I thought about posting some kind of reactionary diatribe about what happened in Boston this past Monday, but realized that it would only contribute to what this horrible excuse for a human being wanted…notoriety, fame, attention. So instead, I will focus my efforts on something more sentimental and positive…What I love about “my” city.
There are so many reasons to love the city of Boston.
It is not just filled with history, but it is layered in history, centuries deep. I love that you can walk around and see buildings right next to each other in vastly different styles that work together to create the environment and skyline. 150-year old Romanesque cathedrals next to modern glass sky scrapers. Colonial style marketplaces next to mid-century office complexes.
This is going to sound enormously cheezy, but when you are there, you can feel the history around you. I challenge you to have a meal at Union Oyster House and wander around that area and not feel like you are surrounded by living, breathing history. Some of those old pubs transport you to a different time & place. We have nothing like that in Orlando. Nothing even close.
I find the city to be incredibly visually pleasing. From the aforementioned architecture, to the monuments, to the parks, to the gorgeous tulips and daffodils and flowering trees blooming everywhere you look in the spring. Boston is beautiful.
The people of Boston are an interesting sort. It’s a mixture of learned university-types from somewhere else and old-school folks whose roots run generations deep into the fabric of the city. Another odd mix of old and new that just works. It is said that people in Boston walk faster and talk faster and are always in a hurry, but I think it’s just that they know where they are going and want to get there. They want to live life as much as possible and simply don’t feel the need to meander or dawdle in between.
And if you think that people are less friendly there than they are in areas better known for their hospitality, I would beg to differ. As illustrated by the heroic and heartwarming actions that took place on Monday, I would say that Bostonians on the whole are a warm and welcoming bunch…They just go about it in a different way than their Southern or Midwestern counterparts.
If you are talking Boston, of course, you can’t forget the sports. I have already talked at length about my love of the Red Sox. And I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on the fierce loyalty the city has for the Pats, Bruins, and Celtics. This love also extends to the college teams. And of course, the Marathon. If it’s sports and it’s Boston, the whole city (and usually the entirity of New England) will be rooting for them. I sometimes wish that Orlando had a similar “great sports city” feel. But then I think that it still wouldn’t be Boston. Nothing is like Boston.
I know I moved away from the area when I was 9, but I still feel my connection to the city runs very deep. It’s one of those places that you don’t just visit, you become a part of it. And it sticks with you after you leave. And in all of this recent flurry of media coverage, I see Boston at its best: strong, no-nonsense, pulling together and doing what needs to be done during the hardest of times. It makes me proud to say that I’m a Boston girl.
