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For comparison, the DC Metro station
Visting Boston last week, I realized how good we have it with the subways in DC. When I first moved here, I was struck by their cleanness and relative comfort but, not being a subway maven of any sort, didn’t have much to compare the Metro with. Now I do — Boston’s subway system, “the T.” The stations are dim and seedy and dirty, and some of them seem literally to be crumbling.
The cars on some lines have peeling paint and hard seats and brown linoleum floors like your grandma’s kitchen in the 1970s; other lines just have these strange little-bitty multi-leveled cars that look like Mr. Roger’s trolley.
And these photos don’t even do justice how crappy it really is. Plus, my Bostonian friend told me that people get stabbed and assaulted in T stations quite often, too. I told him here in DC, our public transport just runs people over.
* This is probably a lie.
Hey, they built the T a full century before they built Metro cut it some slack. And I don’t mean to apply a blogger stereotype to you, but in fact, I foresee the most likely scenario as you continuing to complain about both Metro AND the T. I’m more bipolar about Metro … one day I’m singing its environmental praises, the next I’m cursing it for getting me to work 30 minutes late (i.e. today).
Frankly, I prefer the “T” having lived with both transportation systems for three years. Given that someone in DC was shot in the head at a bus stop recently those of us here have little to snark about regarding public transport located violence. Also, the “T” at least has location (woo Boston!) and fantastic character to its stations. The red line there has various kinds of art (some of it interactive) along many of the stations. It’s nice to not have to scramble to find the right window to check if you are at the desired station. In DC they almost all look alike.
I was on the T in Boston several years ago, watching two guys sharing a blunt, as they tried to steal stuff from some backpack-adorned student types. (They weren’t successful on the stealing — we would have said something — but they were successful with the buzz-catching.)
then you should see chicago and new york’s subways. when i visited DC during inauguration, i was shocked about how pristine and comfy it was. i guess that’s what you get when it’s built to schlep government employees around, not just poor people…
At least it’s not like the el in Chicago, which smells like urine and never fails to drip at least one mysterious liquid on you as you walk under the tracks (even during a draught).
I agree with “train rider” – the condition of the subway is generally a reflection of the people it hauls. On a recent trip to Rome, which has two subway lines, it was easy to tell which one was used mostly by tourists and which was used by commuters from outlying areas.
You were at the Boylston T stop, one of the worst stations! And then you rode on the Green Line! The only thing you could have done to make the experience more dreadful was to have done those things at rush hour. I’m going to say it wasn’t rush hour since there are no people at the Boylston stop.
Next time, try the Red Line into Cambridge or the Orange Line to Jamaica Plain (do the latter on the first Thursday of the month and you can see lots of free art on Centre Street).
I’ve lived in both places for pretty decent periods of time (Boston 5 years, DC about 2.5) and spent a good amount of time on both systems. FWIW, you’re right that the metro is much cleaner, both in terms of the stations and the trains themselves. I chalk that up to the fact that food isn’t allowed on the Metro. And yes, the Metro is more efficient, especially if you’re riding the Green Line on the T (which was the first ever subway system in the US). Also, the T just very recently switched from tokens (which were in coin form — aka, a pain in the butt to cart around) to a card system. And the switch was a disaster, since, for among other reasons, they didn’t switch all stations at once, so people who bought day passes or otherwise were screwed if they happened upon a station that was still using tokens. Also, their machines didn’t “eat” cards that have a zero balance, which meant most people just threw their single fare cards on the ground after a using it to exit the turnstile. And because not all stations were on the card system initially, single fare cards were pretty popular initially.
However, both suck in terms of the area they cover, which anyone who vists NYC or London will quickly realize. Overall, the only thing I miss about the T is that they allowed performers in the station. Every morning during my commute through Downtown Crossing a guy would play La Bamba on steel drums. It’s pretty funny to watch a bunch of bleary-eyed commuters all start bopping their heads along to the latin lyrics at 8am.
The best system I’ve been on is in London, which is clean and efficient, and covers a huge area. Although God save you if the doors close on you.
Also, for the worst T experience possible, try taking it out of Kenmore after a Red Sox game. Bonus points if you’re leaving because of a rain delay and everyone is soaked. As they’d say in Boston, “It’s wicked awesome.”
That said, I miss Boston.
I have spent time in DC, Boston, NYC, Chicago, and San Francisco. Of all of those cities’ transportation systems, I miss the Metro— well lite stations and cars. I now ride the BART frequently— no food allowed. It is cleaner and the stations are better than other cities. The systems in NYC and Boston are old and with such high traffic, it is a wonder that any repairs get made at all—people want the trains to be on time and in service. I’m sure upkeep on the systems is a nightmare.
The other night, we took the BART out of Oakland where I saw an amazing 11-inning RedSox game. And standing on the platform, I felt a tinge of sentimentality for the T. I know, I must be loosing my mind….
[...] I’ll never complain about the Metro again* [image] [...]
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I stumbled on this post randomly. I’m from MA; have lived there my whole life. I’ve spent a lot of time in DC recently, and I’m actually moving down there at the end of next week. I know the T very well, and when I started visiting DC this spring, I was AMAZED by how clean and NICE it is compared to Boston. I can’t explain any more, except as to say that your pictures say it all!
By the way, there’s a big DC Blogger Happy Hour next Friday. If I get a new DC blogger to come to this HH, I get a free drink, and so do you. And bring your other DC blogger friends.
Here’s the info –
http://inowpronounceyou.wordpress.com/2007/06/04/summer-love-baby-sum-mer-love/
And if you come, you have to say I invited you! They had another HH last month, and there was a huge turnout.
[...] 8th, 2007 by startingtoday So I was reading this post about how great the Metro is versus the T. The Metro is better. Hands [...]
It sounds like the T, the oldest subway system in the US, is showing its age a bit.
I am not a huge Metrorail fan either though. I prefer Metrobus.
Downunder in the Metro system its like a Mausoleum. No life. No noise. No one talks to each other. Barely even any eye contact. Not very diverse either.
Give me the bus any day. Above ground. Lots of activity. Too much on most days. People interacting. It seems more human and alive than the subway.
I wish they’d build a monorail in So Cali. You know, like the one that cruises over Disneyland. We have no decent public transporation here. It sucks bigtime. I’d settle for a monorail for sure.
One of my friends here in DC recently compared the Metro to a colon… I find the comparison apt in terms of color scheme and overall tube-like feeling.
That said, I appreciate the Metro’s “next train arriving in x minutes” boards– as an impatient visitor using Chicago’s Ell for the first time, I acutely missed knowing just how long I had to wait!
Ok – NO free drinks at this blogger happy hour. :-*( BUT, since I said there was, I’ll buy you and your friend one!
Having lived in Boston since 1995 or 96, I just moved to DC in Aug 2006; I live closer to the Petworth station than the one at Silver Spring and use both equally. And, have used ZipCars in both Boston and DC as need dictates. I like city life without a car. (I also once traveled to NYC and spent several hours just riding the subway for a class on wayfinding.)
To clarify, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (http://www.mbta.com) , aka the MBTA, commonly referred to as the “T” operates three high-speed subway lines (the Red, Orange and Blue lines) and two trolley lines (the Green line and a streetcar that runs from Ashmont to Mattapan), and a bus rapid transit line (the Silver line).
As noted, the Green line has a host of problems including it flooding whenever there’s a big rain or snow. I lived on the Orange (in Jamaica Plain) for the 1st have of my life there and Red (in Dorchester) for the remainder; only rode the Blue when going to the Airport or NE Aquarium. It warts reflect that it is the oldest and fourth largest transit system in the nation.
I miss being able to eat but like that all is much cleaner here. (My 9 yr son marvels at the degree of cleanliness here!) I haven’t had any problems getting to anything I need but find that I use the buses much more than the Metro but then again, that was pretty true in Boston. I think that just ends up being the reality of someone who actually lives in the city — buses usu. get you closer to what you need.
Urban life seems to entail some level of crime and on the red line I lived near a station that on more than one occasion was cordonned off b/c of an incident.
There is more character to the T’s stations — with performers and art — but I prefer DC’s efficiencies (the smart passes, train in X minutes) to all that. And, it’s a disgrace that when I left Boston they had finally gotten around to funding making the remaining inaccessible stations ADA-compliant.
BTW, the T claims “to have oldest art collection of any public transit system in the country.” … “Established in 1967, the MBTA’s art collection includes some 78 murals, decorative benches, sculptures, and carvings, ranging from children’s drawings on ceramic tiles to a 46-foot-tall steel kinetic sculpture by Susumu Shingu, an internationally acclaimed Japanese artist, in Porter Square, Cambridge.”