Old Town Trolley Tours

The rain stopped. There’s a big golden ball in the sky! I think the call it the sun. Its not real warm only in the 50’s but at least it’s dry. I’m heading into Boston to ride the Old Town Trolley.

Old Town Trolleys Then

The orange and green trolleys have been in Boston for a long, long time. I became most familiar with them when my friend Joe spent some time driving for the  company. He started in Boston but eventually began driving for them in Florida in Key West. The trolleys they were using then were “Molly” Trolleys. They had wooden benches and were just 1 story or level. I’m not sure what to call it.

Old Town Trolleys Now

Today’s trolleys look like double decker buses but they aren’t. When you get on there are a few stairs that take you to an elevated seating section. The seats are cushioned seats like you find on a modern bus. Today most of the windows had clear plastic “storm” windows to keep the cold at bay. They reminded me of the window covers used on yachts. The windows in the rear of the trolley were open. The plastic was rolled up.

http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p1007424062/h888dd59b#h888dd59b

The Package

I bought my ticket at the Atlantic Ave ticket booth which is also Stop #1, the New England Aquarium and the Rose Kennedy Rose Garden. I haven’t ridden the trolley in a long time so I was in for a sticker shock. Senior discount and all it came to $39.85! It includes a harbor boat trip, a value of  $21.00. The only problem with that is I didn’t want a harbor cruise. There’s no way to purchase just a trolley tour. The cruise, however, can be used another day.

The Hop on Hop Off Tour

Another perk that I couldn’t take advantage of is the Free 2nd day on the Trolley. If I’d gone into town on Saturday I could have come back and ridden for free today. Next time I’ll know. There are 16 stops to explore and if you were to get off at every one you would need 2 days. According to the map, there’s also an option for 4 additional stops on what they call the Seaport Loop.

The Long and Short of it.

I had wandered into Boston after lunch and I got there by MBTA. In other words I started my excursion late; about 1:30. A bruins Game at the Garden had traffic snarled which made the trolley late to the #3 stop, The USS Constitution. I got off here to see the amazing ship in dry dock. By the time I finished that stop it was almost 3 pm! Time flies so I just road the rest of the time. I’ll start earlier for the hop on hop off part next time.

If you go

To take full advantage of the hop on hop off perk, go early. Make sure you have 2 days in a row so you can use the free 2nd day if you need it. Check on line for discounts especially Groupon. In my book, it’s still the number 1 tour company even if it’s gotten a bit pricey!