commute info: Arlington Heights to North Station Boston (Cambridge, Harvard: transfer, law)

[shale]

Hello,

Thinking of moving to Arlington, most likely Arlington Heights area (around Trader Joes-ish?) and wondering if someone has some good info on commuting times / difficulties to North Station, Boston. I'd like to avoid using a car, so I'm guessing this will be a bus to Alewife or something.... Maybe the bike trail in the summer?

Any info is welcome. Thanks!

[goyguy]

There used to be some runs on the 77 bus between Arlington Hts and Harvard Square which were "express" - at least in theory - during peak hours. But the theory was flawed in that the bus didn't skip stops; what was supposed to speed the trip was that passengers were allowed to leave but none were permitted to board until beyond the North Cambridge trolley barns. Of course that theory was flawed, and the T threw the baby out with the bath water instead of making improvements. Even so, the bus commute - whether to Alewife or Porter Square, depending on the route - doesn't take much more than twenty minutes (though it may feel like longer sometimes.)
The fastest, but costlier, way to travel to/from North Station is to utilize the commuter rail from Porter after transferring either from the 77 bus or from the Red Line out of Alewife. Either that, or you're stuck on the Red Line's journey through the heart of Cambridge and past Mass. General downtown - and on the Green Line after that. (Murphy's Law has it that at least three inbound trolleys are headed only to Government Center before one that travels far enough arrives at Park St.)
Improvements are due soon, but the bike path is still fragmented between Alewife and downtown. And "two-wheelers" aren't allowed on the subway during busy times. But the good news is that more and more T buses have front-mounted racks.