100 Things to Do Before You Graduate
53. Take the Commuter Rail into Boston
For my “100 Things to do before you Graduate” assignment, I chose to take the commuter rail into Boston. It was my sister’s birthday, so I decided to meet her and my mom at the Prudential building because she wanted to have lunch at the Top of the Hub. After donning my fanciest clothes, I was faced with the problem of getting myself to the train depot. I needed to leave before the shuttle buses started their downtown loop, so I decided on a taxi. I’ve never been a fan of phone calls, and the dispatcher’s rudeness and attitude only exacerbated my nervousness. I hung up.
So a taxi was out of the question. Now what? I texted my mom, hoping she would have an answer. She told me about an app called Uber, where I could solicit a chauffeur via text—no phone calls involved. Perfect. Within minutes, a sweet man named Brian pulled up in front of Peabody Hall. He greeted me like a long-time acquaintance and said he remembered driving me before. I’d never seen him before in my life. I awkwardly played along because it seemed easier than correcting him. “Oh yeah, good to see you again,” I said with a smile. We chatted a bit on the way and after a pleasant 15 minutes, we turned into the drop-off area at the depot. The payment was taken care of through the app, so after bidding Brian farewell, I made my way to a nearby bench to wait for the train.
I still needed to buy a ticket. This, however, I was prepared for. I had already downloaded an app called mTicket, where I could buy a ticket for the commuter rail without waiting in any lines or talking to people. A few taps and seven dollars later, I was ready to board. How did anyone travel before smart phones?
I still had about fifteen minutes before the train was supposed to arrive. The wind and cold were a harsh reminder of the many weeks to go before winter gave way into spring. My feet, which had carelessly trodden through a puddle earlier, were beginning to go numb, so I felt a recondite pleasure when I heard the tell-tale horn that announced the train’s arrival.
The train ride itself was, unsurprisingly, uneventful. I dozed off for a while and before I knew it, we were already in Boston. I made my way through North Station, dodging other commuters on my way outside where my mom was waiting to pick me up. Before I could reach the door, however, I was confronted by a man with a cup asking for spare change. His eyes locked with mine and he beckoned me over. Oh boy. I had some coins in my coat pocket, which I dropped in the cup, but he grabbed my arm before I could scurry away. “Hey, thanks man.” His words were slurred.
“No problem,” I said. His hand was still on my arm. I have an unfortunate tendency to smile when I’m uncomfortable, so he must’ve taken my idiotic grin as an invitation to continue.
“Where you from?” he asked. I reluctantly entered into a conversation with him. He was also from Cape Cod. I told him I went to school in Salem, and he told me that Salem is full of weirdos. After I responded to a few more casual questions, he pulled me in for a hug. “You got some kinda aura about you, man,” he told me. I thanked him and he offered me the cup again. I rooted around in my pockets for a few more coins and dropped them in.
With a toothless smile, he reached up and started rubbing my ear. I was extremely grateful when another man interrupted us. The new man appeared to be a friend of the guy whose hand was still grasping my ear. He finally took his hand away and looked at me excitedly. “We about to smoke a doobie, you wanna join?” I politely declined. “Ok. Thanks again,” he said before finally leaving me be. Quicker now, I speed-walked towards the exit and, at least, escaped into my mom’s car.
So a taxi was out of the question. Now what? I texted my mom, hoping she would have an answer. She told me about an app called Uber, where I could solicit a chauffeur via text—no phone calls involved. Perfect. Within minutes, a sweet man named Brian pulled up in front of Peabody Hall. He greeted me like a long-time acquaintance and said he remembered driving me before. I’d never seen him before in my life. I awkwardly played along because it seemed easier than correcting him. “Oh yeah, good to see you again,” I said with a smile. We chatted a bit on the way and after a pleasant 15 minutes, we turned into the drop-off area at the depot. The payment was taken care of through the app, so after bidding Brian farewell, I made my way to a nearby bench to wait for the train.
I still needed to buy a ticket. This, however, I was prepared for. I had already downloaded an app called mTicket, where I could buy a ticket for the commuter rail without waiting in any lines or talking to people. A few taps and seven dollars later, I was ready to board. How did anyone travel before smart phones?
I still had about fifteen minutes before the train was supposed to arrive. The wind and cold were a harsh reminder of the many weeks to go before winter gave way into spring. My feet, which had carelessly trodden through a puddle earlier, were beginning to go numb, so I felt a recondite pleasure when I heard the tell-tale horn that announced the train’s arrival.
The train ride itself was, unsurprisingly, uneventful. I dozed off for a while and before I knew it, we were already in Boston. I made my way through North Station, dodging other commuters on my way outside where my mom was waiting to pick me up. Before I could reach the door, however, I was confronted by a man with a cup asking for spare change. His eyes locked with mine and he beckoned me over. Oh boy. I had some coins in my coat pocket, which I dropped in the cup, but he grabbed my arm before I could scurry away. “Hey, thanks man.” His words were slurred.
“No problem,” I said. His hand was still on my arm. I have an unfortunate tendency to smile when I’m uncomfortable, so he must’ve taken my idiotic grin as an invitation to continue.
“Where you from?” he asked. I reluctantly entered into a conversation with him. He was also from Cape Cod. I told him I went to school in Salem, and he told me that Salem is full of weirdos. After I responded to a few more casual questions, he pulled me in for a hug. “You got some kinda aura about you, man,” he told me. I thanked him and he offered me the cup again. I rooted around in my pockets for a few more coins and dropped them in.
With a toothless smile, he reached up and started rubbing my ear. I was extremely grateful when another man interrupted us. The new man appeared to be a friend of the guy whose hand was still grasping my ear. He finally took his hand away and looked at me excitedly. “We about to smoke a doobie, you wanna join?” I politely declined. “Ok. Thanks again,” he said before finally leaving me be. Quicker now, I speed-walked towards the exit and, at least, escaped into my mom’s car.
Final Project
The Invention and Demonstration of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His mother, Eliza, began to lose her hearing when Bell was 12, which inspired him to study acoustics. His family also had a history of working with “deaf-mutes” as they were then called, and his father developed something called a Visible Speech System which allowed the deaf to learn how to speak. Bell become an expert at teaching the System and aided his father in public demonstrations of it. In 1870, at the age of 23, Bell and his family moved to Canada where he continued his research in acoustics. In April 1871, Bell was invited to teach his father’s Visible Speech System to the instructors of the Boston School for Deaf-Mutes.
In October 1872, Bell opened his own school for the deaf in Boston where he taught his father’s system to many deaf people, including Helen Keller. Bell spent the following year trying to balance teaching, experimenting, and inventing. In 1873, he decided to focus on experimenting. One of his two remaining pupils was George Sanders, whose family offered him a place to stay in Salem. Bell continued to make progress on his inventions, alternating between laboratories in Salem, Boston, and his family home in Canada.
In 1874, Bell met Thomas Watson, who had experience working with electricity. With the financial backing of George Sanders’ father, Bell hired Watson as his assistant and the two began work on what would become the telephone. Meanwhile, another inventor, Elisha Gray, was also working on a similar way of transmitting speech. On February 14th, 1876, both of them filed for patents within hours of each other, and to this day there is debate about which arrived at the U.S. Patent Office first. However, it was Bell who was issued the patent on March 7, 1876.
Three days later, Bell was finally able to make the telephone work. Bell and Watson stood in separate rooms and Bell said the famous first words into the transmitter: “Mr. Watson--Come here--I want to see you”. Later, on February 12, 1877, Bell and Watson performed the first public demonstration of the telephone in Salem’s Lyceum Hall. Watson, in Boston, would communicate with the crowds in Salem through the telephone. The demonstration was so popular, they were asked to return to entertain crowds with more telephone experiments. The enthusiasm of the crowds in Salem, and later in the rest of the world, led to the telephone’s acceptance as the growing primary means of long distance communication, and laid the foundation for communication as we know it today.
In October 1872, Bell opened his own school for the deaf in Boston where he taught his father’s system to many deaf people, including Helen Keller. Bell spent the following year trying to balance teaching, experimenting, and inventing. In 1873, he decided to focus on experimenting. One of his two remaining pupils was George Sanders, whose family offered him a place to stay in Salem. Bell continued to make progress on his inventions, alternating between laboratories in Salem, Boston, and his family home in Canada.
In 1874, Bell met Thomas Watson, who had experience working with electricity. With the financial backing of George Sanders’ father, Bell hired Watson as his assistant and the two began work on what would become the telephone. Meanwhile, another inventor, Elisha Gray, was also working on a similar way of transmitting speech. On February 14th, 1876, both of them filed for patents within hours of each other, and to this day there is debate about which arrived at the U.S. Patent Office first. However, it was Bell who was issued the patent on March 7, 1876.
Three days later, Bell was finally able to make the telephone work. Bell and Watson stood in separate rooms and Bell said the famous first words into the transmitter: “Mr. Watson--Come here--I want to see you”. Later, on February 12, 1877, Bell and Watson performed the first public demonstration of the telephone in Salem’s Lyceum Hall. Watson, in Boston, would communicate with the crowds in Salem through the telephone. The demonstration was so popular, they were asked to return to entertain crowds with more telephone experiments. The enthusiasm of the crowds in Salem, and later in the rest of the world, led to the telephone’s acceptance as the growing primary means of long distance communication, and laid the foundation for communication as we know it today.
Works Cited
Bell, Alexander. Laboratory Notebook. Digital image. Memory.loc.gov. 10 Mar. 1876. Web.
Higgens, Kaileigh. "History Time: Alexander Graham Bell Makes a Connection." Boston.com. 14 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 April 2015. <http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/salem/2010/12/history_time_salem_telephones.html>.
Ross, Stewart. Alexander Graham Bell. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2001. Print.
Town, Florida. Alexander Graham Bell. Toronto: Grolier, 1988. Print.
Higgens, Kaileigh. "History Time: Alexander Graham Bell Makes a Connection." Boston.com. 14 Dec. 2010. Web. 27 April 2015. <http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/salem/2010/12/history_time_salem_telephones.html>.
Ross, Stewart. Alexander Graham Bell. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2001. Print.
Town, Florida. Alexander Graham Bell. Toronto: Grolier, 1988. Print.