<p>//As far as I know, the best cities for public transit in the United States are New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, & Washington D.C.//</p>
<p>I love nearly everything about Boston, but if it’s really one of the best cities for public transit in the United States, that’s truly depressing. </p>
<p>I will say, though, that Boston is pretty safe as cities go. I’m not saying crime is nonexistent, but it isn’t really a big problem, especially in the parts of town where students tend to live and hang out.</p>
<p>pierre0913–I went to college in the middle of nowhere, and though I did OK (magna cum), I certainly found <em>plenty</em> of distractions. Put several hundred 18-24 year old human beings in one place, give them a fair amount of free time, and they will find ways to distract one another.</p>
<p>Seattle has the cleanest, most efficient and best run public transportation system (bus)in the country, without a subway system. Their bus system is absolutely superb and runs very long distances up almost to the mountain tops, and very frequent service. So you know.</p>
<p>the MBTA system in Boston is great for a city it’s size. Sure, it’s no New York City where commuters come in from miles and miles away to go to work but there’s a commuter rail system, an expansive bus system and the subway works great.</p>
<p>It’s awesome that Seattle has a free bus zone where you can take the bus around downtown for free!</p>
<p>Your experience has been different from mine–or maybe I expect too much. I just find that the service is so inconsistent that I have to allow too much extra time to leave room for the frequent breakdowns and unpredictable gaps between trains. It’s only a safe choice if I have lots of time to spare. This is frustrating, as I am a big supporter of mass transit in theory and would like to use it more.</p>
<p>Regardless, I’m glad it has worked for you.</p>
<p>Houston is the 4th largest city limits in the country, but Dallas and San Francisco have larger metros. Dallas and San Francisco are also a lot more urban…more skyscrapers, denser neighborhoods, better mass transit, more diverse population, better shopping, and so on.</p>
<p>I think it would be hard for many places other than NYC and DC to beat Dallas’ rapid transit system.</p>
<p>When you compare it to other city’s rapid transit, DART rocks. DART will take you almost anywhere in Dallas and the interior suburbs quickly and without having to sit in traffic. The system is comprehensive and covers almost all of Dallas with a combination of subway, light rail, commuter rail, and downtown streetcars (like in the West End), stretching from Plano up north, down to the south edge of Dallas, to Garland on the east, and over to Fort Worth on the west. Future expansions are going to cover the DFW/Irving area with passenger rail, as well as include a line up to Carrollton and Lewisville.</p>
<p>Compare it to Houston which has a single line along one street for about 4 or 5 miles and that’s it, or Seattle which has a Tacoma link and a perimeter commuter system and that’s it…for now I think.</p>