Staring out the window at approximately 6:22pm on a Saturday night, the city slowly passes by. The lights in the buildings keep flickering on, and soon every structure is glowing with florescent lights.
The train picks up momentum, and advances in speed.
We pass one of the smaller trains that solely run in and right around the Boston area. The people inside were all a variety of ethnic backgrounds, each on their own path towards different destinations.
Some were reading, or had headphones lodged in their ears, drifting into the musical realm. Others were socializing with smiles spread wide across their faces, as if they have been friends for decades.
The graffiti we passed each had its own style, its own way of creativity. I thought about who could have painted these beautiful murals, these masterpieces of names.
Darkening skies made the lights we flew by even brighter, even with the bright lights inside the train challenging visibility to the outside.
I never realized, before today, how much I enjoy trains.
Fascination and curiosity of how they run, and what types has always been in thee back of my mind. There was a store in the town next to mine growing up, that displayed an entire village, equipped with a mountain and several sets of trains traveling around it. There were interacting buttons that would control some of the trains, and other buildings and structures built around the mountain. I would play with that display, watching the trains go round and round for hours, or at least until my parents were finished shopping.
The thrill of "adulting", and going on adventures with yourself or friends is also brilliant.
The train stop closest to me at school is right directly on campus, so transportation is quite easy. Plus the modernization of technology has allowed the process of buying tickets simple too, everything is online.
The first time I rode on a real train, was last month.
I had been on the Redline in Boston before with my mother, but this experience wasn't the same.
Besides getting the arrival time of the train wrong, and having to wait an hour, my mini adventure was quite pleasant.
I was visiting a friend at Suffolk University, and I was to take the train right to South Station.
Nerves crept inside of me as I waited for the train, but luckily the people around me we very understanding. Each of my questions were answered, and I felt more confident with the journey ahead.
As I stepped onto the train, a sigh of relief came over me.
I took the steps to the upper level section, and sat to the left. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of sitting opposite the direction the train was heading. A bit nauseous at first, but all was smoothed out once I kept my focus on the outside of the moving, metal contraption.
The world outside me moved backwards, but it was still stunning to watch.
A new perspective was captured in front of me. I got to experience what the train saw; the middle of the woods, the secret tunnels between houses, and so much more.
The people who hoped on provided entertainment as well.
There were so many interesting faces and stories behind each person. There were couples, mothers with their children, and old men in veteran hats. There was even a girl I used to go to high school with who got on the stop after mine.
Soon enough I was in the center of South Station, embracing my friend who I was visiting in a hug, with my first train ride completed. Quite successfully I might add.
Taking the train is such an easy transportation method, and I love every minute of the process.
There are so many places I can now venture to, new places I can visit and explore. There are new and interesting people I will see in the future, and old faces that I can take with me on all these journeys.
Suggestion to all: take the train once in a while if you can.
Just go somewhere, anywhere.
It is entirely worth it.
