Unless you have oversized/odd-shaped luggage or more than two "checked" sized luggage per person, Amtrak is very generous with its luggage policy. Just put your luggage in the racks. There is also carryon storage above the seats like an airplane too.

If you are doing Northeast regional, I strongly suggest booking business class. The free non-alcoholic drinks and assigned seats are worth the cost (left side is better for views going south). If doing Acela, it's a whatever there.

IMO, the Acela isn't worth it for Boston<->NYC. Time savings on the Acela is pretty negligible relative to the NER and cost. If you were doing Boston<->DC or Philly, the Acela is definitely worth it.

At least for South Station, I would arrive no later than 20 mins before departure. Gives you plenty of time to figure out where you need to go and get comfortable before the train departs.

For Moynihan Train Hall in NYC, I would say 45 mins before you leave. It's a much larger station and there are a lot more people hoping on/off, so boarding can take longer.

Elbow deep? More like knee deep in their asses.

Fair enough but good luck with that happening.

They can't even repair bridges, nevermind any other capital improvements.

I would think Nickerson Field would be the best option, no? Unless BU wants nothing to do with it.

How we all wish the SL was a legit trolley.

If the State Legislature can't authorize this, vote them all out.

Seriously. 8 years is a fucking joke. It should be at most half this. Skyscrapers don't even take as long to build.

I imagine they'll be at the Pats game tomorrow.

Was gonna say that. Dude looks like he smokes a pack of Parliaments a day.

Gentrification isn't inherently a bad thing. The problem is, we're not building enough housing to keep up with demand so it's viewed as a bad thing.

Yep. Floor seats can be very rough if you're short.

I give no fucks about the Royals, but a future Head of State, visiting MA, is a big deal.

Oh how I dread if they are in the owner's box at Gillette Thursday against the Bills.

I do think Boston needs more grocery stores but not necessarily a Walmart.

Let's see him visit the Eagle's Nest in Providence.

I have seen like a couple "Choose Life" License Plates and they're just as cringey.

12th is about where I expected us to be too. The freeze/thaw cycle in the northern states unsurprisingly makes most of them bad for potholes. It's the southern states with bad roads that have no excuses.

As for why Maine is so much lower than MA, Maine (~47k) has about 2/5th fewer road miles as MA (~78k).

The answer is obvious: international students that will gladly overpay to attend. Same goes for Northeastern.

Yep. Pharmaceuticals moving online and being shipped directly, especially QoL meds, are killing CVS et al.

Feel bad for some, but the reality is, there is no reason why my dad should need to go to a physical CVS store for his diabetes meds or my mom's thyroid medication.

It's the same fear mongering over alcohol being shipped but the reality is, it's someone wanting to keep their fiefdom profitable.

Same with MA. Republican was a Trumper and he got soundly defeated.

The northeast loves its Rockefeller Republicans but they are basically extinct now.

Reminds me of 2018 where Republican Governor Charlie Baker won by a bigger margin than Senator Elizabeth Warren did that year.

In terms of Boston to NYC, the NE Regional is usually the better value than the Acela. Acela truly shines when it's more "long haul" like Boston to Philly/Baltimore/DC.

I 100% feel NER business class is worth the upgrade over coach. You get an assigned seat and complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. You can bring your own non-alcoholic drinks and food on the train as well.

As for booking, it's recommended to book at least 14 days in advance to save money. Cost can swing wildly like airlines so be prepared for that.

The big plus with train travel is that there is far less security theatre and 2 free "checked" bags. When I go to NYC, I don't have to bother going downtown to Logan either. I live in the burbs and park at the Westwood/Rt 128 stop which is so much cheaper than Logan.

Dental insurance is a joke and has been for decades. I'm not saying dentists are saints either but insurance companies are basically scum.

The automod is like the shithead in your friend group that makes really bad jokes, nobody laughs, then tells people to "lighten up".