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It's a maze. It's constantly under construction. It's the T system and we love it. Here are a few secrets to make your ride more enjoyable, whether you're a first-timer or a T vet.
Red Line We gotta get behind any subway named after school colors. The Red Line gets its title because, at one time, it terminated at Harvard Square (Go Crimson!). It goes well past there now and into neighboring Somerville and bustling Davis Square. But it's the trip into (and out of) Cambridge, with a stunning view of the Boston skyline, that earns our token, even if we have nowhere to go. Orange Line So named because the line once ran above Washington Street, formerly Orange Street, this line goes through the South End and into Roxbury, toward the south, and north to Charlestown. If you haven't heard of those places, now's your chance to hit them. Blue Line This line connects Boston with East Boston, Revere and the Logan International Airport (well, you actually have to take a shuttle bus to the airport but, hey, at least the station is shiny). Why is it blue? Because it goes underwater. Green Line Named the Green Line because the subway and trolley lines connect Boston with its leafy suburbs or possibly in honor of the city's Emerald Necklace of parks (accounts differ), the line has four branches designated by letter: B goes to Boston College; C goes to Cleveland Circle; D goes to Riverside in Newton; and E goes to Jamaica Plain. Is there an A line? There was, but service stopped in the late 1960s. Silver Line Besides stops in the city, the Silver Line takes you from South Station to Logan in a half-hour. No wonder Silver equals fast.
Students turn stand-ups at local clubs
The best thing about college is that, no matter who you were in high school, you can reinvent yourself. Take Rob O'Reilly. A few years ago, the BU junior was a nerd stuck in Bay Village, Ohio. Now ... well, he's still a nerd. But he's using that nerdiness to be funny. And popular. O'Reilly is a stand-up comic, one of many college-age performers storming local clubs such as The Comedy Studio. Developing the act When choosing a college, O'Reilly was looking into engineering programs but then switched to communications because he loved comedy. "My first real performance was in front of a large group of my friends in my basement," remembers the comic, "and that was horribly, horribly not funny at all. Losing my stand-up virginity was a lot like losing my actual virginity - very awkward, and there was one person laughing." But he continued to write, coming up with lines about white homeboys and college roommates. "Most of [my jokes] were about how big of a nerd I am, which isn't all that far from what it's like now," O'Reilly says. 'Week in, week out' BU grad student Myq Kaplan (who studies linguistics, in case you couldn't tell by the name) also hits the local clubs. He started stand-up when he was a senior at Brandeis, performing ironic songs and Steven Wright-like one-liners. "We're all going to the same shows, week in week out," says Kaplan of the college-stand-up community. "It's pretty supportive as opposed to competitive." The audience has been supportive, too. "You know, a comic once asked me if I get [action] because of stand-up comedy," says O'Reilly. "And I go, 'Well, it's not because of my looks.' But I don't like to meet girls who don't know me in real life," he continues. "Like, a girl gave me her phone number after a show once but I never called her because I thought, if she's expecting me to be that funny all the time, I have such expectations to live up to that will not be fulfilled." Check out The Comedy Studio (1238 Mass. Ave., Cambridge). | MBTA: Red Line to Harvard. (617) 661-6507 www.thecomedystudio.com
Museum of Fine Arts
The Rembrandts, the van Goghs, the Gauguins, the Renoirs. The MFA's permanent collection is as stunning as you'd expect, but we come here for the concerts, which feature folk, rock and even techno, from groups such as Black Dice and Mouse on Mars.
465 Huntington Ave., Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Museum. (617) 267-9300
www.mfa.org Institute of Contemporary Art We feel like idiots, often going to the ICA just for the gift shop. But somehow, our Poketo wallet, produced by a company that invites various graphic artists to design their product, helps us get over the pain. Thursday nights, between 5p.m. and 9 p.m., look for a 10 percent discount at the bookstore. Then check out the modern art, too. 955 Boylston St., Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Hynes/ICA. (617) 876-6837 www.icaboston.org Isabella Gardner Museum Your date - bring him here. Now. The courtyard garden features hydrangeas, Oleander and Cape Primrose, while inside, the artwork is less flowery - recent exhibitions have featured a dark-and-dirty comic book and a guy who drew - yes drew, with a pencil - a huge mural on the walls of an empty room. 280 The Fenway. | MBTA: Green Line to Museum. (617) 566-1401 www.gardnermuseum.org
The Esplanade Sure, it's cramped on the Fourth of July, but the rest of the year, the Esplanade is the hub of biking, rollerblading, and jogging. Find a game of Ultimate or just space out and stare at kayakers. Go ahead - join the frisbee freaks who play every Saturday (out behind the Museum of Science).
MBTA: Red Line to Charles/MGH. The Fens OK, so no one knows quite what's growing in it, and random people pop out of the middle of nowhere (a la "Field of Dreams"), but it's smack dab in the middle of Fenway and chances are, you'll find a pickup game or at least some people out with their dogs. Just beware the poo. MBTA: Green D Line to Fenway. Rogers Park Named after Hiram Rogers (an apparently-famous 1890's outdoorsman from Allston), Rogers Park is 8.2 acres of lush green fields for baseball and hardcourts for tennis and street ball. Take out your basketball frustrations on some yuppies with your not-so-Shaq-like skills. MBTA: Green B Line to Boston College. Magazine Beach In the summer, Ultimate players battle it out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night at Magazine Beach, a former Army boat docking station in Cambridge. If you're game, get out your wicket for a little competitive cricket (yeah, that's right, cricket ... and no, we don't know the rules either). MBTA: Red Line to Kendall Square. Franklin Park Just past the outstretches of the Orange Line is Franklin Park - a 500-acre urban jungle filled with tennis courts, bike paths, and plenty of places to hang out. For some post-game fun, check out the zoo, where you can "adopt" a flamingo, kangaroo or Western Lowland gorilla for $35. Just beware the poo. MBTA: Orange Line to Forest Hills.  MORE: Boston Visitors' Guide
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