The next depressed Red Line train is now approaching
Lys wonders why the Red Line seems so depressed these days while the Green Line is positively jaunty:
... I was coming back from Central, on the Red line, and I noticed how many people riding back looked as miserable as I did. I saw two different women crying, and everyone just seemed to be lost in their own tired and negative thoughts. Maybe the stress of Cambridge, with Harvard and MIT right there, is too much for the fragile human psyche to handle. As I looked around the train, no one was making eye contact, and shoes, fingernails, and blank space were very popular.
I get off at Park Street and switch to the Green line, and the tone is much more peppy. The train fills up with tired but happy students for BU and BC, and people are actually laughing! I am trying to maintain a level of melancholy, but it is difficult with all these wise-ass students around. ...
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The difference is one serves
The difference is one serves two major universities, the other, a major safety school. ;)
(I'm joking, relax)
Cause BC BU is so much
Cause BC BU is so much better?
Last I Heard BU was a fallback school for over privileged fuck ups who couldn't get into an ivy league school, even with their parents hounding.
Take one walk around the two campuses, and I'll be you have more in common with those going to umass. BU/BC students seem to be walking around in some sort of haze.
Last I Heard BU was a
Yeah...that was the crux of my joke.
Why take a swipe at Umass-Boston?
A lot of Umass-Boston grads have accomplished great things without the benefit of a Harvard or MIT education. Their higher ed served them well. You might rethink posting jokes that cause you to append the phrase, "I'm joking, relax"... because only un-relaxed people would take it as a slight? Since you brought it up, where did you go?
Did I mention UMass? Nope!
Actually, my joke was referring to the Lys' comment that the Red Line serves MIT and Harvard, and the Green Line is full of BU kids.
And yes, it was just a bad joke. Nothing more. The Internet Is Not Serious Business.
And here's the last five
IT'S EDUCATIONAL!
IT'S EDUCATIONAL!
IT'S EDUCATIONAL!
IT'S EDUCATIONAL!
IT'S EDUCATIONAL!
or Umass-Amherst for that matter
is there a connection between the Pixies and Umass?
How about Bill Cosby, Marcus
How about Bill Cosby, Marcus Camby, Jeff Corwin, Julius Erving , and Richard Gere,
oh, also Mumbles, but we don;t mind if we just forget about that.
Jeff Corwin
went to Bridgewater State, at least for undergrad. He was in my Organic Chemistry class.
pioneer valley
The song is about umass amherst, where black francis and joey santiago were roommates before starting the band in boston
thanks
pierce
Depressed Red Line?
Miserable, tired, lost in their own thoughts?
That sounds like a happy Red Line trip to me! :)
its finals time on the red
its finals time on the red line....
On the green line it's baseball season and NBA playoffs
Replay
lot of Umass-Boston grads have accomplished great things without the benefit of a Harvard or MIT education.
echo....
what exactly in my post countered that idea?
The red line probably has 20 universities and colleges along it- i think MIT and Harvard dominate people perceptions of it not to slight Umass and the rest, but rather the subway goes directly through their large campuses, they are not car-commuter schools (ie the students rely on the T more to get around), and their colors are shades of red. That the line is called the Red Line and their stops weigh among the heaviest on the line I would think is no coincidence.
No one is out to knock Umass-Boston or its graduates.....
Few Undergrads Commute to MIT and Harvard
If students are on the red line, it is the undergraduate students of all of the predominately commuter colleges - UMB, Quincy College, Lesley, Suffolk, etc.
Many graduate students do commute to Harvard or MIT, but they go by bus if they live in Somerville and not near Davis or Porter. Graduate students don't spend all their time in classes and have different stress out times, too.
i am a harvard grad student
i am a harvard grad student that lives in boston and rides the T, so I guess maybe my bias reflects that.
But know that MIT and Harvard are 2/3 grad students, and have thousands of faculty, staff, researchers, and non-academic employees that dwarf any of the commuter colleges you listed. Also those campuses are not made of 70% parking lots and garages, like UMB
Non-exclusive
Swirlygrrl's Education:
MIT SB '89
UMass Lowell ScD '06
The UMass system is damn affordable and very flexible for part-timers. You can graduate without debt and get in good with future employers on the reputation, particularly if you can find a department that formed from an en mass Harvard faculty breakaway.
Swirlygrrl's Education: MIT, UMass Lowell
Swirly's got nothing to hide... still haven't heard from Arborway.
Enjoy your wait
I've given up on posting personal information online. More trouble than its worth thanks to rampant Internet Detectives using it for creepy harassment. (Not claiming you would do this, but it's just a general principle I follow now)
Arborway
Is it a "wait" if the information is not forthcoming? We're left to ponder: Graduates (I'll make an assumption) of what schools poke fun at BU and BC?
It's all about the ride
I think its because of the drastic difference between riding the Red Line and riding the Green Line.
The Red Line is a rather mundane, straight-forward riding experience. Sure it takes some bends, and its sometimes crowded, but for the most part its a very safe ride.
The Green Line, on the other hand, is a wild, "anything can happen" kinda ride. When those trolleys are stuffed with people and those drivers whisk the cars around curves, and subject riders to the sudden starts and stops, serious injury or hilarity can ensue. I love watching newbies get on a Green Line trolley and just stand there without looking for something to hold on to. When that trolley takes off they go flying! Its even better when there's a beverage involved.
Dorchester vs. Chestnut Hill?
I can only surmise, since the final destination of the two trains is never discussed, but perhaps the difference in demeanors is due to the final destination of one train being a somewhat crime-ridden murder capital of the city, while the other destination is a relatively well-off suburban area?
Could be.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
The red line goes through
The red line goes through the relatively safe part of Dorchester, FYI. It does not reach the areas of Dorchester where the majority of the crime happens. Please, let's stop perpetuating this stereotype.
Red Line
Not to mention that a rather small minority of Red Line riders ride through from Central to Dorchester, Quincy, or Braintree. Most folks who are on the train at Central are off the train by the time it leaves South Station.
One question for Lyss: is it possible that Sunday afternoon's Celtics game had recently ended when you got on the Green Line?
I Know The Red Line, And You're No Red Line!
Or something like that.
Look, I grew up in Dorchester, lived there for 37 years, and am not a total stranger to it now. I know where the "good" parts of Dorchester are, and where the "bad" parts are.
I'm not perpetuating any stereotypes. The Red Line (train) terminates at Ashmont. It is hardly the safest area of the city to walk around in at night. Ditto for Fields Corner. Shawmut? Eh. It's not hideous, but it's no picnic.
Now, the trolley continues on through Lower Mills and on into Mattapan. You gonna try and tell me that Mattapan (aka Murderpan) isn't a high-crime area? Please.
As for the other areas the Red Line travels through outside of Dorchester - Southie, for instance - they are in many instances low-income and sometimes habituated by less-than-savory individuals. I worked in Southie for many years, played ball in Southie for many more, and (for some folks) Southie is not a great area to be in.
If you don't believe there's a sharp contrast between Dorchester or South Boston or Mattapan, and frickin' Brookline or Newton, then you have no idea whatsoever about the metropolitan Boston area.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Celtics
The Celtics game question is a good one, though.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Not sure why you're arguing with me, Suldog
All I said was that most of the folks who get on the southbound Red Line in Cambridge or Somerville have left the train by the time it leaves South Station. Do you disagree?
Not You, Ron
See the comment above yours.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Cambridge, etc.
I don't have stats concerning where the riders who get on at Central then get off, though. Are these available?
From my visual experience, what you say is mostly true.
Anyway, I was just conjecturing. Occam's Razor and all that.
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
I have no idea why you're
I have no idea why you're getting so upset. Why are you so angry?
I totally agree that there is a general difference between Dorchester and Newton.
But, you have to admit that Dorchester is a huge land area with vast differences in crime rates in the different neighborhoods. Savin Hill versus Grove Hall? Cannot compare. And you also have to admit that when crime happens, it's generally referred to in the media (and by a lot of other folks) as "Dorchester" and not specific sections of the neighborhood. It gets annoying, and yours was a very flip comment, you have to admit.
Again, most of the crime does not happen along the Red Line (terminus at Ashmont - maybe I should have been clearer that I wasn't including the Mattapan Line, which also goes through Milton - not exactly a crime capital). Most of it is "West of Washington" - which isn't touched by the Red Line. And BTW, Ashmont and Fields Corner have come a long way in the 5 years I've lived in Dorchester. Maybe still a little sketch, but I never feel unsafe.
I appreciate that you grew up and lived in Dorchester for 37 years. How long has it been since you moved away? How long has it been since you've been there? How much time do you actually spend there? I'm genuinely curious.
Dorchester
Anon:
The anger stems from the "FYI" in your previous comment. As always on the internet, intent is nebulous. It appeared to be an insult, implying that I had no knowledge of the area and was making an off-hand remark with no substance. If that was not the intent, I apologize for taking it as such.
My comment had a flip tone, but was not meant totally as such. I often comment that way, and my intent may not have been clear. Again, apologies if miscommunication resulted.
However, your tone still seems combative.
For the record, I moved out of Dorchester in 1994. The last time I was there was about a week ago. I find myself in the area (that is, Lower Mills/Ashmont/Mattapan/Basically Peabody Square to Any Section Of River Street) perhaps once every couple of months.
I'm aware of the other areas of Dorchester. I did not grow up isolated in Lower Mills. I went to school at Boston Tech, for instance, so had to traverse some of the area you speak of. Yes, there are many diverse areas of the place, and the media often doesn't differentiate between them. However, for purposes of the original discussion here, a generic "Dorchester" and a generic "Chestnut Hill" did seem appropriate. I was not trying to cast aspersions on your particular neighborhood or whatever.
Peace?
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Sure, no harm no foul.
Sure, no harm no foul.
She's got it all wrong
We were all sad b/c the dancing guys didn't come into our car that night. I know I was heartbroken.
Also:
1. BU > Umass Dorchester - hate to break it to you.
2. One time on the green line I saw a drunk girl fall flat on her face and break her nose, and then she threw up. Nothing like that ever happens on the red line. ever.