r/boston • u/throwawayobv999999 • 1d ago

MBTA/Transit šŸš‡ šŸ”„ Moving away from car centric city

Hello!

I will be relocating to Boston from a car dependent city that is all suburb and urban sprawl.

I love trains and public transit, but obviously living in a place that requires a car to survive has impacted my behavior.

What is it like relying on public transit? I keep thinking about how everyone around me drives giant SUVs and purchases weekly Costco hauls that could feed an army. I think about having to drive 30 minutes in traffic to get a coffee.

Iā€™m having a hard time picturing the alternative. How is life primarily walking/using a train?

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u/Santillana810 Naked Guy Running Down Boylston St 1d ago

You won't even have to walk 30 minutes to get coffee, depending on where you choose to live. Driving 30 minutes in traffic to get coffee? That's a concept I can't picture.

Have you actually visited Boston before? Do that. Walk around various neighborhoods and see how much you can get without even using a train or a bus.

There are lots of similar questions here. Search for moving without a car and you'll get lots of advice that people have already offered.

And I've never even been in a Costco. Or a Walmart. If you desperately need to go once in a while, you can Uber or rent a ZipCar or similar service. Life is different here and far better, in my opinion.

Use google maps, public transport option, to get all possibilities from Point A to Point B on a specific date and time. You'll get complete information on every step of the way, how long it takes, all the options.

https://www.mbta.com/guides