Boston College - Sub Turri Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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staff Photo Who needs a car? The pass above could get one anywhere: To Washington Station, out from Kenmore, or rushing to who knows where.

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Who Needs A Car? staff Photo Exact change please . . . no dollar bills . . . ' tokens only . . . RED line. BLUE line, GREEN line . . . B-line, C-line, D-line ... All of these terms were associated with the trolley or T , Boston ' s infamous transit system. Not.only did this system provide a means of transportation, it was also the source of more humor than any comedy club in Boston. After a few years at B.C. every student knew at least one good T tale. The emotional requirements for riding the T were rather simple. One needed to have a very good sense of humor, an anything goes attitude, and the men- tal preparation to encounter a variety of strange people and events. For some unknown reason the trolley ride was like a full moon — there always seemed to be an element of lunacy in the air. The types of people riding the T ranged from small children enroute to school, to a tired businessman on his way home from the office, to the woman whose life ' s possessions were carried in a few large shopping bags. Then there were the zanies such as one young man who was observed carving his ini- tials onto the back of his hand while he was waiting for a train at Park Street Station. One came to expect the unex- pected. There were a number of amusing events that happened on the T . For example, one December, a gentleman got on the T with a case of beer under his arm. He announced that it was his job to make sure that everyone on that train was happy. At this point he handed out cans of beer to the passengers and in- vited all to sing Christmas carols with him. Another occurrence took place in the Copley Station when a man in an old overcoat set up a washtub string guitar and broke out in strains of Some Enchanted Evening . There were certain things that simply had to be accepted when setting out for a ride on the trolley. The T wanted would invariably be the T which just pulled away. If the D line was desired it was a certainty that it would come only after half a dozen C and B trains rattled by. Daring to take the T during rush hour, required stami- na. Learning to be squeezed, jostled and shoved against complete strangers became a necessity. Remember also that people who were not yet on the train firmly believed that there was al- ways room for one more. — Gretchen Popagodo staff Photo 20 Boston

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Northeastern had Huntington street, was anyone jealous? Boston University had Kenmore square, did anyone care? Emerson had . . . where did they keep Emerson anyway? But, BC, BC had the place of honor among colleges in Boston. BC had Chestnut Hill. Chestnut Hill was a fairytale town with the grass always being greener on its side. It was a suburban neighborhood, But since Boston College was on the bor- der between the city of Boston and the suburb of Newton, it derived benefits from both the large metropolitan city and the residential suburb. The residential suburb of Newton was located about one mile from the col- lege ' s main campus. Nev rton was a marvelously ritzy, elite, little neighbor- hood. Just driving or walking along Commonwealth Ave. from BC toward Newton, it was easy to notice the typical New England houses. The ivy palaces of Nev on was made of warm, red brick or perhaps laid out in a Tudor style. The Newton Campus of Boston Col- lege was a big part of this classy com- munity. The students who lived on the campus had an opportunity to interact with Newton ' s residents on a personal and educational level, whether it be babysitting for a local family or learning | management at one of Nev 4on Cen- j ter ' s quaint shops. in addition to Boston College students interacting with residential Newton, BC , also benefited from Boston itself. The . Circle was just one of the more popular ' locations for off campus residents to live during their year of off campus housing. Many students rented an apartment in Cleveland Circle with three or four of their friends, it was a circle of public facilities, such as movie theaters, a park, stores and a mass transportation center surrounded by purley Bostonian apart- : ment houses complete with baywin- dows and fireplaces, Boston College ' s domination of the Hill provided BC students with much more than a good view of the city. Chestnut Hill embodied a Camelot for coeds during their four undergraduate years. The coeds in turn would be loyal and tnje to it and their alma mater in the i years to come. ' — Theresa Holtman : Clockwise from top left: An aerial sitot of a Boston nelghbortiood; one of ttie magnlfleent houses along Commonwealtti Ave.; a shot of Cleveland Circle; the splendor of the Chest- nut Hill Mall. £ 7 iB. Kim Langdon 22 Boston