Felicia+Cormier+2

Felicia Cormier Kingsley English 101.08 11/17/08 South station The first place many travelers see once they get into the historical city of Boston, if they are coming by public transportation, is going to be a place called South Station. This is the destination of Peter Pan and Greyhound busses as well as the Amtrak train. It is also a stop on the MBTA Red line and the MBCR commuter rail. Not only are people traveling through here, but there are also people that live locally in Boston and are commuting to their work through this station. South Station is a great example of a building made to make the commuting experience as favorable as possible. Inside this building there are small shops and fast food restaurants. These are used a majority of the time for business people on their lunch breaks. The architecture in South Station makes a person feel the historical yet modern vibe. There are things which make people think historical such as the stone on the outside of the building, along with very large rounded archways in the golden door frames. The small business shops in the station, such as the book store and information booth, are made out of mostly glass windows and green metal, and are reflecting of the older style of london phone booths. In contrast however, these older styles, you could say, are cancelled out by the modern attractions of the room, they do not give you a feel of being too historical. For example, the front entrance to South Station, from the street, is all window. This allows for a great deal of natural light during a sunny day. Also, there are popular restaurants to get food in this building, all located in a somewhat separate room, also by large rounded archways. For the people who visit this station, there are tables and chairs provided to chat and eat small meals and converse with others. These food and shopping stops are all located in a room called the “Great Room.” which is the main room provided to be a hang out area for people away from their public transportation. There are long wooden benches which people can sit on and wait for their train, or bus if they are early and have nothing else to do. They could also sit on these benches while waiting for a cab or a person to pick them up from after their traveling to Boston. If a person were to walk straight through the Great Room, they would need to go downstairs towards the subway or straight towards where the busses and train stops are. Downstairs by the subway, to be more specific the red line, there is a whole different feel than the Great Room. Like every subway stop, there is the waiting area where people are forced to stand in line and not pass the yellow strip near the subway tracks. Everything from the air to the people seem to be different in this area. There are various people here, who seem to be randomly choosing a location, and they play music. For example, one is playing a guitar. This man is in shabby clothes and is not dressed the same as any of the business people above ground in the great room. In front of the artist, there is his guitar case and it is filled with change. Even though there are a lot of people in this one place, a person does not usually feel unsafe. Not only are their a lot of security guards and police officers around but, a place like this can actually makes a person feel more connected with the outside world. In front of a person standing in the Great Room, they can go in any direction and be going towards a new place. The subway, train, bus, or the streets are all options. To some people, they might feel scared, such as some of the small children with their parents and luggage. But to some people this place might be an escape from something, and be representing a new beginning. South station could turn into a third place for someone. The feeling that people have while being in the station is, for the most part, as comforting and relaxed as a train/ subway/ bus stop can be. To the people who come here often, they may be able to find this setting a comfortable place to travel through, or eat lunch at regularly. South station could also be a good example of a reflection on today’s society. For our city to have a place which displays its historical background as well as showing its industrial strengths. The city of Boston is probably one of the oldest cities in the United States, and by having the modern feel it shows that this city has some sort of power. By power, this means that the city of Boston is able to have its historical feel but it is known that Boston also has industrial and technological advances.