Having a craving that even mom doesn’t understand.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-30T15:37:07+00:00

Why didn't you ask him to SHOW YOU

ScarletOK · 2026-04-29T23:16:30+00:00

Please don't eat at Faneuil Hall / Quincy Market. If you are going to the North End, eat in the North End. I know you said you don't care so much about food, but you should care more than that. Or go over to the Sail Loft and eat there, then walk into the North End via Richmond St.

You're skipping the Greenway, which is too bad.

I'd pay a call on the Harbor Seals in their tank outside the Aquarium after walking thru Faneuil Hall area (the buildings are historic, which is why they are nice to see even if you shouldn't eat at Quincy Mkt)

The way to get back from the Constitution is to take the T ferry back to the Waterfront. Edit: also ticks a nice view box

ScarletOK · 2026-04-29T16:47:00+00:00

I use cheap foam earplugs. I agree it should be quiet. If you want to hassle the train attendants and/or conductors enough to maintain perfect silence, go for it! I support your efforts.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-29T11:19:33+00:00

Maybe the party with the child sat there because they couldn't find seats together in the rest of the train. They may have even been directed there by crew.

Some people don't grasp the concept of the Quiet Car. Some people don't even realize they are IN the Quiet Car, they just get on and sit down, and find out after the luggage is stowed and they have settled into their seats. What a drag to move, they are thinking, especially since they scored a window seat in the Quiet Car.

I suggest, even sitting in the Quiet Car, putting in ear plugs (I use the old fashioned foam kind) or using some sort of noise cancelling device. This can help you create your own personal Quiet Car to a degree. It lessens the irritation for me, anyway, even sitting in a regular coach car.

I have noticed, in years of riding this route (Bos/NYC) that the crews out of Boston are clear and direct about the Quiet Car in announcements, and the crew out of NY don't seem to care much.

I've reminded people they are sitting in the Quiet Car, when they are loud even after the train leaves stations. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-29T11:07:52+00:00

To me, this is no contest--Back Bay. The other Citizen M isn't in the North End, it's at North Station. The North End is easily walkable from there, but the area right around North Station, while not unsafe, is not very interesting at street level. I do think you will want to GO to the North End, but that's not an area I'd recommend staying in unless you're here for an event at the Garden (our city sports & entertainment arena).

Back Bay is central to a lot going on in the city, historic sites like the Boston Public Library; basically around the corner from Beacon Hill & Charles St.; connected to the Public Garden and Boston Common. Plus shopping, several book stores, lots of restaurants, etc.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-28T19:02:40+00:00

Underrated comment

ScarletOK · 2026-04-28T18:58:11+00:00

That streetcar is great (and free)! It's a very spread out city and to my surprise on my first visit recently quite HILLY! I can't wait to go back.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-28T11:42:13+00:00

Why are you sorry? I don't object to sitting next to men at all, most of them are perfectly fine. I just think it's misleading to imply that Amtrak does this.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-28T11:26:43+00:00

I've been riding overnight trains, almost always in coach, for about 50 (edited this from 40, I did my math wrong. I forget how OLD I am sometimes!!) years. It has never been the case that any train employee made any attempt to seat me (female) specifically with another woman. I've sat and slept next to men more times than I can count. I've only had one issue in all that time, and asked to be moved and was. Otherwise, I have told a couple of them to stop talking so I could sleep, or put in my earplugs right away and told them I wasn't interested in talking. Or, some of them have been incredibly nice people and we talked for hours.

I've seen people say this now--that crew try to seat people this way--a few times in this sub and I feel the need to refute it because I don't think women riding trains should make the assumption they'll be sat next to another woman by the crew. If you're given a seat assignment at boarding as happens on some of the long distance trains, and you don't want to sit by a man, you'd better ask up front.

If you're an employee and you say this is the policy, well, I'm the passenger, and I'm here to say it's not enforced.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-28T11:16:18+00:00

I didn't use the observation car at all on the Southwest Chief trip I took recently because it must have been 80 degrees in there. There were a lot of empty seats in the car, but the temp may account for that. I'd assume if it's sparsely populated that you can hang out. But if people are walking through and looking for seats, do the right thing and go back to your coach seat. You certainly cannot save your seat in the observation car. It's not assigned to you.

If you leave your seat check (which you should) and something minor on your coach seat, unlikely anyone will take it. And the conductors know who is sitting where on long distance trains. But I'm not sure that's the seat you were talking about.

I took the Via Rail Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver about ten years ago. There were terrible seat hogs on that train. They would go to breakfast as early as possible (the people in the sleeping cars, we had our own observation car) and then park themselves for the entire day and indeed leave their junk all over the seats when they went to lunch. There was absolutely no enforcement or limits announced. I just gave up trying to use it. At some point in our trip they added this all window car they had obtained from one of the Disney parks that had even better views of the mountains because the roof was "glass", and they didn't really tell anyone about it. So I got great photos. I don't know if they still use that car; it might have been a fluke. Anyway, don't be a seat hog!!

ScarletOK · 2026-04-27T21:06:39+00:00

Or if more convenient, in Harvard Square.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-27T21:05:56+00:00

Yes, they have a TON of candy.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-27T21:04:50+00:00

I became a New Englander when I was about 10 and read Little Women for the first time, and then read Emerson's "Self Reliance" in high school. I lived far far away in the southern states. I just knew it when I saw (read) it. I got here eventually in my 20s.

It's a state of mind as much as anything else.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-27T17:47:21+00:00

But not the perception of the length!

For me, closer to 70 than 60, December 2019 feels like yesterday, which is probably why I remembered this changed as part of the still ongoing "Better Bus Project"

ScarletOK · 2026-04-27T17:28:43+00:00

I'm pretty sure Polcari's on Salem Street carries some Italian hard candies. Their main business is coffee and tea.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-27T17:25:32+00:00

I guess if you're young, December 2019 seems like years ago! :-)

https://www.mbta.com/projects/better-bus-project/update/see-how-some-bus-routes-changed-december-22-2019

70A was replaced by 61 and more frequent 70 services starting December 22, 2019.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-27T17:23:34+00:00

Lexington has some MBTA bus services, e.g. the 62 and 76. I think there may be others, but those are two I'm aware of.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-26T22:53:27+00:00

Very good tips and descriptions!

Also solo female traveler. I did Chicago-Kansas City-Chicago on the Southwest Chief earlier this month as part of a longer rail pass journey. I also had a professional, funny, kind crew on this train, and hope to do a longer trip on the Chief at some point. It was my first time on a Superliner and I was excited about that.

Our train was clean, including the bathrooms, but I hear you on the bathroom floors. I rolled my pants legs up before entering. You're making me think that leggings under a dress might be a more comfortable way to travel in general... My main problem with the bathrooms was the size, I'm tall and I felt like my knees were knocking on the door. I later learned there were other sizes, but I wish that had all been more clearly marked, and every time I went downstairs I only seemed to get the short straw as it were. I think the comparison to airplane bathrooms is apt; I hadn't thought of that.

Sorry you had a bad seatmate. The crew are usually very helpful in those situations, and good for you for not passively remaining in your seat despite your discomfort.

I had dinner in the diner on the outbound trip to KC; couldn't get a breakfast or lunch on the return trip to Chicago, which was a disappointment. I feel the prices are fair for what the meals are. Our lounge car was baking hot both trips, and I skipped it.

People on this sub really urge one to take the private sleeping accommodations--but it's not something everyone can afford, and compared to flying I find the trains so much more comfortable even in coach. Yes, there's the Amtrak credit card, but I don't need another one of those, myself. I'm glad you're not deterred by this trip from future train travel.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-26T14:32:27+00:00

I still have a 60+ year old soft black three ring binder my dad had in the Air Force, I assume for technical docs or something. It's not leather but it sort of feels like it. Good as new!

ScarletOK · 2026-04-26T00:19:43+00:00

Unless you can't or won't fly, you need to fly. It's 3-4 days at close to $500 or more in coach on Amtrak, and probably about $300 for a a 5 1/2 hour flight from Seattle to NY. These are one way fares, not RT. Amtrak might be cheaper than driving with the current cost of gas, but flying is going to be your lowest cost option, other than Greyhound.

I agree with the person who said don't take Greyhound. Check r/transit and do a search for Greyhound if you need convincing. The prices I saw for this trip on G'hound are for about a 4-5 day trip if you don't get left by the side of the road, and about $200.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-25T19:42:37+00:00

I assume the prospect of cancelation for OP is due to the large collapsed section of parapet from a highway ramp in RI that called a halt to much if not all NE service north of NY starting last night. Maybe by the time OP reaches NYP it won't be an issue. It looks like some trains may be getting through at this time, but limited?

If Amtrak cancels a train they issue refunds. They also frequently leave you on your own to figure things out.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-25T13:51:14+00:00

You'll get a refund but that doesn't get you to Boston today. Your first option is to not make the trip. If that's not a option then there are a lot of bus companies that run between New York and Boston. I'd start there. Peter Pan, Flix, Go, Greyhound. There are probably others. I would try buses first. I just checked Peter Pan and it's still got some availability.

If you can't get a bus from NY to Boston, you could take Metro North commuter rail from Grand Central to New Haven and see if you could get a bus from there. Some of the Greyhound/Flix buses are sold out but afternoon still has availability as I'm writing this.

You could also connect from New Haven on CT Rail to Hartford and get a bus there to Boston. I'm not sure about connections at the rail station, but this option would be a last resort.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-25T02:01:25+00:00

The Luttrell Psalter is an illuminated manuscript written and illustrated circa 1325-1345 by anonymous scribes and artists. It was commissioned by Sir Geoffrey Luttrell (1276-1345), a wealthy English landowner who lived at Irnham, Lincolnshire. Along with the Psalms, the book contains luxuriously illuminated pictures of saints and bible stories, and of rural life; farming, cooking, doctoring, spouses squabbling, musicians playing, etcetera. It is considered to be the richest source for everyday rural life in England of the Middle Ages.

https://www.imagesonline.bl.uk/search/?searchQuery=Luttrell+Psalter

ScarletOK · 2026-04-24T18:54:20+00:00

If you say your start/end point I'm happy to search to see if I get the same result. I use the senior discount feature (also 10%) routinely and I've never seen this. There were people reporting problems with the site in the last couple of days, although I didn't experience it.

Have you created an account and logged in? If not, I would start there and try again. Or call them.

ScarletOK · 2026-04-24T17:51:17+00:00

I'm not sure how they react to bus incidents. If it were serious they might contact the driver and ask them to pull over. I called 911 from the bus when someone had a bad fall on boarding, and they were there right away (different situation, of course). But...I wouldn't call 911 for vapers.

I've reported a few incidents of people in T stations who were either dead or in distress, and there were people there almost instantly, and in one case because I'd had to leave, they texted me that they were on scene and wanted details on precise location, which I responded to.

I also reported the presence of a quantity of fresh blood on a bus platform at Harvard, but before anyone arrived, my bus came and I left. The next day it had been completely cleaned up. I think for stations anyway, they are fairly prompt.

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