2004-06-26 - 12:27 p.m.

I didn�t know it at the time, but when I rode the green line from Lechmere to Government Center to get to work yesterday, it would be the last time I�d ever ride the elevated Green Line, which is one of my favorite things about Boston--that we have a little �El� and I get to ride it every day.

As compensation for my loss, I get to either walk the route, take a much more time consuming trip on the Red to Downtown and walk, or take a shuttle from Lechmere down a congested route that will supposedly take fifteen minutes but which I know will probably be much, much longer. I get to do this every day of my life for what should take a year, but which I know will probably be much, much longer.

When it�s done, I get to take the train underground as opposed to through the nice elevated route where through the windows I can see the busy street life underneath. The train is also supposed to be extended to go through Somerville to Medford, which means that a million people who have been to Somerville maybe twice to see Davis and then left it alone will all of a sudden have regular train access. College kids will start flocking to my Somerville, driving up the rents and imposing their own stupid agenda on a town that�s been allowed to be unique since it was incorporated (probably because of its lack of train access), ruining everything.

In case you can�t tell, I�m not very happy about this.