The public offices are always the same. Packed with people, from various backgrounds, with somewhat similar objectives. They are there to get permissions from the local state for their dear needs of life, such as getting driver's license or registering the cars.
The Watertown registry of motor vehicle, is conveniently located in a mall called Watertown Mall, right next to Target, a wholesale store. There are a desk that gives you the number for the waiting lines. There are several lines for the number. "A" for vehicle registrations, "B" for licenses renewals, "G" for out of state license conversions, etc. There rows of wooden benches where the people can sit and wait for their numbers to be called. The average wait time online is available online on the Mass RMV website. From time to time, the numbers are called out by a synthesized voice for the next available counter. You must be at the counter when the number is called, or you will be put at the end of the line, or almost. While waiting, I saw a man with gray hair was asking "Where is my number?" and the people were telling him the number already was called out and a few others have already were served. A woman who were knitting a tank-top, said to me "They should give us a beeper or something," and I agreed. "Why not let them beep our cell phones?" I said, not considering the privacy concerns at that moment. If you really think about it, the cell phone numbers must be erased immediately and that would be cumbersome to say the least.
As we talk, knit, read, listen to music and watching the numbers to be called in the office, an elderly man came up and asked "where can I renew my license?" not knowing we had been waiting for our numbers to be called. "You must get a number," said a voice behind me. It turned out to be he was not the only one on that day when I was there who could not get the piece of paper with a number on it. Whenever people stood bewildered just below the LED sign telling them what numbers are being called, there came voices explaining them what to do.
I brought my iPad with me as I always do. Usually, I plan the route with the Google Map application on iPad and leave it there. It helps a lot when I look for the way as well as to show the map to people. The roads in Boston are generally speaking, twisting and winding and they do not intersect at right angles. Street signs are not always there just when you need them. Over the course of that particular day, I asked several people for directions. iPad in such cases works just fine. The iPad itself draws attentions and people take interests in it. The way you can move the map by dragging and change the size of the map by "pinching" the map gives them a fine impression and a nice surprise. Asking the directions on the way, however, does not always turn out to such a nice idea in Boston as I encounter many who do not know the name of the street just around the corner.
"Oh, this is iPad," said a woman at the RMV as we wait in lines, as I tried to read iBook. She was holding a fashion magazine. I tried to impress her with the iPad and showed her the New York Times application to her. The pages of the iPad application is quite something, I would think, and seemingly she said she had that similar opinion on the pages. "I had not switched from my paper version of the newspaper," she said.
The good thing about this RMV office is, when you finish your business at the office, you can go straight to stores right in the mall and have a break. There are plenty of places to sit in the hallways, and have a drink. Each transaction at the office requires nearly an hour of waiting in lines, so I guess you deserve to have some rest there.
The Watertown registry of motor vehicle, is conveniently located in a mall called Watertown Mall, right next to Target, a wholesale store. There are a desk that gives you the number for the waiting lines. There are several lines for the number. "A" for vehicle registrations, "B" for licenses renewals, "G" for out of state license conversions, etc. There rows of wooden benches where the people can sit and wait for their numbers to be called. The average wait time online is available online on the Mass RMV website. From time to time, the numbers are called out by a synthesized voice for the next available counter. You must be at the counter when the number is called, or you will be put at the end of the line, or almost. While waiting, I saw a man with gray hair was asking "Where is my number?" and the people were telling him the number already was called out and a few others have already were served. A woman who were knitting a tank-top, said to me "They should give us a beeper or something," and I agreed. "Why not let them beep our cell phones?" I said, not considering the privacy concerns at that moment. If you really think about it, the cell phone numbers must be erased immediately and that would be cumbersome to say the least.
As we talk, knit, read, listen to music and watching the numbers to be called in the office, an elderly man came up and asked "where can I renew my license?" not knowing we had been waiting for our numbers to be called. "You must get a number," said a voice behind me. It turned out to be he was not the only one on that day when I was there who could not get the piece of paper with a number on it. Whenever people stood bewildered just below the LED sign telling them what numbers are being called, there came voices explaining them what to do.
I brought my iPad with me as I always do. Usually, I plan the route with the Google Map application on iPad and leave it there. It helps a lot when I look for the way as well as to show the map to people. The roads in Boston are generally speaking, twisting and winding and they do not intersect at right angles. Street signs are not always there just when you need them. Over the course of that particular day, I asked several people for directions. iPad in such cases works just fine. The iPad itself draws attentions and people take interests in it. The way you can move the map by dragging and change the size of the map by "pinching" the map gives them a fine impression and a nice surprise. Asking the directions on the way, however, does not always turn out to such a nice idea in Boston as I encounter many who do not know the name of the street just around the corner.
"Oh, this is iPad," said a woman at the RMV as we wait in lines, as I tried to read iBook. She was holding a fashion magazine. I tried to impress her with the iPad and showed her the New York Times application to her. The pages of the iPad application is quite something, I would think, and seemingly she said she had that similar opinion on the pages. "I had not switched from my paper version of the newspaper," she said.
The good thing about this RMV office is, when you finish your business at the office, you can go straight to stores right in the mall and have a break. There are plenty of places to sit in the hallways, and have a drink. Each transaction at the office requires nearly an hour of waiting in lines, so I guess you deserve to have some rest there.