Travel Troubles
Dear Frankie,
My mom and I took the new train to Boston for our yearly trip to the zoo and lunch at my favorite place, the Bark Café.
But things didn’t go as planned.
At the station, we had to scan a black box on a sign to park, but my mom didn’t know how, and there was no one to help.
After trying a few times and swearing, she said, “The heck with it, I’ll pay the fine.”
On the train, she kept asking why there wasn’t a parking ticket machine.
When we got to Boston, we found a cab outside the station, but after the zoo, there were no cabs around. Someone told her to use Uber, but she didn’t know what that was, so we started walking back to the station, hoping to find a cab, but we never did.
It took us two hours to get back, and we had to skip lunch, which was really disappointing.
My mom was upset and said she’d never take the train again.
Riley
Dear Riley,
I’m really sorry your special day didn’t go as planned. It’s tough when you’re not sure how to use your phone for things like parking or getting a ride.
Now that your mom knows she needs to scan a parking sign and use Uber to get a ride in Boston, maybe someone can show her how to do both.
Scanning means taking a photo with your phone’s camera, and Uber is an app you use to request a ride. Once she gets the hang of it, it will open up all sorts of possibilities for travel by train to exciting cities like New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, you name it.
Best, Frankie
© 2026 Geneva Woodruff
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