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A common mistake that people make about the "T" in Boston is that it is limited to the subway. In fact, the nick-name "T" (from Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority), covers all methods of transportation offered by the authority, rail, bus, trackless trolley, subway, and boat.

In regards to the T's usefulness for the average traveler seeking to explore Boston's many sites of interest, the T is not nearly as useful as one might think.

First of all, the best way to get around Boston is by foot. Boston's leading tourist attraction is its Freedom Trail, and it's a strictly pedestrian experience.

Secondly, the stations on Boston's subway lines are deceptively close to each other. In the downtown area that interests tourists the most, subways stations are located one to three blocks from each other! In the five minutes you waste standing on a platform waiting for a subway train, you can probably walk to your destination.

Finally, the subway trains can get very crowded and reaching the platforms can entail a good deal of walking. Because the city is nearly 400 years old and the subway system is more than a 100 years old, many compromises have been made over the years. You cannot assume that a subway platform is necessarily directly beneath the head house one uses for entrancing and exiting. Reaching the actual platform can easily take five or more minutes. Then, it can potentially take five or more minutes to get out at the other end. Personally, I despise using the subway in the center of Boston; I will get off at North Station and walk to South Station.

There are, however, many positive aspects to using the T as a tourist in Boston. Most notably, getting in and out of Boston. Unless you have a lot of luggage, the T is your best bet in regards to getting to and from the airport. Unlike some cities, Boston's subway doesn't directly service the airport's terminals, but there are free shuttle buses available to and from all airport terminals and the closest subway station. And it is the only sane method of traveling to and from the airport. Not only is it the cheapest method, it's also the fastest.

If one wants to visit Cambridge, traveling by the T's subway line is, by far, the best method. And it's pretty easy; there's a stop called Harvard. Just get off there, and you'll find yourself in the middle of historic Cambridge and the campus of Harvard University. Like most places in the Boston area, you may be able to drive there, but the odds are against you in actually finding a place to park your vehicle and enjoying your destination.

If one want's to visit the Forest Hills Cemetery or the Arnold Arboretum, the subway to the Forest Hills station is the best method.

When visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the subway is probably the least confusing method. There is a subway station called JFK/UMASS; from there clearly marked buses are available that will drop you directly at the museum's doorstep. That said, the JFK museum actually does have a free parking lot. However, please understand that finding the museum by car is quite a task.

In the end, unless you're moving into and/or out of the center of Boston, I would recommend staying off the subway.

Learn more about this author, Thos Robert.
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