Pick-ups/Drop-offs: Davis or Alewife?

[brewso.livejournal.com]

I lived in Davis Square for 10 years, and recently moved to Arlington Center. I'm now trying to figure out the whole T thing, since I regularly would have visiting transportation-riding friends go to Davis and call when they got there for a car pick-up. Alewife is obviously closer to me now, but is it the black hole I'm imagining it to be? The station always seems to have a lot of traffic pouring out of it, and I feel like, once I drive in there, I'll never get out. (And how the heck will my friend ever find me anyway?) I have one of said friends coming tomorrow, so I'd like to know if I should send her to familiar old Davis, or new and intimidating Alewife? I'll also probably be dropping her at the T on days she wants to venture off alone, since she's staying a while. I know this is a bit silly and I'm totally over-thinking it, but any first-hand experiences that can help me decide?

Comments

[wavilyem.livejournal.com]

The only thing about the exit from Alewife that sucks regardless of the time of day is where you merge with the traffic going from northbound Alewife Brook Parkway to Route 2 west. Without a yield sign there, it's not very clear that three lanes have to merge to just two in order to get through the intersection.