Fell in love with Boston! (Somerville, Concord: appointed, college, living in)

[Warszawa]

So I visited Boston for half a week, and I gotta admit that I fell in love! Sure, it doesn't have NYC's decadent skyline or it's nighttime energy or the limitless food options, but it was amazing in different ways. I will list everything about Boston that I loved

- The alleyways! Especially in the older areas there are tons of these, and it's wicked cool. They're so gritty and fun to explore, you never want to walk the same route twice since there is so many little shortcuts

- Density! I love how tightly packed everything is, Downtown Boston is like a wonderland that fits in your fist. You could walk to any part of Downtown you want in like 30 minutes. It feels like the city was designed not for cars, but for actual human people

- The pace of the city, like it's really refreshing that you're not in a rush 24/7 like in NYC...but it's also not too slow like in the inner parts of the country, so it's a good balance

- Diversity! While Boston ain't Queens, you still got so many nationalities and cultures

- Chinatown is the bomb, there's so many good places to eat! Surely beats the crappy touristy Manhattan Chinatown (altho Flushing in Queens is still better hehe :x)

- Architecture is amazing! A perfect mix of centuries-old and modern buildings

- The T

- Every nabe is distinct, like Beacon Hill is completely different from Dorchester, which is different from Allston, which is different from North End, gives the city a unique character!

If you live in Boston, then treasure it and love it, you guys have a special city! Can't wait to visit again ^^

[flowbe202]

We sure do love it! And, you're also not the first NYer to make the same points.

Little ol' Somerville has 52 languages represented in it's tiny borders... We may not have the mass of NYC, but we're way more charming in a gruff, curmudgeonly sort of way.


Come back anytime so we can feel smug about converting another Yankees fan!

[Prytania]

I'm a southerner who after spending a considerable time living in the UK, is desperately looking for work in Boston just for those reasons. Transit, density, architecture and history.

[G-fused]

I'm from NYC. Been living in Boston for 5.5 yrs. Many people from NYC make the mistake of expecting Boston to be simply a smaller NYC and when those expectations aren’t met, they’re disappointed and end up not liking it. They’re such different places. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

NY is a megatropolis with just more of everything. There are a lot of things to like about it. I’m not going to get into the good and bad of both places and Boston is far from perfect but we’re happier here than I think we would have been in NYC.

Anyway, I’m glad you liked it. Because NYC is such a large place with so many things going on, NYers can be a bit smug and critical of cities that aren’t up to par with what NYC has going on – and honestly, most cities can’t match up to NY. It’s refreshing when someone can let go of that end enjoy what Boston offers. After we got to know a good deal of the different environs in and around Boston and Boston Proper, we began exploring the outskirts and wow...there is so much more.

Walden, Emerson, some of the most amazing thinkers – all here. One can absorb it by being on the same land they were on. Seeing the places they lived, their writing desks. I stood at the very same podium where abolitionists like Frederick Douglas (FREDERICK DOUGAS!) gave speeches and held debates. I stood on that same piece of wood.

The American history is captivating. Learning about things that were not in a textbook, seeing things that I never imagined, standing on the same ground as some of the most important battles, it gave me chills. I was already patriotic but this brought me to a level I never imagined...a place that brought it to life and made it real. I’m prouder than ever to be an American and am overwhelmed to be living so close to where it all started and happened.

If you come again OP and have had enough of the city, consider exploring places like Concord if you have any interest in American history. Or if it’s education, take a tour of Harvard or one of the many tours that leave out of the Boston Common (they used to execute people on the Common and some are buried there) or go to one of the cemeteries in the city to see the headstones of some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. But be warned that the gravesights themselves isn’t necessarily where the person is buried. It’s true. People weren’t always buried in neat rows. It was more willy nilly. Can you guess why that changed and the rows were put into place? It had to do with an invention. It was the lawn mower! Many of the gravestones were moved around and there isn’t a definitive record of who is where and if the stones were placed in their proper places.

Anywhoo, there are tons of little (yet very interesting) things like that to learn in teh Athens of America.

[Warszawa]

^ Well tbh I always usually end up comparing places to NYC. But Boston has enough attraction to it, that even when you compare it to NYC, it still seems like a great place! I used to think that US was made up of New York and the rest was cornfields, but now I see that US is made up of Boston and New York, and the rest is cornfields. Boston definitely made me want to explore the US more, I can't wait to see Philly, Chicago, and Washington DC now!

[UKWildcat1981]

Boston is the most amazing city to attend college I can tell you that.

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by Warszawa

US is made up of Boston and New York, and the rest is cornfields.

Pretty much.

[MikeNigh]

Originally Posted by Warszawa

^ Well tbh I always usually end up comparing places to NYC. But Boston has enough attraction to it, that even when you compare it to NYC, it still seems like a great place! I used to think that US was made up of New York and the rest was cornfields, but now I see that US is made up of Boston and New York, and the rest is cornfields. Boston definitely made me want to explore the US more, I can't wait to see Philly, Chicago, and Washington DC now!

If you really want to get a sense of the megalopolis that NYC resides in you should also visit the inner harbor etc in baltimore too.

[flowbe202]

Originally Posted by Warszawa

I used to think that US was made up of New York and the rest was cornfields, but now I see that US is made up of Boston and New York, and the rest is cornfields. Boston definitely made me want to explore the US more, I can't wait to see Philly, Chicago, and Washington DC now!

You've hit the jackpot with Boston. No need to visit more...