All about the T

Colleges & Universities Boston University
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<p>this thread is for anything about the T.</p>

<hr>

<p>for starters:</p>

<p>basically for the BU campus (green B line):</p>

<p>kenmore is underground… u have to pay to get on.</p>

<p>after kenmore (close to myles and barnes and noble), the T comes out of a tunnel and is above ground.</p>

<p>all these above-ground stations west of kenmore are…</p>

<p>blandford street - close to SED, SMG, COM, SAR, SCI, shelton, towers
then BU east - COM, warren towers, CAS, ENG, SAR, cummington street
then BU central - marsh plaza, GSU, CAS
then BU west - CFA, CGS
then st. paul street - fitrec, student village, agganis arena, CELOP
then pleasant street - west campus dorms, agganis arena
then babcock street - west campus dorms (back entrance), shaw’s supermarket
then a bunch of other stops until boston college</p>

<p>all those stops west of kenmore are free if you’re going “outbound”, which is going west on the BU campus. so it’s free to get on at blandford and travel all the way to babcock. but u have to pay $1.25 to go “inbound” (east) no matter where u are.</p>

<p>if you’ve never taken the T before or u haven’t visited BU, you’ll soon realize that some of the T stops at BU are ridiculously close to one another. unless the weather is awful, it’s not worth waiting for the free outbound T if you’re not traveling that far.</p>

<p>other notes:</p>

<p>1) when you’re crossing comm ave and u reach the middle, where the T tracks are, always look left and then right. the first track u cross always has the T coming at u from your left.</p>

<p>2) the fare is $1.25 in most cases (and in all cases on the green B line). even if they say no dollar bills allowed, most conductors don’t care. there’s a place below the coin slot where u can stuff a folded dollar in… then u drop in a quarter in the coin slot. the fare will be increased to $1.70 in 2007.</p>

<p>3) “inbound” means towards downtown boston. if u look at a subway map (<a href=“http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_subway.asp)%5B/url%5D”>http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_subway.asp)</a>, the system looks like a spider. going to the body of the spider is inbound. going to the tips of the legs is outbound.</p>

<p>4) if you’re trying to enter a westbound T and the doors start to close on u, push the doors apart like u would an elevator door. you’ll get a few stares, but everyone knows everyone does it.</p>

<p>5) you’ll experience a “T malfunction” a few times. at a station, after the T stopped, it might have trouble starting up again. its lights may go out. don’t freak… it’s not some terrorist attack. it’ll get running again anywhere from 1-5 minutes.</p>

<p>6) bikes are not allowed on the green line. smoking is not allowed on any T.</p>

<p>7) don’t go crazy with riding the T for everywhere u go. boston is a really small city… the distance from BU to downtown boston (around the park street T stop) is about 2.5 miles. learn to walk every now and then.</p>

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<p>wow i love you</p>

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<p>1.25 to 1.70??..thats like a 30% increase…thats a lil steep i think</p>

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<p>A little addition from someone who lived/worked/went to grad school in Boston for years.</p>

<p>-When the Red Sox are playing or during other huge events (4th of July, Boston Marathon), many T conductors will waive the fare. Sometimes, they’ll also do this if they’re running late. If the driver’s hand is over the coin shoot, say thank you and keep on walking!</p>

<p>-The last T is at 12:30-ish, but that means it leaves the last stop and heads inbound at that time. You’ll learn that it hits The Paradise at a certain time, Kenmore at a certain time, etc. </p>

<p>-Don’t forget about the buses. There’s a great bus that runs on Harvard Ave, linking Comm Ave to Beacon Street (and beyond). Most college kids ignore the bus, but that one is especially useful for those who want to live in the Coolidge Corner/Brookline area.</p>

<p>-I wouldn’t take the Orange line past Northeastern or the MFA at night. It gets a little rough at times.</p>

<p>-Don’t forget about the Silver line if you want to go the the wharfs or a concert at the Pavilion. That was supposed to be a T line, but they supposedly ran out of money and have buses running through the tunnels underground. Kinda funny, but it’s a quick ride to the Pavilion (and the Harpoon Brewery). That T also goes to the airport (as does the Blue line).</p>

<p>That’s all I can think of for now. :)</p>

<p>Enjoy Boston, kids! I had a blast there and still miss it a lot!</p>

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<p>Wow, thanks a lot you guys. That was so helpful.</p>

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<p>you’re welcome, all.</p>

<p>and thank you Dean J for the additional comments.</p>

<p>i forgot to mention the closing times:</p>

<p>the last outbound train for the green B line leaves government center (the easternmost stop) at 12:50 AM. that means u can probably still get a free outbound/westbound ride if you’re waiting anywhere on the BU campus at about 1 AM. but don’t bet on it.</p>

<p>the last inbound train for the green B line leaves boston college (the westernmost stop) at 12:15 AM. that means u can probably still get an inbound/eastbound ride if you’re waiting anywhere on the BU campus at about 12:25 AM. again, don’t think it’s definite. the T is inconsistent.</p>

<p>happy T-ing.</p>

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<p>are there any bad areas of boston to be aware of when out at night?</p>

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<p>Ahhhh the T so makes me want to go to BU. Along with many other things… but it seems so cool.</p>

<p>When I was there, and I couldn’t find a seat, I stood up… what are your tips for not looking like an idiot while standing up? I was trying not to fall over, and ended up looking pretty goofy.</p>

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<p>“what are your tips for not looking like an idiot while standing up?”</p>

<p>Hold onto the railing?</p>

<p>“are there any bad areas of boston to be aware of when out at night?”</p>

<p>Compared to other cities, Boston is rather clean and safe; however, it’s still not a great idea to be out anywhere alone late at night if you can avoid it–even when on campus.</p>

<p>In general, 2-3 am (right after all the bars and clubs close) on Friday and Saturday tend to be extremely hectic if you’re in the Theatre District, Government Center or near North Station–lots of drunks and lots of chaos, as everyone is trying to leave the city at the same time. I’ve had some interesting experiences coming home from work at these times, so I would avoid if possible.</p>

<p>The southern half of the Orange Line is generally considered a bad area to be in.</p>

<p>If you end up going to Northeastern for parties, there are some areas you don’t want to wander around.</p>

<p>You’ll learn the specific spots around campus to avoid pretty early on (such as the Rape Stairs, certain alleyways around South Campus).</p>

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<p>hold onto a pole or the handles on someone’s seat. and also stand sideways, facing one of the side windows.</p>

<p>and if u still think u look goofy, be assured that few people will notice or care.</p>

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<p>“Bad” areas are:
-parts of Cambridge (Harvard Square is fine, as is the area near Arlington)
-parts of Jamaica Plain (though most of JP is just fine)
-Roxbury
-parts of Dorchester (though parts are very residential)
-parts of Southie
-part of Chinatown
-parts of the South End, like near Boston Medical Center</p>

<p>The Theater District used to be called “the combat zone” before the turnover. If you go to the clubs there or in the Ladder District, go in a group and leave in a group.</p>

<p>Also, while it’s right off the Common, “The Alley”, where tons of clubs are, can be sketchy late at night. When I was in grad school, a dead body was found there in the wee hours of the morning. That little alley is full of clubs, so you’ll probably be there a few times for events, but there’s no telling what goes on there after everything shuts down.</p>

<p>Be prudent. Even when I was at BC and after that when I lived in Coolidge Corner, I didn’t walk alone after a certain time (say, 1 AM).</p>

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<p>“what are your tips for not looking like an idiot while standing up?”</p>

<p>You can do what I affectionately call T-Surfing. Stand sideways, with your knees slightly bent, so that when the t stops suddenly, you can easily shift your weight back and forth so you don’t fall down. It takes practice, but I now never fall on the T, which is quite an accomplishment.</p>