This man was waiting for the bus. He gave me directions to the Meadow Glen Mall.

Mobilities audio2 Mall2(IndianAtBusStop)

A woman and her lawyer were smoking a cigarette and discussing their case outside of the Cambridge District Courthouse. I crossed the street (from the Mystic River Reservation) to ask them for directions to the Wellington T Stop. 

They immediately changed their demeanor and worked together to give me directions. The woman insisted that I cross back over to the other side of the street to walk because "it's the safest."

Mobilities audio3 Wellington Safest

This woman was in a hurry and only stopped to verify that I was going in the right direction to reach the T stop.

Mobilities audio4 Wellington Straight

There weren't many people walking around the Mary O'Malley waterfront park and this man was listening to something in his Ipod when I stopped to ask for directions. He seemed frustrated at first, but was quick to give very specific directions for how to get into East Boston.

He treated me like I was "one of those crazy teenagers" that's got too much time on his hands. 

You can hear from the background noise that this place, right on the water, is much quieter and calmer than Medford or Everett. 

Mobilities audio5 McArdle LRR

These directions came from a gruff, bearded man who was filling his oil tanker in Chelsea. I asked him if it was diesel and he said that it was home-heating oil. 

Even though I gave no indication that I was going to the skate park in East Boston he assumed that I was asking for directions to the McArdle bridge in order to get to the skate park. 

Mobilities audio6 McArdle HeatingOil

As I approached the McArdle Bridge I noticed that there was a long line of cars stopped in the middle of the road. The bridge was going up to allow a large tanker to leave the dock.

I was one of the first pedestrians on the bridge and I approached a middle aged woman who was waiting for the bridge. We engaged in a long conversation (about 20 minutes) as the tug boats slowly brought the tanker out to sea. She was an East Boston native. 

While we were waiting you could see at least three buses were also stuck in the long line of traffic-- she noted that she usually takes the bus back across the bridge, but because of the weather she decided to walk. In the end, walking was faster because she was able to cross the bridge more quickly once the bridge went down.

Most pedestrians stood alone watching the tanker and waiting for the bridge. A few were listening to Ipods and those that were walking in pairs were talking, but the situation did not facilitate new conversations or connections.

A friend of the woman I was talking to did approach her and say hello and they talked for a bit while I listened politely. 

Mobilities audio7 McArdle Crossing

I asked this man how to get to the airport T stop and he gave me directions to the Maverick stop and instructed me to take public transportation.

I decided to follow his directions to the Maverick stop and ask for new walking directions from there because it seemed like the Maverick stop was a popular pedestrian destination (and many bus lines terminate there), but not many people walk to the Airport T stop. 

Mobilities audio8 Mavrick Station

Once at the Maverick T stop I asked for walking instructions to the Airport stop. It isn't a very long walk, but people think that it is because not many people do it. 

Mobilities audio10 Airport doable

These young kids were dressed in baggy pants and baseball caps and looked to be in middle school or early high school. They were skiddish when I approached them, that led me to think that they were either cutting school or weren't used to being approached by strangers. 

Their response was very short and non descriptive-- walk straight. 

Mobilities audio11 Walk Straight

I made it to the Airport T Stop!

I wanted to walk to the terminals, but it is not allowed. You are required to take some sort of motor vehicle (bus, taxi, car, van) to the curb. This is a recording of an airport employee giving me directions to take the free shuttle to the terminals. 

EJSiegel

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