November 16, 2025
I'm a big fan of exploring public transportation systems and am on a quest to visit as many MBTA subway and commuter rail stops (or lines) as possible. I'm counting a visit as any time I exited the station after riding the line. My goal is to do something meaningful at/near/around each stop, rather than visiting just for the sake of visiting. This blog post will serve as a live record of my progress.
Alewife. I took the Red Line here one weekend to bike around Fresh Pond, clear my mind, and enjoy the fresh air.
Davis. For a few months last year and over the summer, I took West Coast Swing classes at The Dancing Fools every Wednesday night. I would take the Red Line from Kendall and then walk a few minutes to the studio.
Porter. I have some extended family members who live in Porter Square, so I've taken the Red Line a few times to visit them. Also, one Wednesday evening I had some extra time before dance class and decided to exit a stop early to have dinner at Soup Shack.
Harvard. I've taken the subway to visit the university at least once, but when I meet friends for lunch I usually take a Blue Bike from campus.
Central. This is often the most convenient way to get home.
Kendall/MIT. When I'm headed to campus instead of my apartment, sometimes it's more convenient to exit here, especially since I can head into Building E25 and take the tunnels wherever I need to go. I've done this at least once to retrieve my backpack from my office.
Charles/MGH. I've taken the Red Line here at least twice: once to get dinner with a friend and once to reach the apartment of someone who offered me a ride to a Hindustani music event in the suburbs.
Park Street. I think I've taken the Red Line here at least once to visit the Garden/Common.
Downtown Crossing. I think I've exited the Red Line here at least once, probably to walk around the downtown area.
South Station. I've taken the Red Line here to catch the commuter rail and possibly to catch the SL1 to the airport.
JFK/UMass. My Diwalloween caterer offered to let me try the food before my event, so I went to their storefront (which was within walking distance of the stop) the previous Friday. The day after writing the initial post, another friend and I returned to this stop to check out the JFK Presidential Library at UMass Boston, which was an overall remarkable experience.
Ashmont. Technically, I exited to transfer to the Mattapan Trolley. I think this counts, but I'd love to come back and find something more deliberate to do.
Kenmore. I took the Green Line to Kenmore to visit a vegan ice cream shop called FoMU and once more recently to reach Lansdowne to catch the commuter rail to Natick. I think I also took it to the Red Sox game on Patriots Day 2008.
Symphony. I think I've taken the Green Line to attend a BSO concert.
Boylston, Copley, Arlington, etc. I'm sure I've exited at each of these stops during previous visits but I don't remember exactly why. I'll fill in the rest of the Green Line as I remember/visit new stops.
Roxbury Crossing. My parents and I took the Orange Line here to visit the Boston Veg Food Fest at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center earlier this year.
Forest Hills. There was a highly-rated (4.8/5) restaurant called Brassica right across from the stop, so I decided to go for dinner with a friend as I had been passively seeking to visit the southern Orange Line terminus for a while. (The restaurant was fantastic and worth revisiting.) They were doing routine weekend trackwork past Back Bay (I should have known this from the weekly MBTA Service Alert email), so we technically had to exit at Forest Hills and take the shuttle bus from Back Bay. But I feel like this should count for Forest Hills rather than Back Bay.
Massachusetts Avenue. I once took the Orange Line here to attend a Celebrity Series concert at Jordan Hall.
Haymarket. I think I took the Orange Line here to purchase new skis and boots from The Ski Monster. I returned via Blue Bike the next day to pick up my skis before the store closed, and it was miserable because I forgot to wear gloves, so my hands were freezing while biking/trying to click buttons on my phone to find a bike rack.
Maverick. One time I lost my wallet on the Red Line. Luckily, someone picked it up and called my parents, whose contact info was written on a piece of paper inside. I went with a friend to Maverick station to pick it up and ended up exiting/re-entering the station for the pickup. I think this counts.
Foxboro. My dad and I took the Event Train to/from Foxboro to watch a Patriots game last year.
Providence. I've taken the commuter rail a couple times to Providence for weekend trips with friends and for trips that I organized through the MIT Graduate Student Council.
Natick Center. I started taking Hindustani vocal lessons this summer, and my teacher lives in Natick, so I often take the commuter rail on the weekends to/from Natick Center and he drives me to/from his house.
West Natick. One or two times it was more convenient for my teacher to pick me up from West Natick.
Lansdowne. I usually bike to Lansdowne to catch the commuter rail to Natick and then walk from Lansdowne to my apartment on the way back.
Back Bay. One time after singing class, I wanted to eat dinner, and the Life Alive in Back Bay was a convenient (and tasty) option.
Needham Center. After eating dinner, I was a bit bored. I looked up the Back Bay commuter rail timetable and saw that the train to Needham was departing soon and that it would return soon after. I took the train to Needham Center, visited an ice cream shop, and then caught the same train nineteen minutes later on its way back to South Station. I thought the downtown was cute and would love to return and explore again.
Lowell. I went on a solo day trip and took the commuter rail both ways. I explored the mills, visited a quilt museum, and worked in a random cafe near the train station for the rest of the day.
Worcester. I organized a MIT Graduate Student Council trip to watch the WooSox over the summer, and we took the commuter rail both ways.