Commuting notes

[magid]

They've changed the ad in the tunnel from Harvard inbound. It's now a very red ad, with a bull's-eye-ish logo bouncing all over. It's not nearly as coherent as the Royal Caribbean ad that was replaced, no words at all. I must be a very bad consumer, since I figured out only later that it must've been an ad for Target.

There's an entrance to the Arlington T stop right across from my building. Unfortunately, it's closed off. I keep wondering how likely it is that they'd consider opening it again, at least as a tokens/passes only entrance (as there is at Central). Yeah, I'm lazy. But it also makes sense to maximize the number of exits.

My current challenge: dressing for the commute. I walk outside, so need to be prepared for the temperature and any precipitation, but once I'm in a station, it's far too warm, so either I have to divest, or overheat. Yesterday I overheated, and realized it was making me feel ill. So now I need to figure out which jackets are easy to carry or stuff in my pack.

Still not reading on the train. The time is too short, especially since I like to look out over the river as we cross. Instead, I steal the news from those reading newspapers, reading headlines and sometimes even whole stories over people's arms or shoulders. I watch people, wondering about their lives (like that statuesque woman I saw yesterday; what would life be like if I were that tall? (and yes, I think it does likely make a difference.)), listening in on conversations (rare on the morning commute), thinking about the things I have to do.

I like looking in the green line tunnels, which are far more interesting than the red line. I believe they're older (they certainly look older), and there are lots of spurs and offshoots, even along the two stops I travel. I usually get on at the front of the train going home, which allows me to see the track ahead of us (not possible on other lines, I think. At least, not red or orange.). I can see the fluted walls, grimy but intriguing. In the morning, if I block out reflections in the car, I can see a spur heading off, which goes down below somewhere (where?). Since the T does close, I'm surprised no one has yet arranged (post) midnight tours underground, getting the chance to see what things are like, where the spurs go, how they maintain the tracks, hear stories of different stations, look at some of the art up close.

I've fallen into the habit of optimizing my commute, figuring out where to stand for the next leg to be shorter (walk now, when waiting for the train, rather than at the other end, fighting the crowds of people). I assumed this was what everyone does, until I ran into an orker who doesn't. Hm. I've even gotten to the point of getting on the train as late as possible, so to stay near the doors (unless the train is packed, in which case it's more important to make it on. There may be a train just behind, but this one will still get me there faster.).

There's no smoking on the T. It's posted in every car, that smoking is prohibited by law, and is punishable by imprisonment for not more than 10 days or a fine of not more than $50. or both (yes, on the signs, it's a period, not a comma before 'or', the only punctuation included.). Every time I notice a sign, I think about how ridiculous the two punishments are, in comparison. Ten days' jail time is hugely disruptive, to home life, job life (lost wages in addition to everything else, if one doesn't have time to take off), etc. Fifty dollars is less than a ticket to a rock concert, something many people will spend on an impulse buy, or dinner. No contrast at all. It averages out to five dollars a day; I don't know when this law was written, but I think it needs revision.

Comments

[pinkfish.livejournal.com]

When I used to ride public transit a lot, I would study the people who shared the cars with me. Sometimes you will find regulars, who go the same route as you do at about the same time. Some are so regular, you wonder what's up if they don't show.

For non-regulars, I liked to try to guess where they were going, where they would get off.

Every regular I have ever known learns their own route well enough to know what part of the train to get on to make the next leg easier. It is even a common topic of discussion; if you get really good at it, you can tell where to get on to optimize any destination, not just your regular ones. For underground transit, there isn't as much variation, but for overground transit, the door you descend from can make your next street crossing or path finding much more efficient - especially if you have to fight a crowd.

Your orker is the weird one.

[magid.livejournal.com]

It may just be that he's young; my impression is that this is his first job.

So far, I've noticed a couple of people more than once (one lady with a very unfortunate hairpiece), but I haven't been regular enough in my habits to learn people. I keep thinking I'll get an earlier start in the morning...

I'm not at the level of optimization on unfamiliar routes yet (and since I didn't get a bus pass, haven't been using them, either).

[ceo]

The Berkeley Street entrance is only opened on patriots Day, for the marathon crowds. I'm told it's closed the rest of the time for public safety reasons, as it's a very long, narrow tunnel from the platform.

The Green Line is indeed the oldest subway line. The Tremont Street stretch was the first subway tunnel in the country; it was built because Tremont Street was clogged with streetcars. At Boylston, where the Green Line turns right, there's an old tunnel that continues straight. You can see it if you look back from an inbound train as it turns left; it's where the outbound track that goes down an incline to the right goes to. There was a portal further down Tremont that's now covered by a building. Between Berkeley and Arlington, I think there used to be an incline that went up to the street, between the existing tracks.

You can see out the front of some Red Line trains, if they didn't put up something to block the view. If you look carefully going around the curve at Harvard, you can see what remains of the old station, from before the line was extended to Alewife.

The blinky ad thing looks really weird if you catch it going inbound, which happens if you pass an outbound train at the right point.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Berkeley St. entrance: closed for public safety, so they open it on the most crowded day of the year? That doesn't quite compute.

Aha! I saw the track going down; thanks for telling me what it goes to. I wonder why that branch isn't used any more (well, if it goes any useful distance beyond the covered-over portal on Tremont).

I haven't tried the front of any red line trains (not optimal for the commute...); I should try it some day, since seeing the old station would be interesting. What I have seen are the lights from an inbound train passing (me in) the outbound train, at my feet. I know the platforms are stacked, but somehow it was still a surprise.

The blinky ad thing looks really weird if you catch it going inbound, which happens if you pass an outbound train at the right point.
Erm, from what I know of things, should inbound and outbound be switched in this sentence?
I've only seen the ad once or twice in the 'wrong' direction; it didn't flow nearly as well (though that was the old one, with words). I wonder if the designers have to think outside their usual boxes, since it's not stationary, but not quite animated in the usual way, either, and can be seen in either direction (though infrequently backwards, if my experience is at all representative).

[ceo]

Oops, you're right. Good catch.

I'm quite sure they don't care what it looks like going outbound.

[ceo]

wrt your orker, I usually optimize where I get on the train for where the entrance is when I get off-- except at Davis inbound when going to work. The exit at Kendall is way at the outbound end of the station, but that's also where the entrance at Alewife is, which is the only stop before Davis. So I'm far more likely to get a seat if I get on at the inbound end.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Interesting. He's traveling Davis to Park to Arlington, so doesn't have your Alewife excuse :-).

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

what would life be like if I were that tall?

You would duck a lot more. You would also forget to duck occasionally and hit your head quite hard on something. You would have a higher propensity for stepping on things you don't see or tripping over small children and animals. It's quite possible you would develop bad posture as you subconsciously hunch over a lot so as not to tower over your peers and stand out all the time. As a result, you might also develop back problems. Unless you were skinny as a rail, you would have difficulty shopping for clothes, because clothesmakers cling to the misperception that one is either tall and skinny or short and fat. You would have to endure all sorts of annoying enquiries into whether you play basketball, volleyball, or some other sport where height is favored.

But then, there are advantages as well. It's just not as rosey a picture as some would like to paint.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of that already (I have tall (male) cousins and uncles, one or two of whom stoop far more than needed). I was thinking more specifically about being a tall woman, whether it's hard to find clothes, whether she ever wears heels, whether men are intimidated or attracted, whether she's interested in modeling (or really wants to be a biochemist :-).

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of guys that are intimidated by tall women. I find it a bit of a turn on. But then a lot of guys are intimidated by women who are or seem smarter than them, too, and I find intelligence very sexy.

I find that, being tall myself, I have a better "fit," snuggling-wise, with a tall woman. However, a lot of men prefer shorter women because the curves are closer together. Most nude models, according to The Sun's Page 3, tend to be short because this accentuates the closeness of the hips and breasts, making the woman seem more compact and curvier. Guys tend to like curves.

(Of course, we all know the opposite is true for fashion/runway models, where tall and statuesque seems to be the preference.)

Anyhow, there's a guy's perspective for you. I can't address the other points with any authority, obviously. ;)

[jwg.livejournal.com]

I wonder if they ever give the fines or whether anyone has ever been imprisoned. And who has the authority to give the citation? Another question is whether it is actually a criminal offence or if there is an option - in Cambridge they changed some of the ordinances to make fines non-criminal.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Interesting questions. I don't think they're very strict on the penalties: I saw a T worker smoking by the elevators on the red line platform in Park Street.

Could the T have different rulings (criminal/ non-criminal for fines, for instance) depending on which municipality the infraction was cited? Or is it more dependent on state than city law?

[cellio]

The fine and jail time certainly seem way out of proportion, but aren't the anti-smoking laws relatively recent? I don't get it.

[magid.livejournal.com]

The more blanket anti-smoking laws are recent, the ones forcing bars and restaurants (and probably other things not formerly covered, but of less interest to most) to be smoke-free. There were other, less comprehensive, laws around before then.

[psilocin.livejournal.com]

Given the extreme disparities of wealth in this society, a fine that is trivial to one person can be a major loss to another. For this reason, I don't think fixed fines make much sense. For many people in the area, $50 is quite a lot of money.