Thursday, July 17, 2008

Suckerpunched by the B Line.

The good news: I started a new job this week! I can now say I work for an organization that I believe in. Today was my third day.

The bad news: It's on Comm Ave., just before Packard's Corner. I live in Roslindale. There are basically two ways to get from Roslindale to Allston. As the crow flies, they are maybe 15 minutes away from each other. On the T, it can range anywhere between 45 minutes to three hours. These feature three (3) of my four (4) least favorite modes of transportation on the MBTA.*

Option A: Take the bus from Roslindale Square to Forest Hills. Take the Orange Line to Copley (or Downtown Crossing, Haymarket, or North Station), and transfer to the B line (1). Take that to Babcock St.
Option B: Take the bus from Roslindale Square to Forest Hills. Take the #39 bus (2) to the Mission Kill section of Mission Hill. Wait under the bridge until the #66 bus (3) comes. Take that to The Very Worst Part of Allston,** and walk 10 minutes in the stifling heat to Babcock St.

As much as the B line tops the list, I decided to take it. After all, it's only slow because it stops every block, right? It still runs more than any other green line train. Right? WRONG.
Day 1 (Tuesday): I was pissed because I was waiting at Park St and it felt like the center of the earth. NO TRAINS CAME FOR 20 MINUTES. Then when they did come, they were the D and E before the B.
Day 2 (yesterday): At BU Central, they decided the train would go non-stop to Harvard Ave. Because we were on BU campus, the ground was covered in the previous night's vomit, and the smell wafted up to all the people crowded on the ghetto platform.
Day 3 (today): Copley station felt like the center of the earth, only this time there were no fans. Trains came as follows: D, C, E, E, D, B. When we got to Kenmore, everyone had to get off the train because nobody really wanted to go direct to Harvard Ave. at 6AM. I actually shed a few tears.

*The other being the #1 bus.
**And I hate all parts of Allston.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have you tried taking the #51 bus from Roslindale to Cleveland Circle and then walking up the hill at Cleveland Circle and taking the B line from there? You still have to take the B line, but at least its only on the surface section.

Rob said...

Welcome to the worst T line there is. Best of luck.

Tom DeRosa said...

If you take any Green Line other than the E to Kenmore, get off and walk up to take the 57 bus, which runs from Kenmore down Comm Ave. It runs very quickly in the morning.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Mr. D. The 57 adds another transfer to your commute, but it's almost scary how often it runs from Kenmore.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, and welcome to the Green Line.

Wait until school starts in September, then you'll want to put your face into a blender!

It's great!

Anonymous said...

I commuted from Roslindale to Brighton for high school & the best route is the Cleveland Circle bus - then either take the green line or another bus to Brighton Centre, then another bus down to Allston. I would drive, or ride a bike, not worth the T commute.

Aaron Read said...

I lived in Allston for many years. There is no good MBTA option to get there from Roslindale or JP. If driving is not an option (and unless your employer provides parking for you, then driving is not an option b/c there is no parking Packard's Corner) then I would recommend sucking it up and buying a Vespa or similar scooter.

Yeah, it'll suck during those hot summers and snowy winters, but you'll get home in a helluva lot less time, and they get good gas mileage.