I recently got an Android phone and one of the applications I've been playing around with is call My Tracks. It uses the phone's GPS to record a trip for you, capturing speed, distance, and elevation gain. Here is the result from a typical morning commute taking train 453, the 7:27 outbound from North Station.
View Porter To South Acton in a larger map
If you click on the marker at the end of the route (left side of the map), it displays the distance and speed data from the trip and shows a graph of elevation (you may want to open the map first in a larger window). On my phone there is also a nice chart showing speed plotted against distance, which clearly shows each of the stops my train makes on its way out to South Acton. Hopefully I can figure out a way to get this displayed in the future.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
MBTA Makes Boston Traffic More Bearable
The Texas Transportation Institute recently released its annual report ranking 439 urban areas according to the amount of time lost by residents stuck in traffic during their commute. Boston ended up tied with Dallas-Fort Worth for 7th worst traffic in the US. The average commuter lost 48 hours in 2009 to congestion. The Boston Globe ran an article last Sunday that highlights the fact that without the T, things would be much worse. Having a significant portion of commuters riding public transit led to a savings of 32.9 million hours, or about 8 hours per person for the year. Nationally, the MBTA ranked 5th in terms of hours saved.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Christopher's
Christopher's Restaurant & Bar - 1920 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge (Porter)
Happy New Year! One of my goals is to be more regular with my posting, but first I'll have to catch up on last year. I am also making an effort to more fully explore my new neighborhood of Porter Square so here is the first of several posts to come for this area.
I went there with my roommate Jay for dinner one night last month. I don't know why, but I went in expecting a nondescript, somewhat stuffy restaurant with outdated furnishings and menu. Instead, I found the makings of a good neighborhood hangout. There is a bar that wraps around most of the middle of the restaurant and the atmosphere was fairly lively. The menu is classic American with an emphasis on their burgers and enough flair to make it interesting. Like many places in Porter, the prices are very reasonable so it will be easy to go back.
Happy New Year! One of my goals is to be more regular with my posting, but first I'll have to catch up on last year. I am also making an effort to more fully explore my new neighborhood of Porter Square so here is the first of several posts to come for this area.
I went there with my roommate Jay for dinner one night last month. I don't know why, but I went in expecting a nondescript, somewhat stuffy restaurant with outdated furnishings and menu. Instead, I found the makings of a good neighborhood hangout. There is a bar that wraps around most of the middle of the restaurant and the atmosphere was fairly lively. The menu is classic American with an emphasis on their burgers and enough flair to make it interesting. Like many places in Porter, the prices are very reasonable so it will be easy to go back.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Numbers Behind the Tax Cut Compromise
The Sunday Globe ran an article in the Money & Careers section about how the Obama compromise on extending the Bush era tax cuts will affect families of different income levels.
Check out the full article: http://www.boston.com/business/taxes/gallery/taxdealbythenumbers/
Here's some telling data:
Population Segment by Income Savings (as % of Income)
Bottom 20% $3,342 (10%)
Middle $3,246 (4.3%)
Top 20% $6,538 (4.5%)
Top 1% $6,788 (1.5%)
Top 0.1% $92,658 (4.5%)
As you can see, these tax cuts aren't exactly progressive with the super rich getting a better deal than the middle or upper middle class. This comes at a time when income inequality in the US, which has been growing for the past 40+ years and has especially accelerated since the mid-1980s, is reaching an all time high. There's a lot of debate about the role the income disparity plays in the US, but in general countries that have a better education system than the US, or rate higher on health indicators, or have lower crime rates also have a more equal distribution of wealth and income. The US' inequality is about the highest in the developed world.
The argument for extending the tax cuts is that raising taxes right now would halt any economic growth that we're seeing. That is essentially true, economists agree that this compromise will help spur economic growth. However, most of that growth and job creation will come from the extension of unemployment benefits and the reduction in the payroll tax, not the continued income tax cuts. Additionally, there is a vocal group of Americans and legislators who feel that reducing the impending deficit should be our #1 priority. Extending tax cuts doesn't do this. Letting the tax cuts expire on earnings over $250,000, $500,000 or even $1 million would have been a reasonable way to let most of Americans continue to have money to spend and put back into the economy while using excess discretionary earnings to bring the budget into balance. There need to be additional tax brackets above $250,000 to account for the incredible income growth and disparity that has occurred at the top end of the income scale. There is always a lot of populist anger when people see sports stars or Wall Street bankers walking away with million and billion dollar salaries and bonuses. It would be nice to see some anger directed towards the broken system that protects them and allows our economic growth to walk away without benefiting the vast majority of Americans for whom that growth has been so elusive.
[Additional source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_inequality_in_the_United_States]
Check out the full article: http://www.boston.com/business/taxes/gallery/taxdealbythenumbers/
Here's some telling data:
Population Segment by Income Savings (as % of Income)
Bottom 20% $3,342 (10%)
Middle $3,246 (4.3%)
Top 20% $6,538 (4.5%)
Top 1% $6,788 (1.5%)
Top 0.1% $92,658 (4.5%)
As you can see, these tax cuts aren't exactly progressive with the super rich getting a better deal than the middle or upper middle class. This comes at a time when income inequality in the US, which has been growing for the past 40+ years and has especially accelerated since the mid-1980s, is reaching an all time high. There's a lot of debate about the role the income disparity plays in the US, but in general countries that have a better education system than the US, or rate higher on health indicators, or have lower crime rates also have a more equal distribution of wealth and income. The US' inequality is about the highest in the developed world.
The argument for extending the tax cuts is that raising taxes right now would halt any economic growth that we're seeing. That is essentially true, economists agree that this compromise will help spur economic growth. However, most of that growth and job creation will come from the extension of unemployment benefits and the reduction in the payroll tax, not the continued income tax cuts. Additionally, there is a vocal group of Americans and legislators who feel that reducing the impending deficit should be our #1 priority. Extending tax cuts doesn't do this. Letting the tax cuts expire on earnings over $250,000, $500,000 or even $1 million would have been a reasonable way to let most of Americans continue to have money to spend and put back into the economy while using excess discretionary earnings to bring the budget into balance. There need to be additional tax brackets above $250,000 to account for the incredible income growth and disparity that has occurred at the top end of the income scale. There is always a lot of populist anger when people see sports stars or Wall Street bankers walking away with million and billion dollar salaries and bonuses. It would be nice to see some anger directed towards the broken system that protects them and allows our economic growth to walk away without benefiting the vast majority of Americans for whom that growth has been so elusive.
[Additional source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_inequality_in_the_United_States]
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Upstairs on the Square
Upstairs on the Square - 91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge (Harvard)
This fall (this post is really old), thanks to Gilt City and my friend Laura, I had an opportunity to try out the 5 course tasting menu with wine at Upstairs on the Square, a pretty swanky place in Harvard Square, with Ann and Laura's friend Dan. I didn't really know what to expect coming in, other than the excessive amounts of pink and stripes used in the dining room decor were not to my liking.
Upon arrival, my concerns about the decor were found to be mostly true, though not as bad as feared. However, things became immediately better when we were presented with the menu.
Let's just say it was a very enjoyable meal. The wine pairings were all good, though I'd say the wine that stood out the most for me was the Sauvignon Blanc. It was probably the best one I've ever had, though that could have had something to do with the fact that our server told us it was a limited edition run that this guy makes only in certain years.
The Heirloom Salad was good, especially the goat cheese, although sometimes the tomatoes were a bit overpowering for me. Same for the Spaghetti au Caviar, although it was good just to have a small portion because it was kind of creamy and that would have become too much if we had tried to eat a whole entree of it. The Salmon was probably the consensus top entree pick out of the group. Here is a dish we wish they didn't have a small portion for. The Salmon itself was great and then the root vegetables and apples were a perfect compliment with a kick from the mustard and horseradish. It was especially nice for fall. The Chicken was also great, although I would say the portion was even more noticeably undersized. I was mostly surprised at how much I enjoyed the spaetzle. At this point in the evening, we were all feeling pretty good from the wine and had been truly enjoying the assortment of fine foods presented to us. I do not think we were prepared for what happened next. The Churros y Chocolat is probably the best dessert I have ever had. Ever. They were perfectly fried and sugary and cinnamon-y and you could dip them in molten dark chocolate. Pairing it with cinnamon ice cream just completed the perfection! Needless to say, we all left on a happy note.
Doing the tasting menu at Upstairs on the Square was certainly an enjoyable experience. The food was very well conceived and prepared, leading to the results described above. It was different enough to be exciting, but familiar enough to be enjoyed. Our server was very friendly and we had a good time, though there were a couple of overly long delays between courses. My biggest knocks on the place are the prices and the atmosphere. It's certainly worth the extra cost for a special occasion based on the food, but the dining room was a little off and also had too much of a stuffy, formal feel for me to make it a top choice.
This fall (this post is really old), thanks to Gilt City and my friend Laura, I had an opportunity to try out the 5 course tasting menu with wine at Upstairs on the Square, a pretty swanky place in Harvard Square, with Ann and Laura's friend Dan. I didn't really know what to expect coming in, other than the excessive amounts of pink and stripes used in the dining room decor were not to my liking.
Upon arrival, my concerns about the decor were found to be mostly true, though not as bad as feared. However, things became immediately better when we were presented with the menu.
The Heirloom Salad was good, especially the goat cheese, although sometimes the tomatoes were a bit overpowering for me. Same for the Spaghetti au Caviar, although it was good just to have a small portion because it was kind of creamy and that would have become too much if we had tried to eat a whole entree of it. The Salmon was probably the consensus top entree pick out of the group. Here is a dish we wish they didn't have a small portion for. The Salmon itself was great and then the root vegetables and apples were a perfect compliment with a kick from the mustard and horseradish. It was especially nice for fall. The Chicken was also great, although I would say the portion was even more noticeably undersized. I was mostly surprised at how much I enjoyed the spaetzle. At this point in the evening, we were all feeling pretty good from the wine and had been truly enjoying the assortment of fine foods presented to us. I do not think we were prepared for what happened next. The Churros y Chocolat is probably the best dessert I have ever had. Ever. They were perfectly fried and sugary and cinnamon-y and you could dip them in molten dark chocolate. Pairing it with cinnamon ice cream just completed the perfection! Needless to say, we all left on a happy note.
Doing the tasting menu at Upstairs on the Square was certainly an enjoyable experience. The food was very well conceived and prepared, leading to the results described above. It was different enough to be exciting, but familiar enough to be enjoyed. Our server was very friendly and we had a good time, though there were a couple of overly long delays between courses. My biggest knocks on the place are the prices and the atmosphere. It's certainly worth the extra cost for a special occasion based on the food, but the dining room was a little off and also had too much of a stuffy, formal feel for me to make it a top choice.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tremont 647
Tremont 647 - 647 Tremont St, South End (Back Bay)
Ann was in town last week so we took an opportunity to use a Groupon and visit Tremont 647 in the South End. It was my first time at the restaurant and it's a place I've been meaning to try since I've been by it so many times going to restaurants in that area.
I was not overwhelmed by the decor. It's a small restaurant with more of a laid back, neighborhood feel. It was pretty empty when we got in at 6:30, but quickly filled up.
It has a pretty wide ranging menu so it's hard to describe the cuisine other than American. I think it goes for more of a Southwest feel, but I'm not sure. For the meal, I ordered the crab and shrimp risotto, which was a special, and Ann got the pork chop. I enjoyed my dish but Ann's was a little dry. Overall, I would say the food is pretty good but it wouldn't be my first choice to head back to with so many good restaurants at similar prices in that area. Apparently they do have a $2 taco Tuesdays thing, so that might be worth checking out some time...
Ann was in town last week so we took an opportunity to use a Groupon and visit Tremont 647 in the South End. It was my first time at the restaurant and it's a place I've been meaning to try since I've been by it so many times going to restaurants in that area.
I was not overwhelmed by the decor. It's a small restaurant with more of a laid back, neighborhood feel. It was pretty empty when we got in at 6:30, but quickly filled up.
It has a pretty wide ranging menu so it's hard to describe the cuisine other than American. I think it goes for more of a Southwest feel, but I'm not sure. For the meal, I ordered the crab and shrimp risotto, which was a special, and Ann got the pork chop. I enjoyed my dish but Ann's was a little dry. Overall, I would say the food is pretty good but it wouldn't be my first choice to head back to with so many good restaurants at similar prices in that area. Apparently they do have a $2 taco Tuesdays thing, so that might be worth checking out some time...
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Double Decker Cars on the Fitchburg Line!
Yesterday I got to the train station after work and was greeted by something I had never seen before: a bi-level car at the front of my train! Up until now, the double decker cars had only been used on the South Station lines. I had read about new bi-level cars the T had ordered in the Globe the week before and that they would start using some of the double deckers on North lines soon. It was still neat to see it, though. The best feature is that in the middle of these cars, there is a table where the two sets of seats come together. It's perfect for a laptop or just hanging out with friends and since I get on the first station inbound in the evenings, I can always grab it. The downside so far has been the fact that the wifi doesn't appear to work on the car we have received from the T. In any event, it is good to see. It will allow for less crowding on the rush hour trains.
Here's the article where they talk about the new cars the T has ordered:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)