My Adventure on the Orange Line Shuttle

First let me make this perfectly clear –– this is not an MBTA-bashing article. I’ve done enough of that in the past, as has everyone else.

This past Thursday, I had occasion to go into downtown Boston. I went to see Miss Diana Ross – – yes, The Diana Ross – – at the Wang theater. I figured my best bet to get into Boston would be to take the Orange Line shuttle.

I got to Malden Center about 6:00 and there was a shuttle waiting to go into town. The ambassadors who are there to direct the passengers were incredibly helpful and friendly. A few of us got on the shuttle and we were on our way.

Things were pretty smooth sailing through Wellington, Assembly, and Sullivan. It was after Sullivan that things got hairy. Well hairy maybe isn’t the best word perhaps a better word would be S L O O O O O W. There were three concerts in town, including one at the TD Garden. Plus rush hour. Plus some people had trouble understanding the signs "Bus Only."

It took us about 45 minutes to get from Sullivan to Community College to North Station. The bus moved, then stopped and waited, then moved a little more. Very little more.

It was during this part of the journey that I texted my friend and told her that if I didn’t arrive by 7:15 that I would meet her in our seats. (Thank goodness for electronic tickets!)

We got to North Station about 7:15. The concert was scheduled to start at 7:30, and I was hoping that there would be an opening act or that Miss Ross would not be on stage till about 8 PM. (No criticism intended; in my past experiences, 7:30 concerts usually didn’t begin much before eight.)

After North Station, the traffic moved pretty well. The final stop was Haymarket / Government Center, and I walked the rest of the way to the Wang Theater in record time. I got to the Wang at about 7:35. Yes, there was an opening act, Diana’s daughter Rhonda, who hads a pretty decent set of vocals herself. (Her father is Motown founder Berry Gordy.)

I found my friend at the concert merchandise counter. We made our way to our seats and settled in for what turned out to be a great show. Miss Ross is still in great voice. And she looks fabulous. Maybe a few extra pounds, but I always thought she was too thin before.

All in all, I am very satisfied with the shuttle ride. (Oh, did I mention that it is FREE.)

However, I am reminded of what someone once said of the MBTA: “The MBTA is the best way to get from Point A to point B … as long as you’re not in a hurry to get there."

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