Take the bus to the swamp

Transit-accessible trees and rhododendrons in Manchester

We tend to think about cities as places of commerce first and foremost. This idea has a profound impact on many aspects of city life, including the ways in which our public transportation routes are designed. When deciding where a local bus or train should pick up and drop off, planners will often think about this through the lens of commuting—especially in a city where public transit resources are limited. Which is to say, the overwhelming majority of American cities. This is why a lot of us will bump into trouble when we simply want to take the bus from one neighborhood to a nearby community for something less industrious like a pond date or a Sichuan noodle bowl. Once a month, I see an acupunturist in Brookline, right next door to Jamaica Plain, where I’m based. And almost every time, I spend 90 minutes walking to her office. Because taking the bus there would involve a transfer and a lot of waiting around. If her practice was downtown, in the city center, I could ride a single bus or train there.

But there are exceptions to this rule that transit should facilitate commerce above all else. Occasionally, when wandering around New England cities, you’ll find a bus route that accommodates recreation and discovery. Two summers ago, when driving back home from the White Mountains, I stopped over in Manchester and I rode a city bus to a cedar swamp located on the northwest edge of town. And not just any cedar swamp.