Summer Street in Downtown Boston
I was finished unloading my stuff at the not so nice Econo Lodge in Malden. I would only be staying for one night and I would be moving to a different place so I hope that nothing gets stolen while I’m away. I was so paranoid that I brought my laptop with me just in case. I was told that there is a bus nearby which can take me to the metro station. The guy who gave me the information was almost dismissive when giving me the information that I didn’t bother asking again. I didn’t have data on my phone at that time so checking online wouldn’t have been an option. I thought that walking along the same road I came in would be a good choice. Surely, there would be a bus along this route.
I ended up choosing the wrong road. I had two choices, the main road, or the one perpendicular to it. I chose the wrong one. Ultimately, the bus stop was just diagonally across the lodge and I didn’t have to walk far. But in the meantime, I still managed to find a bus which goes downtown, so all is good. Obviously, I don’t take too many bus rides in the US because I’m not familiar with the routes. I only did this out of necessity since cab rides are very expensive. Fortunately, they have a transit card here and I should be able to use it in the bus and in the trains. The bus ride was uneventful. Of course, I was all masked up because of COVID and all. I also noticed that a lot of the passengers were also wearing masks which I think is good.
Washington Street at Downtown Boston
The bus did end up going to the Sullivan Square train station. I thought that the train stations were falling apart but I think that it understandable considering how old these are. Sure enough, I can use my transit ticket to enter the train station. At least I know how to get back to the lodge now. Figuring the train system was remarkably easy. This is in total contrast to the spaghetti that is the New York subway system. While there are several lines here, it is all very easy to follow. There are also announcements on train arrivals including the ones after that.
I had various experiences and opinions about American trains, but this one didn’t seem to be that bad. The trains were clean and the people were just minding their own business. At that time, there weren’t too many passengers and I still managed to get my own seat all the way to my destination. I realized just how far the lodge is from downtown and I am glad that I am only staying there for a night. I can imagine how it would be if I needed to take the train to get to work.
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