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Moronic MBTA trip planner

By adamg on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 10:19am

The Italia Unita festival in East Boston sounds like fun (especially the Italian-sausage eating contest), so I want to head over there today.

Only problem: Not counting the airport, I've never spent much time in Eastie (I know, I suck), so I have no clue how to get to Central Square (which I learn from Wikipedia is the intersection of Bennington and Meridian streets). Naturally, I go to the MBTA trip planner and enter Forest Hills station as my starting point and "Central Square, East Boston" as my destination.

The T gives me an itinerary that sends me up to Wellington station to catch a bus to Central Avenue in Chelsea.

OK, so I change my destination to "Bennington St, East Boston." Now the planner gives me a bunch of options, including "Central Square (east Boston), E Boston". Who in their right mind would type that to find directions? But whatever, I select it. And am then given a whole new set of options - listing destinations from Chelmsford to Worcester, but nothing in East Boston! Stupid trip planner.

So I go to Google Maps, enter "Bennington St. and Meridian St.," see the square is a few blocks away from Maverick station and know how to get there.

Topics: 
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Comments

By cynical on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 10:48am.

Glad you finally got that figured out! I hope you have a great time at the festival and I can hardly wait to hear your impressions -- although I know it couldn't possibly be as good this year as it was when the Village People performed there two years ago. (Yes, THOSE Village People.) Now THAT was a party. Seriously.

By tape on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 7:38pm.

the MBTA used to still have the trip planner from the old version of the site available at trip.mbta.com, and it didn't give you bizarrely insane directions.

they must have noticed a lot of people still using it (I always used it), because trip.mbta.com now just redirects to the new "rider tools" page.

GAH.

By Lyss on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 8:55pm.

The Orange Line is all screwed up today because they're doing some maintenance. That might've made things worse. It sure confused a lot of T riders earlier who needed to go past Downtown Crossing.

By Caroline on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 9:03pm.

Oh, boy - when are we going to hear all the details about the sausage-eating? I hope you made it out there!

By adamg on Sun, 07/22/2007 - 12:08pm.

Well, except the part about the vomit containers (since nobody needed them, but yes, there was one for each contestant).

By adamg on Sat, 07/21/2007 - 10:15pm.

But unlike with past Orange Line disruptions, they had plenty of workers around to tell you how to get from Downtown Crossing to points north. Still, coming back, I admit I spent an extra $1.70. Rather than taking the Blue Line to Government Center, then the Green Line to Park Street, then walking that long tunnel to Downtown Crossing, I just got off at State and walked over to Downtown Crossing.

Now to start processing the 220 or so photos (run amok, did we?) and two videos from the Italian festival - and write up something about the sausage competition (and, urp, Sly Stallone's rocker brother).

By Lyss on Sun, 07/22/2007 - 11:41am.

So, did Stallone live up to expectations?

By adamg on Sun, 07/22/2007 - 11:58am.

Given that I had none, yes, he lived up to my expectations. :-). He seemed a competent enough lounge-type rocker, but, yeah, I think the Village People would've been cooler. But people seemed to be having fun, so it was good.

I left as he launched into a "blues" song. Just before I got to the T stop, some guy asked which way the festival was and whether he'd missed all the performers, like Frank Stallone. No, I told him, Stallone only started playing about 10 minutes ago.

"What about Big Pussy?" he asked.

I stared quizzically. Had I somehow missed the porn booth? "From the Sopranos," he explained. Oh, right! "No, I didn't see him," which seemed to make him hopeful, so he set off down Meridian.