When I was a student at Tufts, I used to live in Salem and traveled back and forth by the B & M commuter rail in and out of North Station. Tufts was a short walk from North Station or else you could pick up the orange line or green line. The trains run by schedule so if you miss one you may have to hang around an hour waiting for the next one. If you like to study late at the library or in the preclin, the last train leaves at midnight and if you miss it you will have to call for a ride or take a taxi home. The train runs through Lynn, Swampscott, Salem, Beverly and on up to Gloucester/Rockport or Newburyport.
Right now I commute every day into the city by driving to Wonderland Station
in Revere and taking the Blue Line. Revere has some nice condo buildings on the oceanfront but some neighborhoods are marginal. That goes for East Boston and Chelsea as well so you have to be cautious. There are a lot of spanish speaking people who live in these areas and at times when I am on the Blue Line I feel like I am the only person on board who speaks English. There is definitely a third world feeling to it.
