(Editor’s note: In the midst of the Sumner Tunnel shutdown, which began July 5 and will end Aug. 31, the MBTA has advised commuters to “ditch the drive” and use the Commuter Rail, Blue Line, or ferry instead.
Using these forms of public transportation, as well as a car, four Item reporters participated in a race from Lynn to Boston. The reporters left Lynn at approximately 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning with the goal of reaching North Station by 9 a.m. Although Lynn is only 13 miles from Boston, it took our reporters an hour, on average, to get there during rush hour.)
If you’re trying to get into Boston during the Sumner Tunnel closure, the MBTA ferry from Blossom Street Pier in Lynn to Long Wharf in Boston may not be the quickest option, but it’s certainly the most scenic.
Though the Ava Pearl, the MBTA’s vessel for the ferry service, does not have the mystique of the USS Constitution or the Mayflower, it certainly offers up a smooth ride at 30 knots and stunning views on clear days during its 40-minute trip down the North Shore and into Boston Harbor.
From The Daily Item office on Exchange Street in Lynn, it took me a grand total of one hour and 10 minutes to get to North Station in Boston. My trip broke down to about a 10-minute drive to the Blossom Street Pier, 40 minutes on the ferry, and around 20 minutes riding the Blue and Orange Lines, including wait times.
The ferry service, which in the morning runs at 6 a.m., 7:30 a.m., and 9 a.m., typically has the most riders during the 7:30 a.m. service according to officials I spoke to aboard the Ava Pearl, with anywhere from 80 to around 150 riders on those trips.
One of the only downsides of the service is how infrequent it is, though the times are understandable given that it is catered toward the “nine to five” crowd.
One rider I spoke with, Marysa Angelli of Lynn, said she wished the ferry provided midday service.
“I don’t necessarily need to be in the city between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.,” Angelli said. “The days that I don’t take the ferry right now, it’s because the ferry doesn’t work for my schedule.”
The ferry’s afternoon trips from Blossom Street Pier to Boston disembark at 4:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Ferries from Long Wharf to Lynn leave at 6:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., with more departures at 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7 p.m. to service those commuting back to Lynn.
Though more consistent compared to how a trip on the Commuter Rail or Blue Line can be with slow zones and rail traffic, the ferry trip felt very much like a novelty — one I’m sure would wear off if I were to take it every day, especially if the weather wasn’t as pleasant as when I set sail Tuesday.
I have taken the Commuter Rail to and from North Station hundreds of times, as well as many trips on all of the MBTA’s rapid transit lines, so I know that 40 minutes on a train can sometimes feel like four hours.
My 40-minute ferry ride felt like four minutes, to the point where I was a little sad the trip was coming to an end as we began to dock.
Angelli, who lives car-free, said she was happy the ferry service was being offered and has enjoyed taking advantage of it so far during the tunnel closure, having previously traveled with her ferry-travel companion Jenna Clarke, also of Lynn, who rode with her Tuesday.
“I’m happy to enjoy the ambiance of the ferry for a slightly longer journey,” Angelli said.
Angelli also noted that with the absence of a Commuter Rail service in Lynn, the MBTA should consider offering the ferry service beyond the Sumner Tunnel closure.
“It feels like a viable replacement,” Angelli said.
I will also give Ava Pearl high marks for its amenities.
Though there’s no buffet or open bar on board like some of the behemoth cruise ships it shares Boston Harbor with, it does feature a snack bar with water, coffee, and tea, as well as bench seating with tables and power outlets and an open-air upper deck area with seating. It even has two of the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen in any MBTA-related facility or vehicle.
If you’re OK with a longer ride, I think $2.40 for a clean and quiet commute with an ocean breeze and skyline views is a worthy proposition.
Brant Duncan, of Lynn, was another passenger on my Tuesday-morning trip. He shared my thoughts on the unique opportunity the ferry presents for those looking to commute into Beantown.
“This is a much more enjoyable way to get into Boston,” Duncan, who normally drives into the city for his job in Downtown Crossing, said. “People should take advantage of it.”
