So, last night, I was sitting at my desk writing about Boston stuff when I realized ‘Miles on the MBTA‘ kept on popping up on Twitter, posting videos of his ride through the now closed Government Center Station, pictures of the Emirates Air Red Line advertising, and demanding that construction crews don’t remove a track stub at Packard’s Corner.
I know the T has plenty of fanatics, sure, but Miles, I would come to find out, is a 14-year-old eighth grader from Cambridge, who just might be well-spoken and knowledgeable enough to be a bonafide MBTA reporter.
My own curiosity started the whole thing. It was what forced me to click on a link included in Miles’s tweets that took me to his blog, “Miles on the MBTA,” where he proclaims: “And I’m going to ride all 1,193 of them” – every subway, trolley, and bus stop.
“Bold,” I thought, as I proceeded to click on the “About” tab, where Miles writes:
My name is Miles (hence the name of the blog), and I’m obsessed with the MBTA. That’s pretty much the whole reason I wrote this blog, which reviews MBTA bus routes and train stations. It’s based on (T)he Adventure (which reviews the MBTA), which is based on Metro-Venture (which reviews the Washington Metro). I like playable Google Doodles and cartooning. I don’t like Les Miserables (the movie) and transportation haters.
Naturally, I browsed some more. I found out the blog’s archive dates back to January 2013. This March, though, Miles ramped up his volume of work, posting 24 times (17 posts last December was his previous record).
His recent post, “Random Photos: Train to Dubai,” featured pictures of one Emirates Air Red Line train – I reached out to the T immediately to ask about the ad campaign because of that post. My next email was to Miles, asking if he would be interested in talking about this blog and providing some more information about himself.
“Absolutely, what would you like to know?” he replied. His parents were cool with it, too.
I followed up with a series of questions. And, shortly after 10 p.m., Miles provided answers to all my questions.
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Nate: When did you start your blog? Why?
Miles: I started my blog a little over a year ago. My inspiration was another blog called “(T)he Adventure” (which reviews MBTA bus routes and train stations, like me), which itself was inspired by Metro-Venture, a popular blog that reviewed buses and train stations in Washington D.C. I was originally using the same format as those two, but I made some tweaks to it later to avoid looking too similar.
Where are you from? What else can you tell me about yourself?
I’m actually a 14-year-old eighth grader at [a Cambridge school] where I have lived all of my life. I’ve had a passion for the MBTA since I was little, and I started taking buses for fun with my dad when I was 11 or so. I would also study the large, beat-up system map I had, and now I know the bus system like the back of my hand. I go alone more often than not now, and I always bring my camera – I would never even ride the train without it, since there are always opportunities for “Random Photos” posts for the blog.
What are your plans? Are you really going to “ride all of them?”
I would like to ride every bus route on the MBTA, although those such as the 171, which only runs twice a day at 3 and 4 a.m., will be tricky. It would be amazing to have reviewed every route and every station on the whole system, but I’m not sure how long that would take to achieve. So far, I’ve reviewed almost 40 buses (though I’ve also taken a few that I just haven’t gotten around to reviewing), and nearly 20 stations. I figure I’ll do the buses first, since some may be eliminated. Also, when I take buses, I have to ride them from beginning to end in order to justify a proper review, but stations can be visited at any time.
It looks like you got a firsthand look at the Emirates Air Red Line train. Did you work that out with the T?
The Emirates Air train is already in service. I just took the picture at the last stop when everyone had emptied out.
Did you use the late-night weekend service? If so, what are your thoughts? (Note: I sent my questions before knowing Miles’ age)
I didn’t take the late-night service, but I wish I had. Based on all the pictures I’ve seen, it looked like a blast. I think it’s fantastic, though, both for nightlife and people who have to work late into the night. I’ve heard the MBTA is saying “Use it or lose it,” so I hope the high ridership continues. I’d love to try out the late-night service and possibly film a video for a blog post.
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Related: In honor of April Fools’ Day, I suggest you read Miles’ newest post, “MBTA Unveils New Teleportation Proposal.”
Featured image via Flickr/DogLover3660
