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May 03, 2007
Running to a T
One of the great things about living in the city is all the public transportation. And by “one of the great things” I mean “one of the worst things”. At best, you get one of those magical rides when you show up, and lo, the train is pulling in, as if to say, ever so sweetly, “Come on baby, I’m here, for you and only you.” Those are good days, and happen about as often as they do with an actual person in one’s life. Which is to say, twice, and one turns out to be because she's gotta deliver $200 to her daddy by 5 pm or else he might hafta choke a bitch. In other cases, though, you get what I got today.
To get from my office to North Station, by and large, takes a little less than twenty minutes. Left work at 6 to catch the 6:25 pm. Seemed like a pretty safe plan. And yet, nothing is safe when it comes to the T. Fifteen minutes later, I had only made it two stops of the necessary six, and the train actually let everyone off due to “schedule change”. Lovely words. Almost as lovely as when the conductor insists, “There’s another train right behind us,” as people crowd into an already crowded train. Totally a lie. Little tip for you suburbanites looking to commute around the city: there’s never, ever another train right behind them. Trust me.
So it’s 6:15 pm. Commuter rail leaves from North Station in ten minutes. Next one won't leave for half an hour. You’re at Park Street, a little over one mile from where you are. What do you do? What do you do?
You start running like hell, that's what you do.
Yes, “rapid transit” in my case turned into sprinting in a pair of black slacks and a fleece pullover in 70 degree weather towards my train. I knew all this running training would come in handy in some way, but I didn’t anticipate it helping me get home in a timely fashion. I’m sure that I looked slick as hell, huffing and puffing past the State House, with a black fleece and black slacks, looking like a floating head passing through the streets of Boston. Sure I’m giving more than a few Bostonians nightmares tonight.
So I’d like to thank the MBTA. Didn’t think I’d get a workout in today, it being my off-day from the gym and all, and yet, there I was, glistening like a bastard as I stood in North Station, having finally arrived at my destination.
Arrived to find out that that 6:25 train hadn’t even arrived yet.
Oops.
Posted by Ryan McGee at May 3, 2007 10:31 PM
Comments
oh man...i work in NYC and live in the 'burbs of Long Island. so i totally. feel. your pain.
Posted by: WitchWay11 at May 7, 2007 11:09 AM
oh, love love love the Lost blogs and podcasts, by the way. a friend passed your link on to me and you've been in my standard Lost rotation ever since.
Posted by: WitchWay11 at May 7, 2007 11:11 AM