Big Dig 0

Boston is one of my favorite cities.

No, I wouldn’t live there. It gets too cold. But otherwise, it’s a great town.

I remember it before the Big Dig, when the elevated Mass Pike split the city. I remember a cab ride from Somerville to Boston South Station while the Big Dig was under way. We went past the Boston Garden; the east end of the building was gone, and we could see the basketball court and the stands from the Route 1 Bridge. Remembering that always puts me in mind of the Cheers episode (#229) in which the denizens of the bar went to the garden.

Now, the Big Dig won’t go away.

Right now, the governor is returning campaign contributions, even though this governor, for all he is a Republican, really had nothing to do with the Big Dig.

I got to drive through the Big Dig year before last on the way to a training gig in Chelsea, Mass. Fortunately, it wasn’t flooded that night.

I must say, contrary to their reputation of being the worst drivers in the nation (a reputation they jealously promote), Boston drivers are actually rather courteous. Crazy, but courteous.

Even though I was fighting the evening rush hour after dark on a late fall day, someone always allowed me to make my lane changes and no one tailgated me. I’d rather drive in Boston than drive California Highway 17 again.