Boston: Part II

PAN HANDLERS Every city is going to have their fair share of them. It's unavoidable. Boston's population is over 600,000--compared to New York's 8 million--so of course there are going to be fewer panhandlers. What really makes a difference, though, is the T. Passengers do not move between trains. I assume it is possible to do so, in the event of a fire or emergency, but I have not seen one person do it yet. Thus, T rides are incredibly pleasant, as I am guaranteed to get on and off without a soul crushing guilt trip when a guy with both of his legs amputated above the knee drags himself across a subway car floor on his way to the next car. It has diminished commuter stress immensely.

My T stop is the Porter Square stop. In New York, it was the 96th street station. On rare occasions, there would be a rather talented musician at the 96th street station. Though, stations like Times Square and Penn Station are the headliner venues for Subway performers. I recall one December day last year when a guy was playing Christmas carols on an acoustic guitar in the 96th street stop. It was beautiful. Porter Square has talented musicians playing every day of the week. I'm pretty sure this has to do with the fact that T performers are required to get a permit to play. I believe it's about $25 dollars for the year, but it has a profound effect on the mood of a T station. Many a morning I briefly consider waiting for the next train so I can hear a banjo player finish a song. In New York, there is no permit requirement; riff raff ensues.

PEDESTRIANS Boston pedestrians make kamikaze pilots look like cowards. I had lunch with my boss last week and about 5 minutes after telling me very sternly that I was not to walk through Cambridge Common at night, he weaved me through moving traffic without batting an eye at the rather swiftly moving cars. I'm already a nervous city driver, so adding these crazy pedestrians into the mix when I drive around Boston is almost too much to bear.


RUNNERS There are plenty of active people in NYC. I consider myself a runner now and racked up decent mileage in both Central and also Hudson River Parks. Boston, however, takes it to a new level. People run here in all kinds of horrible weather. It will be 19 degrees and snowing, but these die hard runners will don their under armor and head out. The worst part is that Boston runners are the ultimate kamikaze pedestrian. Not only will they weave through traffic, but they come out of nowhere. I get quickly annoyed when I see someone running under certain conditions; mainly when it's cold, raining (cold AND raining), and when it's Sunday. Sunday is really my biggest anti-running day. It's SUNDAY people! Go put your feet up and read the paper!!!! God forbid it's a rainy cold Sunday and I see someone running here. I suppose I'll have to get used to it.