Transportation in Boston is never an easy decision to make. The old streets that haven’t been changed for decades, if not centuries, go in extremely bizarre directions that always seem to end up at painfully frustrating intersections. Many of the popular streets (like Boylston) are one-way for what feels like forever without any easily-accessible side streets to aid in your travels. What’s left then, if you don’t feel like taking a cab or renting a car? Well, the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority) offers an often frustrating but convenient bus and subway system that can take you anywhere you’d like, and if it’s nice, out you should certainly look into renting bikes and consider taking the beautiful Minuteman Bike Trail somewhere in Bedford or Cambridge.
Driving in Boston is always a hassle for most, but I would say that is possibly the best option for those visiting who cannot walk or bike with ease. This is for a variety of reasons, but one being that the train system is not extremely reliable, which might leave travelers forced to take a number of sets of stairs just to reach the right train platform. This means you could rent a car, take a taxi (which can be found in many of the popular Squares and throughout the city if you don’t wish to call ahead) or use a new smartphone application called Uber. Basically, Uber is an easy-to-use application that links up travelers with people who have signed up as drivers. These drivers are forced to comply with a variety of rules to ensure the safety of both parties, which leads to an easy ride that is less than half the cost of a normal cab.
A relatively-new company called Hubway has made its way into Boston. Hubway has a large number of high-tech bike racks set up around the Boston area, each outfitted with well-maintained bikes that you can rent and return later, all with the push of a few buttons (If you want to learn about Hubway and other great bike sharing programs around the world, check out this article). You can check the website at www.thehubway.com to find a location nearest to you. Once you have a bike, feel free to hit the streets, but if you’re looking for a more scenic route further from all the noise of Boston, ride the bike trail along the Charles River (one of the most beautiful things you can do), or pick up the Minuteman trail wherever you can. The eleven-mile trail will take you to some truly tranquil, beautiful areas around Boston where you can stop and just take the view in. Visit their site at www.minutemanbikeway.org for a useful map.
There is also the MBTA (which is what I use most often), or as we locals call it, the “T.” The T can take you as far as you want in any direction and back for about $5. This can go to the furthest outstretch of Boston all the way into Alewife station near Route 2 in Cambridge, and if you take the commuter rail (which is more expensive and on a more rigid schedule) you can go even further. Buses and trains run regularly throughout the day but be aware: the buses stop running around 1 am (yes even on the weekends), and trains stop even earlier at 12:30 am. This means if you expect to check out nightlife, be prepared to take a cab or Uber back to where you are staying.
While the buses are a bit more reliable, trains have been known to stop for long periods in between stations without explanation, and extremely long escalators will break, forcing you to take the stairs. You have to weigh the pros and cons of the Boston trains. The pros: they’re just about the same price as trains in NYC, and there is a very extensive and useful network of stops. The cons: the train can be slow at times and stop intermittently without warning, so it is not uncommon that entire stops are closed requiring express routes that may jump over your destination.
You will usually have a great experience with Boston transportation, but there’s still the chance you could find yourself frustrated with the complicated street system, public transportation, or an angry driver who decides to call you a “moron” just for not running a questionable yellow light. If weather is permitting you to walk around comfortably, I’d say head down to the train which almost always gets you where you want, and if you get stuck, just hope it’s at the Kendall/MIT stop on the Red Line. It has the best view of the Boston Skyline.
