Yeah I suppose opportunity cost killed it in that spot, oh well. Wish we'd get something similar in JP -- we sort of lack a happy medium in that niche.

Awfully generous adding the “re” there

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My “when in doubt” is to use neutral. Didn’t know the clutch could put it into neutral too?

The hill thing is so true!

When learning OP, just listen to the engine, as it helps you know when to shift up or down. I liked to shift down as a way to slow speed without brakes (not a screeching halt, but a gradual slow down).

Haven’t driven stick in a long time, but I think it’s a good skill to have.

Hopefully the MBTA Communities law results in some construction that provides that housing (and for the rest of eastern MA as well).

At least after years of working on it the parking garage now has some temporary lights hanging at the ramp! Totally worth it!

Two of my friends live in the Fenway area with an 18-month-old. His stroller is collapsible and has a car seat that comes out of it. They take the train nearly everywhere and only take Zipcars when visiting family out of town really. They also bike with him and walk with him to appointments and daycare. Hell, my friend walked to the hospital to have him last summer.

They often carry the stroller up and down stairs at stations without working elevators (I've helped before). They specifically have a stroller that is rather light. I believe they are planning to get an ebike eventually when he's big enough to sit in the back bike seat. It's super doable, but they are also very patient with a non-fussy baby. They are an active, healthy couple who are able to do things like carry the stroller up and down staircases and walk 20/30 minutes to daycare. I think it's doable if you are already used to commuting (neither of them have a car, nor want to own one in the city). The Fenway area is also well-connected, and everything they need is within a 30 minute walk. If they weren't so centrally located, it may be a different story.

I think the change was underway before the pandemic but a major loss nonetheless. I can see how the margins would be higher on the taco bar, especially in a younger demographic area, but it was so nice to have an upscale "adult" bar there. My go-to first date for years 😅

We could only be so lucky if they rebuilt Alewife. We're not that ambitious anymore.

Old stations are generally exempt from ADA regulation because they predate the rules. However, when stations receive significant upgrades, they become subject to accessibility laws.

MBTA has really gone above and beyond what the law requires in terms of supporting accessibility. Whether what they've done and continue to do is morally adequate is a debate I'm not going to wade into.

That was exactly my experience on the express bus. If I had an early meeting I’d have to wake up at the crack of dawn to make sure I was in on time.

An express/HOV lane on the Pike and removing a couple closely spaced stops in Waltham/Newton could revolutionize those 500 buses and actually make that commute attractive.

The owners of the Gaff still have The Indo in Beverly if you still want to support them.

Too bad the Gaff isn't there anymore- I lived in Waltham in when it opened and that was a good spot. Deep Ellum is definitely a good replacement though.

Not close to Newton at all, but Skip Barber Racing School offers advanced ‘normal’ driving courses along with other skills. They have many schools at racetracks around the country.

Skip Barber

I also lived there without a car for a year in my late 20's. Absolutely loved it. The grocery store, Moody St, even my Vet, were all within a 5-10 minute walk. But yeah, the one thing that killed it for me was commuting downtown and back everyday.

The express bus could easily be over an hour+ long and worse in the winter, and even though I lived by the commuter rail, I'd either have a pretty long walk or an extra leg on the Green line to get to my office.

Imo, opening Moody St to outdoor dining in the summer would go a LONG way towards that. The last couple of summers it's made Waltham feel like a place to be. They're still deliberating about whether to do it again this summer and I hope enough folks turn out in support of it.

I tend to agree on the commute into the city being shitty, and I still use my car for grocery shopping and such, but depending on where in the city you're going it can actually be really doable without a car. Mine sucks because I commute to somewhere that's not very transit-accessible, so I have to drive, but a commute to Cambridge is reasonable on the commuter rail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hreN9fNQhMI

The original closing was such a huge pandemic loss. Such a great friend meetup/date night spot. That place was the definition of a thriving restaurant, ironic that so many lesser restaurants weathered the storm.

I guess now I have a reason to want to go to Waltham...

Waltham is a couple infill apartment buildings away from being a popular spot for people in their 20s. Lived their for a year and while I couldn’t bear the commute into the city, it was impressive how little I used a car.

It’s got the colleges, the restaurants and bars and commute not bad to 128. Just needs that bit extra density of people to make it feel alive past 8pm.

They’re right

Looks great- will definitely be checking this place out!

Went there yesterday -- they were crowded on a Sunday at 4 so the neighborhood has taken to them (both a mix of old Gaff regulars who are loyal to the space and folks who remember Deep Ellum). Feels like Deep Ellum from the beer list to the food to the ceiling fans to the layout. Good to have them back.

Yeah that’s why nobody drives there anymore

I grew up in Australia and learned to drive there. If you take the test in an automatic transmission car, your driver's license literally says so and it's against the law for you to drive a manual transmission. Peer pressure means that basically no one gets the "auto only" license.

When I moved here, it always seemed strange that you could get a license that covers driving manuals and autos when some people have literally never driven a manual transmission car.