Traveltracks Is Back

It’s been a few months since I’ve returned to Boston, and I have actively forgotten about train rides, sitting, looking out of windows, or any sort of reminder of the gruelingly long rides I took.  But from here on out I plan on keeping up with the blog in a new way.  Towards the end there, I really was using more stick than carrot to urge myself along those last few Amtrak rides, but have now had ample time to find work, establish a boring routine, and treat my body horribly throughout the Bruins historic playoff run.  Has there ever been a better time to live in Boston?  The young Bruins team are enjoying the summer of their lives either locally or back in their native countries while we here anticipate the upcoming Patriots season with the jitters of a first prom night.  It should be an entertaining season if nothing else.

Boston Bruins rookie Brad Marchand taking an alternative form of public transportation– the Boston Duck Boats– at the Stanley Cup Champion's parade in June.

I’ve enjoyed my time of respite since returning from my month long journey on the tracks, but I’ve found myself sickened again with the germ of routine.  Not to say that I don’t enjoy my work teaching ESL, but living weekend to weekend is not my idea of summer at all.  The combination of this restlessness, the Bruins making history, and the revived spirit Boston tends to get come the time of year when the air stays warm and thick past 8pm, has lead me to continue my travels.  Albeit a bit more locally.  I will stay on the tracks (or road) via the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and welcome all it has to offer.  For the remaining days of summer and into the fall I plan on exploring the historic sites, new-age activities, and natural beauties the subway lines, the Commuter Rail, or even the lowly bus system can take me.  In mini-expeditions that hopefully will put a stop to my habit of laying around and seeing the city I live in as just that; the place in which I live.  Instead, I aim to experience it as an outsider would.

The far reaching arms of the Commuter Rail

This is not designed to be a demonstration of the wonders of public transport, or even a journey to experience the distant reaches of the MBTA, but rather a series of unique excursions using this transit system as my by-way; a tool to get from point A to B.  The emphasis here is on the B, the destination. But the experience of my time in between, the journey, will not be lost either, keeping with the mantra.  There are countless articles in the Globe’s travel section, and Boston Magazine’s “52 Weekend Getaways” Issue that detail over-priced yet lovely getaways.  Not only is the cost a bit lofty, but the common requirement of a vehicle could perhaps deter many potential escapists.  This chapter of Traveltracks is designed to highlight locales around the Greater Boston Area that are both worthwhile and accessible. So I hope you enjoy the second helping of Traveltracks, and as always; feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or a trip you have taken in the area that you think I might enjoy.   Stay tuned for my first local adventure.

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