Much of the pleasure of visiting
Boston comes from being in a
city that was built long before
cars were invented. Walking
around it can be a joy;
conversely, driving is an
absolute nightmare. The freeways
won't take you where you want to
go, the one-way traffic systems
can have you circling for hours,
and if you ever do arrive,
parking lots are thin on the
ground and very expensive.
There's no point renting a car
in Boston until the day you
leave, especially since the
city's public transportation is
so good and the local drivers so
bad.
The Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority (MBTA,
known as the " T
") is responsible for
Boston's subway system
and trolleybuses . The
subway, which opened in 1897, is
the oldest in the US; its first
station, Park Street ,
remains its center (any train
marked "inbound" is
headed here), and is the place
to pick up all schedules and
information. Four lines - Red,
Green, Blue and Orange - operate
daily from 5am until 1am,
although certain routes begin to
shut down earlier. Away from
downtown, the trains emerge from
tunnels to run along the city's
major arteries. Though maps are
posted at each station, it's a
good idea to pick up the widely
available Rapid Transit maps for
reference. Trains are fast and
safe; only some parts of the
Orange line might be said to be
unsafe after dark.
Within the city, the standard
fare is $1, paid with tokens
inserted into turnstiles, but on
some incoming aboveground routes
you have to pay extra, up to
$2.75 (conversely, some outbound
aboveground routes are free).
You can buy eleven tokens for
the price of ten, and a Boston
Visitor Pass covers all
subway and local bus journeys at
a cost of $6 for a day, $11 for
three days, or $22 for a week.
(For MBTA information
call 617/222-3200 or
1-800/392-6100 or visit ).
The normal fare on MBTA's local
buses is 75ข, but longer
distances, such as out to Salem
or Marblehead, cost up to $2.75.
MBTA also runs commuter rail
lines , extending as far as
Salem, Ipswich and Concord;
these are based at the unlovely North
Station (tel 617/222-3200)
on Causeway Street, under the
Fleet Center.
In and around Boston are some
eighty miles of bike trails
, making it an excellent city to
explore on two wheels. Bicycles
can be rented from the Community
Bike Shop at 490 Tremont St (tel
617/542-8623) and Back Bay Bikes
& Boards, 333 Newbury St (tel
617/247-2336), from mid-March
through mid-October. Rentals are
around $10 for two hours; $20-25
per day.
