You can drive forever 'neath the streets of Boston

Alternate title:  There are no 'do-overs' in Boston driving.  I made the same mistake twice tonight on my way from Belmont via the Pike into the financial district in Boston after work.  Missed the exit for South Station twice.  Had a nice tour of South Boston and, on the second run, a nice tour of Logan airport.  Appropriate for an airheaded move.  I do take responsibility since I think I should know better, not being a tourist, but I'm a bit rusty on the city - and they have changed things a wee bit since the last time I was downtown.  Nice tunnels under the city.  But bad, bad signage.  Bad signage.  Just sayin'.  Fortunately, there was a good view of the Charles from the 38th floor where my friend had reservations for our GNO, good wine, good food, good fun.  Only one wrong turn on the drive home.  Sigh.

Comments

[Mouse]

So, is The Big Dig finally all dug?
And is that old road down near the aquarium finally gone?
And can you get to and from Logan with more ease and less congestion?

I haven't been to Boston for 4 years, has much changed?

Please tell me Harvard is still standing!

[Zhoen]

Yes, but you can't park your car in Harvard Yard.

Two wrongs don't make a right, and in Boston, neither do three lefts.

[leslee]

Hi Mouse. God only knows about the Dig. I think it's mostly done. And yes, you would find things quite different. I'm rarely in the city, so I haven't seen all the changes, but the ride to the airport is much improved (except for last fall when a couple tons of concrete fell and crushed some poor woman in a car - after that there was an obstacle course for months to get to Logan while they inspected and fixed things).

I don't know about the road by the aquarium. The new ICA opened up out there, but I haven't been yet. Yes, Harvard is still standing, as is the Harvard Club on the 38th floor of 1 Federal St, where we convened for dinner!

Zhoen: You are correct, pahking is neah impossible in those pahts. At least cheap pahking (ie, metered). I am pleased to have fought and won a parking ticket dispute last summer over a faulty meter. Heh.

[Bob Eggleton]

I totally understand where you are. That whole South Station area is a clusterfuck and a half, bad signage, detoured and "one way" roads. Just going to a conference at the Westin on the docks(sounds so Bogart-like) I almost got lost getting there and finding 128/93(whatever it is) south is another adventure. It is not a good feeling to get into a city and not know how you need to get to where you need to be(and you know that).

[leslee]

Ya, and part of the problem is that when you're underground you have no visual landmarks to guide you. Not that road direction has anything whatsoever to do with which way you actually want to go.

[joanna]

And the native Bostonians are known for their gentle driving habits.

[leslee]

Oh yeah, there's that, too. I know enough not to hesitate or slow down to try to figure out which exit to take - that would not be well tolerated!

[Zhoen]

I don't have a car here. Love the T. Beats driving.

[leslee]

Yah, if I worked in the city I could take the train in. Alas you can't get there (my job) from here (my home) via the train...

[Bob Eggleton]

Bostonians are something like the worst drivers out there, followed only and sometimes one-upped by Rhode Islanders. Bostonians tend to drive aggressively while multitasking and, Rhode Islanders just are inconsiderate(never learned the turn signal)and stupid in general on the road(I know, I live here). The T is the best option in Boston, whenever possible and let's not get into the cost of parking(when you can find it)

[Sara]

Shortly after we moved here, someone told me that Boston was basically a bunch of cow paths that sort of melted into a city, and that no effort has been made to help people navigate the mess because somewhere deep down people are still afraid the British are coming.

[leslee]

Yah, I think the cow path theory is correct, although the Big Dig is another story altogether. Set up to confuse outsiders - if you belonged here you wouldn't need no stinking signs!

[MG]

I drove in Boston once, late at night. Never again. I got lost, and it was a total nightmare. In comparison, I thought it made driving in New York seem like a breeze.

[leslee]

NYC streets are laid out in on a grid, logically. East side, west side, 1st street, 80th street. Boston has isolated neighborhoods laid out that way, but overall it's... cowpaths.

[Rana]

Oh, gad, driving in Boston. I was the designated driver one night there, and had never driven in the city before. I managed to get onto two different, incorrect freeways; had to make a last-minute choice when a single-lane one-way road suddenly widened into three (I chose wrong); missed a crucial turn because the entrance was from a tiny side alley instead of the large, "well"-marked street immediately following it; encountered one space where it seemed that all the streets entering one intersection were all one-way - into the intersection...

We did finally get to our destination - three hours late! Give me the freeways of Southern California any day over the surface streets of Boston.

(I came here via The Cassandra Pages.)

[leslee]

Hi Rana. Thanks for stopping by. I've seen you over at Chris Clarke's (I mainly lurk). Yeah, it's a challenge to drive around here, though it helps if you're familiar with the roads. Otherwise forget it - like I said, very bad signage. All that and aggressive drivers, too!

[Mouse]

I've driven in Cambridge (MA not UK) and that was sedate
the worst place ever was Paris. round the Arc de Triomphe. It took me 16 circuits before I could get off the damned thing!

I like the T.
Clean, regular and reliable
Unlike the London underground
Gad but I feel nostalgic for Boston!