See my recent full review of Boston Under by clicking HERE.
The Film. Boston Under: After Hours is a fabulous film of what happens on the T after it closes business each night. As the oldest subway in North America, aging tracks and equipment hamper this system that carries a combined total of 470 million people every year. To keep it safe so that your morning commute goes off without a hitch, an army of workers descends underneath the streets of Boston at night to battle rats, third rails, flooded tunnels and sometimes the random human being living under our feet. These workers are on the third shift -- that's the night shift -- and they do their work in the dark while we are sleeping. They weld cracked steel, check switches, clean and maintain miles and miles of track. This film is their story, and their story is wonderful. They are our public servants, hardworking, caring, committed. They are the people we don't see, but who make a difference.
To watch a YouTube trailer, click HERE.
Two funny T tidbits.
- The city of Boston uses an abandoned underground T station near Boston City Hall as a storage room for files.
- In 1961, a part of the Tremont Street station was turned into Fallout Shelter (remember those), and is still has canisters filled with dried biscuits and Good 'n Plenty.
One harrowing video.
- Part of the daily life of a T worker is safety. Watch the security camera video of a drunken woman falling onto the tracks as the Orange Line train approaches the station. I think it can be found on YouTube.
Fenway. Fenway is 100, and here are some photos of the venerable park, the true Cathedral of Boston.
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| Welcome to Fenway |
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| Down in front! |
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| Ah, the Bleachers |
Friday the 13th. Happy Friday everyone. Billy Baker in today's Boston Globe Metro section has some very funny factoids about the august day. I quote:
... The last time the Red Sox opened at home on Friday the 13th was in 1984, against the Tigers. The teams combined for a 13-run first inning. The Tigers won 13-9. ...
There are also three Friday the 13ths this year, which happens about every 11 years, and they are 13 weeks apart.
And on and on.