worcester, Rockport, Lowell, Salem, and all over eastern Mass.
