Jan & John Maggs Antiques

The Back Page - August 2019

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The central courtyard of Isabella Stewart Gardner's home near the Back Bay Fens in Boston, built in 1903 to emulate the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice.

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Each time we enter this extraordinary museum, we feel as if we've been transported to Italy. The museum, filled with Mrs. Gardner's exceptionally rich collection of art and artifacts, reminds us of the Museo Bardini and the Palazzo Davanzati of Florence.

In fact it was probably the European-ness of our destination that prompted us to consider an alternate means of getting to it. What if we took the train?

We quickly calculated the costs of driving - gas, tolls, and parking - and compared them to the cost of traveling by MBTA Commuter Rail. We chose the most convenient starting point for us, the Wachusett stop at the western end of the Fitchburg Line, an hour from home on toll-free Route 2. Round-trip fare for two senior citizens was $24, and parking in the adjacent lot is $4.00 for the day. Coincidentally, our parking fee at the MFA in 2017 was $28. The train would reduce our driving expense by half and eliminate tolls. But, more importantly, it would spare us the pressure of driving to a city I've always felt was more difficult to navigate than New York or London.

Once on the train, we enjoyed a relaxed trip through central and eastern Massachusetts, arriving at North Station on schedule. The Green Line took us quickly to the Fenway, and we arrived at the museum twenty minutes before it opened.

After several hours in the  museum, including a delightful and inexpensive lunch in Café G, we got back on the Green Line and returned to North Station. Before leaving Boston, we took a walk through the North End, culminating in dinner at an Italian restaurant we'd chosen at home after a series of online searches. Dinner was as delicious as expected, topping off a wonderful day under sunny skies. We returned to the station and managed to stay awake during our train ride back to Fitchburg and the short drive back to Conway.

If you've never taken the MBTA Commuter Rail service to Boston, we'd encourage you to give it a try. Other lines come to areas of central Massachusetts that might be more convenient for those living elsewhere, but this was the right choice for us. We're already planning our next trip. 

Tips:


Upstairs - just prior to our 8:45 departure

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