Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree with others by saying Boston is not for everyone. I have lived in and around Boston all my life. Although the winters are long, it's something we've learned to live with. The snow can be a burden of course but also a lot of fun, with skiing or tubing in the moutnains, it's especialy enjoyable if you have children. Autum in Boston is beautiful, especially in the suburbs or if you take a trip to the mountains of NH or Maine, the foliage is just breathtaking. And while our summers are short, we do get some nice weather and a trip to the beach is never far.
It is a small city but we have a rich culture and I think there is alot to do. After living here all my life, there are a some things i havent even done. Many museums, beautiful surrounding towns and states to explore or shop, the cape is fun to visit and has plenty to do, NH, RI, Maine.
It is a sports town but there are plenty who have interests other than sports and bars.. i wonder where your meeting these people giving us a bad name haha
We have some of the best schools in the country, both public and college. and great employment opportunities.
Maybe you could try expanding your social network? and it seems like you need someone to show you around a bit more.. not just in the heart of boston but all that MA has to offer.
It seems as though you may be suffering from a sever case of home sickness, with maybe a little "SAD" thrown in the mix. No one can fault you for this. If you feel that San Fransisco is your home, then it is your home, and nowhere can replace that. I hope circumstances change so that you may return to the place that brings you joy.
In the mean time, if you must stay here for an extended period of time, here are some suggestions that may help, or might be fun for you to do.
In the summer:
Take a sailing lesson on the Charles River,
Go to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, or Block Island
Go to the Maine Coast
Walk around the Newport Mansions (RI)
Eat outside on a patio in the North End, the South End, or Newburry Street
Rollerblade or Bike on the bike path in Falmouth
Check out the galleries in Rockport,
Take in a free concert at the Half Shell,
Go to the Berkshires and take in a concert at Tanglewood and splurge on a weekend at Canyon Ranch Spa,
Go the beach
In the fall:
Visit the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont
Watch the Head of the Charles Regatta,
Go apple picking,
Visit Walden Pond,
Hike the Blue Hills and Mt. Wachusett,
Visit Northampton and the 5 College area
In the winter:
Find a cafe with a fireplace, and sit by the fire sipping hot coco, a latte or tea,
Learn to ski, snowboard, ice skate, or even go tubing,
Sign up for net flicks and hibernate,
Hop on a 3 hour flight to Florida for a week and sit in the sun (this can do a lot of good)
In the spring:
Go to the world famous Boston Marathon
Watch the re-enactment of the battle of Lexington and Concord,
Plant a garden,
Take an 8 hr. drive, or hop on the train to the Nation's Capitol and see the Cherry Blossoms,
Rejoice that winter is over
Other good year round things to do:
Take a class,
Sit in on a lecture at one of the world renown universities,
Join a book club,
Join a cycling club,
Join a meet-up group,
Volunteer for a Democratic Politician,
Volunteer for a Republican Politician,
Volunteer for a Independent Politician,
See a play, a musical, the ballet, or a symphony
You get the idea...
As for me, I have an affinity for the area because it is my "home". I don't particularly like winter, but I have not found a place that I love enough to make me want to move.
Also people retire here because they love it, and it's not always easy to pack up and move, especially if one has family in the area.
You don't need to hang out with partying college kids. There are plenty of older graduate students and those perusing their PHDs, along with professors living in the area. People of varying backgrounds come from all over the world to study and teach here.
As for the "T", I think the actual system works pretty well, but I do agree that the cars are out of date, and it would be nice if they would update them with newer, and more comfortable seating.
Sports - I'm really not that into them, so when people start to talk about them, I just kind of tune them out. I really don't think the fans are any more overly zealous here than in other parts of the country.
I don't go to bars, and I don't go to clubs.
In regards to SanFran - There is no way it is less expensive out there. It's a great place, stunningly beautiful, with a lot to do, but I found it to be overrated. The last time I visited, I felt very unsafe going out to dinner, with an abundance of homeless people asking for money. Also, I don't think the weather is as great as everyone makes it out to be. Yes, it is a lot better in the winter, with the mild temperatures, but from what I understand, it's damp and foggy in the summer. Not bad, but not great either.
I hope you can find some peace and joy in your temporary home. Just wait a few months, and you will most likely feel better in the spring.
I can't imagine what it would be like to live in Boston after growing up in the Bay Area. I'm not surprised at all that you feel the way you do. San Francisco I think is the most stunningly beautiful city I've seen, and the food is good and very cheap. I can't afford to live comfortably there, however.
I lived in Boston for four years in the late 80's (grad school and first job). I grew up in a suburb of NYC, so my idea of "the city" as a child was that of a big, foreboding, dangerous, impossible to navigate place. When I first saw Boston I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to live there one day. I knew it had all the advantages of a "city" but it felt more to me like a country town, with toy-like subway cars, quaint cobblestone streets and a pleasant waterfront.
Living in Boston (like anywhere) was both good and bad. The bad: mice-infested apartments (all three of them ), I was burglarized twice, assaulted once, trapped underground in a dark subway car once for over half an hour during a power outage, could not afford a car (not that I could have found a parking space for it) or a nice apartment, not much transition between cold and unbearably hot and humid weather, and the infamous Boston drivers.
But I will always say the good outweighed the bad for me at that time, being a "glass half full" person. I loved (and still miss) sailing on the Charles with Community Boating or on Jamaica Pond, taking the bus to Marblehead on those stifling summer days, walking or biking around Arnold Arboretum or any of the bike trails, free student recitals and concerts at Jordan Hall, the Public Library, biking out to Walden Pond, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Brazilian restaurants, Ethiopian restaurants, hanging out in Harvard Square... the list goes on.
I sometimes question my reasons for leaving Boston 20 years ago to come to New Mexico for a job. I have few regrets. I would probably still be in a sub-standard apartment there, having chosen a low-paying career. I went back to visit five years ago with my partner. Our connecting flight was canceled and we didn't get in to Logan until 1:30 a.m. No subway service so we had to wait in a long line to get a taxi. By 2 a.m. we were in a shared taxi, going nowhere. Some bridge was closed overnight for repairs and we sat somewhere on an underpass with the windows cracked and breathing the exhaust of the surrounding cars. I thought I was going to suffocate. I turned to my partner and said I remembered why I left Boston. Sometimes you can't breathe and can't go anywhere because of the congestion and bad air (this after becoming accustomed to the clear, dry air of New Mexico).
I hope you find your ticket back to SF if that's where you want to be! In the meantime, try to make the most of what Boston has to offer.
Thanks for all the thoughtful posts. Even those who question my mental state have decent feedback. The number 1 problem for me as I think I touched on is the weather. I agree SF can be chilly but it never feels bone chilling face freezing awful like it can get here. I love the beaches of California and the deserts and the mountains. I feel once you get to about New Mexico the geography of the USA gets very interesting and inspiring. I find the east coast is riddled with boring landscapes. The one thing I will say about Boston is it is not overly populated. I have lived in cities that feel overwhelming in that respect.
I've quit my job and will be leaving for California in two weeks. The friends and memories I miss are stronger than anything else. I know I'll be fine because I'm going where I'll be happy. Some have asked where I'm from. It's San Francisco but I mentioned there are several nice places in California that are very different from each other. I like the state in general, I like it for having that diversity within itself.
I've quit my job and will be leaving for California in two weeks.
Lucky you! I hope you find a satisfactory job.
My only advice (which has also been given to me) is that if you find yourself overly dependent on the external environment for happiness, it probably means you need to develop your internal environment more.
Yall need to go back to the South then because this winter is providential Winter. Yall need to go back because this is the oldest u.s city where the place looks good and positive. Your appearance to the city doesn't count, but it is your loyalty to that city. Now I like Boston because its Boston. Check me out .
At least Boston has some culture and people believe in working and making a living.
Culture? The Boston Pops, been there no big deal. It does have a lot of historical places to visit. I don't know if I would call the Old State House that they turned into a T Station. Faneuil Hall is just a big tourist trap.
Most of the people in Boston that I worked with didn't any harder than any other part of the country. They did spend a lot of time talking about sports and going to bars to get drunk.
Boston is a great city, but so is Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and a lot of others.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
4,084 posts, read 12,680,004 times
Reputation: 1974
Quote:
Originally Posted by holden125
Me, I love it to death. I was just showing a person around Boston who had never been and who thought it was the city she'd been looking for her whole life.
I concur with that! I wasn't expecting much when I moved here, but was pleasantly surprised to find that Boston has pretty much turned out to be the city I'd been looking for my whole life. The only difficult adjustment for me was the long, dark winter days, but I think I've pretty much acclimated to them by now.
Judging from this thread, I'm in the minority, but I'm a native Texan and so far I absolutely love the change of seasons, including the winters! I've found I much, much, much prefer cold and snow to oppressive heat and humidity. Give me a snowstorm over thunderstorms, flash flooding, and the threat of hurricanes any day!
I concur with that! I wasn't expecting much when I moved here, but was pleasantly surprised to find that Boston has pretty much turned out to be the city I'd been looking for my whole life. The only difficult adjustment for me was the long, dark winter days, but I think I've pretty much acclimated to them by now.
Judging from this thread, I'm in the minority, but I'm a native Texan and so far I absolutely love the change of seasons, including the winters! I've found I much, much, much prefer cold and snow to oppressive heat and humidity. Give me a snowstorm over thunderstorms, flash flooding, and the threat of hurricanes any day!
Boston has it's ups and downs, just like every other city. I personally do not care for Boston or Massachusetts, though I grew up there. However I can understand why others do and would not discredit them for doing so!
One thing is for certain - a few good old fashioned "cold" winters (not just New England, but anywhere north of say 40 degrees Latitude) and you will appreciate the arrival of Spring and Summer MUCH more. It may a few years, depending upon what part of Texas you are from - it may take 5 or 10 years to truly feel it.
To me, Texas is just pure unadultrated daily heat strokes for 4-5 months. My father lives in SE Texas and I have travelled many times in every season. From May through October it is very hot, at least 85-90 degrees every day. That is way too hot and not how to live for me. However, it may be perfect for someone else.
Congratulations finding a place YOU love.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
), I was burglarized twice, assaulted once, trapped underground in a dark subway car once for over half an hour during a power outage, could not afford a car (not that I could have found a parking space for it) or a nice apartment, not much transition between cold and unbearably hot and humid weather, and the infamous Boston drivers. 
Sometimes you can't breathe and can't go anywhere because of the congestion and bad air (this after becoming accustomed to the clear, dry air of New Mexico).
