I don’t have the childhood memories of the Boston area that Jamie Notter has, however Boston does hold a special place in my heart: it was at the 1989 ASAE Annual Meeting in Boston that I walked across the stage at the Hynes Center in recognition of earning my CAE designation. It was also the first time I rode the MTA (now known simply as “the T”). You haven’t been to Boston (nor have you really experienced life) until you’ve ridden the “T”…and that’s just as true today as it was then.
If you’re old enough to have heard the Kingston Trio in their heyday, or happen to be a folk music aficionado, you may have heard a little ditty called “M.T.A.” (from the 1959 album At Large). It tells the tale of Charlie, who’ll “ride forever ‘neath the streets of Boston” simply because he didn’t have the extra nickel a fare increase required. It’s a folk song in the truest sense, protesting a “burdensome tax” on the citizenry. Although back in the day (and I won't say which day!) I often sang that song at guitar-fests with friends, I never really understood it until I rode the MTA myself.
In 1989, my sister Patricia lived in Arlington, a Boston suburb, and both to visit her and save some money I stayed with her during the convention. To this day, Patty (who now lives in Framingham, another suburb) will not drive her car into downtown Boston unless it’s a do-or-die emergency (Ever driven in Boston? You’ll understand her sentiments). The only condition for my staying with her was that I had to get to the Hynes Center on my own – and the only way to do that conveniently was via the “T”. The day I arrived at her home, she explained that riding the “T” was a little complicated if you weren’t familiar with it, so she was going to show me the route. Together, we took the subway from near her home to the Hynes Center and back. I’ll never forget my shock (nor my sister's dismay) at my nearly getting on the wrong train simply because I was standing on the wrong part of the same platform! Each day I rode to the convention, I was afraid I’d end up forever ‘neath the streets of Boston. Each day, I somehow managed to get it right …and, gosh darn it, never once ran into Charlie.
Ride the “T” just once when you’re in Boston…I dare ya. Let me know if you see Charlie.