Big cities—Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, etc—are awesome places to live and fun places to visit. However, whether you’re just visiting or planning to ditch your quaint country cottage for a chic urban flat, you’ve got to know how to maneuver the city. Of course, public transportation systems are different depending on where you go. Comparing the MBTA (Boston) to the New York MTA will yield a striking number of dissimilarities. But there are certain points that can help you travel like a pro no matter where you are.
- Plan your subway trip before you leave — Long before you duck into the subway station, use maps and online resources to plan out your subway trip. A number of Internet sites will assist, if not do most of the work, when it comes to choosing a train line, figuring out transfers, directions, and more. Google “Hop Stop” for a great subway trip planner (has trip planning for New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, and more).
- Figure out how much you’ll be using the subway — Will you be in NYC for a weekend? Chicago for a week? San Francisco for two hours? Be conscious of how many days you’ll be in the city. Even more, how often do you think you’ll use the metro system? This will help you decide on which subway card or ticket to buy. For instance, Boston’s Charlie Card will save you 30 cents every time you use the metro system, but it might not be worth the effort to get the Charlie Card if you’re only using the subway once to get to the airport. Just plan according, and look up each city’s respective subway ticket purchase options.
- Pay attention to service alerts and delays — Subway systems are great for getting from point A to point B, but none of them are flawless. Construction and maintenance have to be done, and this often causes train delays or temporary line closures. Major alerts will be posted near subway entrances and communicated over loudspeaker systems within the subway tunnels, so take off your headphones while you’re waiting.
- Be extra wary of the train directions — It might be easy to find the train line you need, but the work doesn’t stop there. Make sure you’re going the right way—either go uptown or downtown, inbound or outbound, etc. Look, if you don’t know which direction you need, just ask someone for assistance! You won’t look foolish. It’s not as bad as choosing the wrong direction and ending up majorly lost.
- Practice using the subway system — If you’re visiting for a while or moving to a new city, take some time to learn the system. Get on and off the subway in different areas, making sure to pay attention while you do so. Not only will this help you get acquainted with the subway, it’ll help you learn how to navigate the city in general!
And remember, subway systems aren’t just for the main metropolitan areas. If you’re visiting or relocating to a suburb just outside a major city, it’s still likely you’ll have great access to the major metro system in some way. For example, if you’re moving into one of the many condos in Jamaica Plain (a neighborhood right outside the Boston metropolitan area), you’ll still have great access to the MBTA. So keep these tips in mind, too!
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
