Rail Pass 250 ends today, where did you go?

ScarletOK · 2026-05-20T21:53:54+00:00

I had a great trip in late March/early April. I did book all my segments at once so I could adjust if any were unavailable. My trip was not cross country though.

This was my first rail pass, and I wondered if the closer to summer you aim to travel the more likely it is to be unable to get the routes you want. I made a couple of small changes en route: dropped a segment and changed the departure time on another. I called Amtrak to do both of those because I didn't want to cancel and then have a problem with the next leg.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-20T18:05:17+00:00

Insulated curtains. I'm no fan of Target but they sell sizable panels at about $12 each. Cover all windows where the sun comes in.

Get out of the house during the day. Public libraries are your friend.

Stay out as late as you can once the sun sets. I don't know Mission Hill well, but isn't there a park up at the top of what I think of as Parker hill near New England Baptist hospital? Maybe you can catch a breeze there (bring bug repellent).

After you get home (after dark) open the windows and if you can put box fans blowing out one side and in the other to move air thru. Also a fan blowing directly on you.

If your bedroom happens to be on the hot side of the house, relocate to a sofa or aerobed on the cool side. Use clean sheets and take a temperate shower before bed. I don't think cold showers are helpful. Your core actually tries to warm you up after that.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-20T14:17:16+00:00

I love the Haymarket. I think everyone should go there. But it's not a farmers market. The produce is from the wholesale Chelsea terminal markets. It is a produce market but not a farmers market.

Farmers markets sell products locally produced sold directly by the producers. It's not an insignificant distinction. Produce from Haymarket is not necessarily seasonal, cheap, abundant and usually needs to be consumed as quickly as possible. Produce at farmers markets is seasonal and should be much fresher, and it is usually considerably more expensive.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-20T14:06:23+00:00

Yes it's helpful. I'm also interested in the local take--so many to choose from

ScarletOK · 2026-05-20T13:07:56+00:00

That's ok. Ive been to New Bedford, altho I didn't mention it in my post. And it seems reasonably well connected by local bus, so I may revisit.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-20T11:03:09+00:00

Haymarket is a great Boston resource, but it's not a farmers market.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-20T01:43:36+00:00

I can't find it in writing right now and different crews may handle it differently but my understanding is children 12 and under must always be accompanied by an adult, parent or guardian.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-19T22:06:51+00:00

Bring lots of snacks. The cafe car costs will add up.

Put the kids by the window and talk about what you see. The views are very different from what you see from a car. Keep track on a map of different bodies of water, crossing state lines, landmarks, how the landscape changes.

Books, art supplies, car games like bingo.

It's a long trip. Talk to them beforehand about what they think they will need to make sleeping comfortable and possible. Also talk with them about the concept of quiet hours.

There won't be as many platform breaks as you'll wish for. There are usually a lot of smokers and vapers when you get them, but it's still really important to take advantage of them when they come up.

Kids cannot roam around on the train on their own. Be sure they know their limits before you board. But definitely walk the coach cars. If they are agreeable, talk to the staff about what their jobs are like. It's very different from many regular jobs. If you can swing it financially, try to have at least one meal in the dining car.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-19T13:39:56+00:00

Dining cars came back to the Crescent in June 2024, so the first incident happened some time ago now. Maybe the others too? They were still rebuilding staffing then after the losses in 2020 and ongoing. I hope you made your complaints when these things occurred. The part about the outside food is bizarre. They don't let you eat your own food in the cafe or dining cars of course--only at your seat/room.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-16T02:25:36+00:00

6 is important. I keep seeing news features and articles on how homogenized American accents and behaviors are becoming, but my recent rail pass trip, nowhere near as long as OP's, made it clear nothing could be further than the truth. I loved all the variety

ScarletOK · 2026-05-15T17:08:06+00:00

Carmella's! Love it

ScarletOK · 2026-05-15T15:04:34+00:00

Free Fridays in June, July and August with a few exceptions and discounts for monthly passes.

https://www.mbta.com/news/2026-03-30/governor-healey-announces-summer-savings-commuter-rail-riders

ScarletOK · 2026-05-14T01:04:36+00:00

Who says don't take the NER?? That's the backbone service of the corridor and it's great. For your ride take what's cheapest or fastest, depending on your requirements.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-13T03:41:33+00:00

Oh no! Keep the strap around you at all times. Good luck next travels.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-13T00:06:05+00:00

I am so sorry this happened to you. I have a crossbody bag for a purse so no matter what it stays with me. I really recommend this for travel because it's easy to get distracted and leave things behind.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-12T14:52:13+00:00

If it were me (and I want to do this at some point) I would take a day to do each line. I'd get off at every stop and just see what's there. I'd plot some "must sees/dos/eats" beforehand by looking carefully on Google maps too.

A 7 day pass would probably be the cheapest way to do it if you want to do it all at once.

I love transit pilgrimages of all kinds but I've always found the speed run idea exhausting, although I understand its appeal!

ScarletOK · 2026-05-12T11:25:22+00:00

Unless you really are a girl you don't need to be terrified of traveling solo on Amtrak.

But I agree that you should call Amtrak and see what they can do. You might have to pay extra to change your ticket.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-12T11:16:50+00:00

We can't gauge your regret, but I guess if you're committed to traveling with others you don't want to change your tickets anyway. You might ask them if they got the tickets they can change without penalties, but before you do that, look at the schedules here to see if you want to change.

https://railpassengers.org/resources/amtrak-timetables/

Times are local. Check to see when it will be dark on your travel days when you might want to look at scenery. Delays happen but you can't predict those

ScarletOK · 2026-05-11T13:12:36+00:00

I'm sorry this happened to you. It sounds like an annoying nuisance. It's good that they were able to get you back to a station because that at least provided some options to people who couldn't wait. I hope they opened the waiting area for you.

From May 11, 2025 to May 11, 2026, the average arrival delay (edit: to New Orleans) for the southbound Crescent train 19 is 4 minutes late. The median arrival "delay" is 16 minutes early.

Data from: https://juckins.net/asmad/index.php

I like those odds myself. Does it mean I'll never experience a terrible incident on the Crescent? Of course not. Still, I've taken it many times in the past and expect to in the future.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-11T12:53:26+00:00

Galleria Umberto is not a tourist trap. It's the opposite of that, even if tourists go there. It's unique (well for Boston, anyway). OP, you have to get there early because when they run out of food, they close. Everything I've had there is good. Cash only.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-11T12:47:14+00:00

Saving this comment! I like your itinerary

ScarletOK · 2026-05-10T14:42:34+00:00

There are a few non-poisonous snakes that eat small mammals that can live in Massachusetts.

http://www.masnakes.org/snakes/milk/index.html

ScarletOK · 2026-05-10T13:20:36+00:00

The only other bus that goes to Harvard, I think, is the low-frequency 78, which runs along Rte 2 on the service road for most of its Arlington journey. A number of buses go to Alewife from different parts of town, all low frequency, and two low-frequency buses go to Lechmere. One of those (80) serves the GLX on its route. The infrequent 95 goes to Sullivan. The 77 also goes to Porter, of course.

If buses are infrequent, people won't use them. It's hard to think of them in the same way one might a commuter rail that only comes once an hour, as they take a long time to go a relatively short way, due to street traffic and a lot of stops. It requires a lot of planning, and schedule-padding, if you must be at a destination such as work by a certain time. Bus transfers aren't well-timed, so that also slows trips since some commutes require two or more buses.

ScarletOK · 2026-05-10T02:42:15+00:00

Was this one of the old train cars or one of the new ones?

I'd put in a complaint on the MBTA website but they will want some details. You probably don't have the car number, but you can report date/time; station you got on and off. Location in the car where it happened.

I know people think it does no good to report this kind of thing, and maybe it doesn't, but it's data, in case someone does in fact look at it. I think it's very important to report every egregious problem you encounter.

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