My trip to Boston (Quincy, Revere: neighborhood, high school, living)

[mikesuicide]

I drove to Boston on a whim Friday night with my wife. We like to just pick a city and go spontaneously and Boston won the coin toss. I gotta tell you I was excited because I'm a history buff and Boston has plenty of that. As we entered Boston my first inclination was that it was a clean city (this opinion never changed) compared to NYC which is an armpit. (I often argue this with my friends, I'm from Buffalo) anyway The infastructure i.e. roads, highways gets an 'F'. I have traveled in every major city in U.S.A. and the Big Dig is a big bust if you ask me. If you're not familiar with a city, you have to rely on landmarks to get your bearing.
If you're forced into a tunnel then spit out in an entirely different neighborhood there is no bearing to be had. Can you imagine if Boston's beloved Paul Revere had to navigate through tunnels? we might still be under the Queens rule. Anyway. Quincy Market was pretty nice. Faneuil Market place is a gem and it was nice to see that Boston had preserved it. We walked to the North End and did the whole Freedom trail thing, It was pretty neat but not as much to see there as I'd hoped. The Burial Ground on the hill above the church was one of the coolest we had ever been to (and I've been to New Olreans). Boston is a bit expensive, somewhat unecessarily. I enjoyed good food at the pub we dined and the wait staff were all friendly enough. We went to the Aquarium which I recommend anyone visiting Boston to see. As my wife and I were walking and talking about which bars we wanted to check out (we iphone googled places) a nice young woman overheard us and took the time to explain what was what. She even walked us to the rail station to explain the system. For a spontaneous trip I say it was an 8 out of 10. I'm not sure where people get that Bostonians are rude, but our experience was that everyone was very friendly. I will say though Nobody loves Boston more then Boston. Very very big civic pride.

[Bostonian08]

One weird thing about Bostonians is they love to give directions. Start a conversation in public about almost any topic and people will look at you like you have two heads. Ask the best way from Fanueil Hall to Southie and they light up like Jeopardy contestants!

Glad you enjoyed the trip Mike. Nice of you to share!

[ogre]

Bostonian08, I never really thought about that thing about people loving to give directions before, but I think you're onto something. Maybe it has something to do with the sense that it's necessary to help people not really familiar with the city, so they don't become completely, utterly, hopelessly lost.

That's right, MikeS, no one has ever claimed that driving in Boston was easy, and apparently you found out why. You might find this hard to believe, but the Big Dig is an improvement over the way it was before. Cool idea, just picking a city and going. Glad you enjoyed your visit overall.

[Cliff Clavin]

I wouldn't wish driving in this city on my worst enemy...Carla Tortelli.

Thanks for stopping in Mike.

[Bostonian08]

Originally Posted by ogre

Bostonian08, I never really thought about that thing about people loving to give directions before, but I think you're onto something. Maybe it has something to do with the sense that it's necessary to help people not really familiar with the city, so they don't become completely, utterly, hopelessly lost.

Yeah, it's weird but true. I dunno, I think everyone in BOS would like to be a tour guide if the damn job paid anything. I often looked at BOS as not so much a real city but more like a giant resort that people came to for 5 or 6 years on average. I always felt like I was enjoying a nice 15 year vacation there.

Did you know Saturday Night Live used to have a skit which was like Jeopardy that the whole thing was they had to give directions around Boston? I remember on of the punchlines being a three contestants simultaneously answering one question "you cahnt get theah from heah!"

[readymade]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

Did you know Saturday Night Live used to have a skit which was like Jeopardy that the whole thing was they had to give directions around Boston? I remember on of the punchlines being a three contestants simultaneously answering one question "you cahnt get theah from heah!"

I DO remember that! It was all about obsure directions too. The line I remember went something like "You take a left at the wicked fat kid on the cohnah (corner) of the Dunkin' Donuts!"

HAH! I actually found the transcript of the show by typing (in the search) "wicked fat kid" & "snl."

Looks like I was wrong about my quote. Got it a bit mixed up: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/92/92ibestway.phtml

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

I often looked at BOS as not so much a real city but more like a giant resort that people came to for 5 or 6 years on average.

I have to say that whenever people say this I don't get it. I guess it depends on where you're living but it's certainly not my experience.

My father's grandfather came to Boston from Ireland as a young man in the mid-1890's. He married a woman whose parents came here in 1851 as children fleeing the Great Hunger. They had four children, all of who lived their whole lives within 15 miles of Fanueil Hall (except military service). My dad moved away, then back, and lives outside New England now, but his sister and three of her four kids still live in or near Boston. I've got dozens of relatives in eastern Massachusetts.

Most of my closer friends have similar stories. My girlfriend and her siblings have never lived outside Massachusetts, nor have her parents. Her grandparents raised 7 kids in Dorchester, and 6 still live in the Boston area. The 7th is waiting for his kids to finish high school so he can come home. The only friends I've really got in Boston who are not from Boston are a friend who moved there in 1996 and is staying put, and another guy I told to move there in the early 90's. He's also still there and isn't going anywhere.

I'm sure that in certain parts of town, and with all the students, there are people who just pass through, but I really don't know many. The same is true of NYC, and I hear a lot of people refer to NYC as a transient city, but I think it really depends on who you're hanging out with. Most of the relatives and friends I have in NYC are natives and lifers too.

I guess I just wanted to dispute the idea that Boston is an area without local flavor or roots. To the contrary. It's not DC or Vegas by any means.

[lz1982]

One weird thing about Bostonians is they love to give directions. Start a conversation in public about almost any topic and people will look at you like you have two heads. Ask the best way from Fanueil Hall to Southie and they light up like Jeopardy contestants!

I know this is true for me. I always like giving directions. Maybe it's something about feeling useful?

[LeavingMA]

Faneuil Hall is nice to visit once but is a big tourist trap. The aquarium is decent, but go to the Georgia Aquarium or any other aquarium and you'll find that the Boston one is dirty and nothing spectacular. There is history in Boston but also remember so of it has been built over. Back Bay wasn't there during the 1700's and neither was the Logan Airport area. I'm a huge history buff, but that doesn't affect you when you have to live somewhere. The important things are jobs, comfort, expenses, and living area in my opinion.

Visit Boston for its intricate city living and the fact that it is unique compared to many U.S. cities. There is more to MA than just Boston in my opinion. You can visit what you need to in Boston in a day or two and not miss much.

[Urban Peasant]

Well hello there!

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Boston. It really isn't as mean or unruly as people think. Yes you are right, our traffic is horrible and the Big Dig is a near total waste of public taxpayer money. Don't let your buddies back at the City of Good Neighbors know about this though before they get the wrong idea and actually hope to plan something as messy.