. It isn't the office -- it's the commute. — BC

FWIW, I didn't return to office, not because of the commute - I didn't mind, and in fact I was lucky enough to be able to work on the bus - but because I deplored spending such a huge chunk of my life in this building. It made me feel my life was being squandered. All the usual distractions there didn't help.

Working from home, I still feel my life is being squandered. But working outside when the weather permits, in the park or beach, taking drumming breaks, smoking weed or drinking if I choose, working vacations in other cities, all certainly help.

Driving less worked (works) for me. I lived about 20 minutes from work and we don't take car trip vacations. I don't have a problem with electric vehicles, especially when they nail the batteries (which they should by next generation, with solid state versions). But for me, electric would a less fun, expensive, inconvenient alternative with negligible carbon improvement. — LuckyR

I think, though, the carbon footprint is much less because of zero emissions. I guess we have to look at it this way-- we can't get rid of cars completely, but we can reduce the harmful effects of driving. I have not really looked at the studies as to whether the manufacturing of the vehicles, batteries, and storage units are not equally worse than manufacturing other products.

But certainly with less driving, collectively, that's also an improvement -- if you're using the ICE car.

I deplored spending such a huge chunk of my life in this building. It made me feel my life was being squandered. All the usual distractions there didn't help.
Working from home, I still feel my life is being squandered. — hypericin

:100:

Many Americans could drive less. I don't really expect people to walk 2 miles to a supermarket and then carry 30 pounds of groceries back home. They could bike, but biking requires a reasonably safe street, and there are a lot of places in the suburbs which are hard to get to while remaining safe on the street.

Many people do, however, live reasonably close to drugstores and supermarkets, and could get there on foot or bike with little risk. It is more work, sure. But the labor of shopping and schlepping one's stuff home saves a trip to the gym. — BC

Absolutely. I think the US has no history of bicycle usage as a mode of regular transportation, unlike the Netherlands and China. Planes, trains, and automobiles, these are what built its economy.

I still feel my life is being squandered — hypericin

As William Wordsworth said in his poem, The World Is Too Much With Us, "getting and spending, we lay waste our powers..." in so many ways.

I think, though, the carbon footprint is much less because of zero emissions.

Well where do you think the electricity comes from? Even though around here it's generally hydroelectric, usually it's by burning coal or natural gas.

Well where do you think the electricity comes from? — LuckyR

Good point. Apparently, we would need an additional 30% increase in electricity production if all cars are EVs.

The subject of MBTA, Boston transit came up last week and I remembered my experience.

BC knows about it and gave a video about how some of it is in bad shape these days. That's too bad. I really liked it when I was there.

So this is just a story of little things that can go wrong on public transit....

A group of us were in Boston for a wedding and a day before met at the airport and decided to do some sight seeing and take the subway line out to Harvard University. We got on the Blue line that goes to downtown and got off and looked for a Harvard connection. The Green line had a stop at Harvard Street so we got on that one. It was a mistake because the stop was in Boston Back Bay, not Cambridge. Back Bay is on the way to the Fenway Park area.

Anyway, we ended up walking across the Harvard Street bridge....got a good view of the boat house if you know that...and up to Harvard Square. It was back when they had the Out of Town News stand and the Curious George store but I think it's all changed now. Mostly Banks.

We took the Red line back to downtown and did a block walk (5 minutes)to the Blue line...that was the tricky part...and the Blue line back to Logan Airport and from there one of us had a car.

I think they have done or are doing a fix to connect the Red and Blue lines. Something the locals would know about but was confusing to us.

I mixed up Harvard Square with Harvard Yard but corrected that. We used to be able to visit Harvard Yard and even Widener Library but now a lot like that is restricted.

but now a lot like that is restricted — Mark Nyquist

Perhaps 'the authorities' have no choice but to restrict access to places that used to be open to the public. Or perhaps they did have options, and chose restriction, just because. The U of Minnesota used to be wide open--libraries, classroom buildings, clinics, etc. Now there are guards and locks at many entrances. I suppose a higher level of social disorder since the pandemic might be a factor; so more thievery, assaults, OD's in the restrooms...

I can't remember how one transfers from the blue to the red line. It's been many years since I was in Boston. Did you, by any chance, drive through the route of "the big dig" or across the stay bridge?

I never drove in Boston only to and from the airport. I did walk the freedom trail as a kid which is downtown Boston, Boston Common and maybe some in the Beacon Hill area. And I walked some of the Back Bay or Fenway areas just because we got on a wrong transit line and were getting around on foot. I didn't mind walking. A lot to see in Boston.

Harvard Square is one of those places I am glad I visited when I did. 1990's. We walked onto campus in a gap between buildings and into Harvard Yard and took a look around Widener Library that had just had a major renovation. One of the nicest libraries I have ever been in. You would need to pay for a tour now just to see Harvard Yard. Lots more fencing and gates everywhere from Google Earth images from Harvard Square.

I remember in the 1960's someone tried to give our family a fake freedom trail tour and collect a donation. Some young kids who maybe needed some money.

No, I remembered the fake freedom trail tour wrong. It was more a political motivation about crooked Boston bankers in the early days. Conspiracy theory stuff.