First trip back to Mass in almost three years... (Boston: cul-de-sac, house)

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

I start my new job in the Seaport next week, and have done a few dry runs to get there (happily didn't take more than an hour and 15 minutes from Marlborough - and one run leaving at 7 am only took 45 minutes!). It's still unbelievable to me what the Seaport is like now compared to just a few years ago. When I tell my family, whose experience in the Seaport has largely been trips to Harpoon or graduations at the everchanging bank Pavilion, they still think it's a bombed out zone of parking lots and are incredulous when I tell them I would have to more than double my already expensive rent to move there. My work covers parking, but my monthly parking costs almost as much as what it cost to rent a bedroom in my last apartment in Medford a few years ago. I took a video driving down Seaport Blvd and sent it to some family who could not *believe* that's what the Seaport looks like today.

I took a harbor cruise with coworkers today for a team outing and the view of the Seaport from the water was unrecognizable.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by simplexsimon

I took a harbor cruise with coworkers today for a team outing and the view of the Seaport from the water was unrecognizable.

My Dad who is retired and living in Virginia came up a couple of weeks ago and we went for a drink at Tall Ship and then took the water taxi over to the Seaport for dinner. He worked in Boston up until about 2010 and he couldn’t get over how we went, by scenic boat, from a neighborhood he wouldn’t have thought to ever spend any time in 10 years ago to a neighborhood that basically didn’t exist 10 years ago and that it was incredible. I still can’t get over the Seaport sometimes.

[MrDee12345]

19. I remember one annoyance: I got in to Boston on Wed morning and I thought I might check out the new casino. I thought there was a shuttle bus that ran from Wellington, but as it turns out they only run at night and during special events. That means that if I wanted to see the casino, I'd have to take the train to Wellington and then walk 1.6 miles through industrial waste land to get there. I decided not to go.

[simplexsimon]

Originally Posted by lrfox

My Dad who is retired and living in Virginia came up a couple of weeks ago and we went for a drink at Tall Ship and then took the water taxi over to the Seaport for dinner. He worked in Boston up until about 2010 and he couldn’t get over how we went, by scenic boat, from a neighborhood he wouldn’t have thought to ever spend any time in 10 years ago to a neighborhood that basically didn’t exist 10 years ago and that it was incredible. I still can’t get over the Seaport sometimes.

Love it. I am more of a city person, but with two young kids at home I'm only in Boston for work and leave the office early. It was really nice to step back and see the activity and see how much things have changed (IMO for the better).

[MrDee12345]

Okay, a few more observations:

20: Driving through the Berkshires today my wife said, "When we get past those hills, will we see the Berkshires?"

"Those ARE the Berkshires."

21: Have Mass drivers gotten worse? We drove to upstate NY and the worst drivers I encountered had Mass plates (for the most part)

22. Although I was complaining about roads in my initial post, the Pike and 495 are pretty good. Drove around Springfield a bit and the surfaces roads were pretty bad.


And what confounds me is that Baker is trying to give the budget surplus back to Mass residents. Why can't he use that money to improve the commonwealth's roads? Even the roads in upstate NY were better than Mass.

23. Route 3 from Nashua to Burlington should have a 75MPH speed limit or higher. 55 is way too slow. I was driving 67 in the slow lane earlier and people were passing me.

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by MrDee12345

Okay, a few more observations:

20: Driving through the Berkshires today my wife said, "When we get past those hills, will we see the Berkshires?"

"Those ARE the Berkshires."

21: Have Mass drivers gotten worse? We drove to upstate NY and the worst drivers I encountered had Mass plates (for the most part)

22. Although I was complaining about roads in my initial post, the Pike and 495 are pretty good. Drove around Springfield a bit and the surfaces roads were pretty bad.


And what confounds me is that Baker is trying to give the budget surplus back to Mass residents. Why can't he use that money to improve the commonwealth's roads? Even the roads in upstate NY were better than Mass.

23. Route 3 from Nashua to Burlington should have a 75MPH speed limit or higher. 55 is way too slow. I was driving 67 in the slow lane earlier and people were passing me.

21:Yes, never ceases to amaze me. Even a quick trip to the grocery store is like going out into the wild west. No joke, I'm considering trading in my current vehicle for a Volvo suv for the safety ratings due to how dangerous it is on the roads these days.

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by MrDee12345

Okay, a few more observations:

20: Driving through the Berkshires today my wife said, "When we get past those hills, will we see the Berkshires?"

"Those ARE the Berkshires."

21: Have Mass drivers gotten worse? We drove to upstate NY and the worst drivers I encountered had Mass plates (for the most part)

22. Although I was complaining about roads in my initial post, the Pike and 495 are pretty good. Drove around Springfield a bit and the surfaces roads were pretty bad.


And what confounds me is that Baker is trying to give the budget surplus back to Mass residents. Why can't he use that money to improve the commonwealth's roads? Even the roads in upstate NY were better than Mass.

23. Route 3 from Nashua to Burlington should have a 75MPH speed limit or higher. 55 is way too slow. I was driving 67 in the slow lane earlier and people were passing me.

21 is yes. Idiotic drivers. Non-comformity.

In NJ AND CT they master the fast pace and driving well. You will be in traffic, but everyone is going 85mph. Uniformity.

MA is like someone is honking and yelling at themselves. Pulling out without looking. ??!? Almost died like five times in one ride up there.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

21 is yes. Idiotic drivers. Non-comformity.

In NJ AND CT they master the fast pace and driving well. You will be in traffic, but everyone is going 85mph. Uniformity.

Really? I long thought that if there's one state worse than MA it's CT, at least as far as people not knowing how to drive on the highway and no concept of how to keep pace. I-95 is a $hitshow from end to end. The randomness just kills you. It does seem that whatever they are "on" down there though, is spreading into MA. Driving anywhere just seems to be he## these days. I'm in ME right now and it was such a breath of fresh air driving up here. People in the left lane actually pull to the right as you are overtaking them!

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Really? I long thought that if there's one state worse than MA it's CT, at least as far as people not knowing how to drive on the highway and no concept of how to keep pace. I-95 is a $hitshow from end to end. The randomness just kills you. It does seem that whatever they are "on" down there though, is spreading into MA. Driving anywhere just seems to be he## these days. I'm in ME right now and it was such a breath of fresh air driving up here. People in the left lane actually pull to the right as you are overtaking them!

Maybe I am glorifying CT a little bit. lol

Or maybe, my five near death experiences on my last Boston trip made me sour.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by MrDee12345

Okay, a few more observations:


23. Route 3 from Nashua to Burlington should have a 75MPH speed limit or higher. 55 is way too slow. I was driving 67 in the slow lane earlier and people were passing me.

I'm a veteran of said route. I drive in the middle lane (as taught by my venerable driver's ed teacher, back in the day), typically ~65 mph, and get passed on both sides. I see some of the most reckless driving on this stretch (north- and southbound), jerks easily doing 90 mph and weaving in/out. But the only times I ever see a trooper is during rush hour when you can't go fast anyway.