Driving into the city through twisted and congested highways and seeing the tall buildings so far up in the sky is something a person from a rural area, like myself, doesn’t experience very often. Being from Vermont, Boston is the closest big city to my home so I have become pretty familiar with the beautiful city.
Being from such a rural area in Vermont, it was especially exciting the first time I saw the big city. When I travel to Boston now, the same sensation is still there. The big city has something about it, and I don’t feel this way about any other cities I have visited.
Normally, when I visit Boston, I like to go to Boston Harbor — the most beautiful and scenic part of the city. As you get closer and closer to the harbor, the aroma of the fresh seafood, and the sound of seagulls flying overhead becomes overwhelming. The commotion of all of the tourists taking pictures by the water, and buying souvenirs in little pop up shops around the city gives you a joyful feeling.
Close to the Harbor is Quincy Market, a large shopping complex with all kinds of stores. These large, strip mall stores surround Faneuil Hall, a large building that is packed with small food shops. When I think of Boston, I think of Faneuil Hall and the electric and chaotic atmosphere. The market is jammed-packed with enthusiastic tourists and shoppers. On weekends, shoppers come out to Quincy Market and storm into Faneuil Hall for all sorts of food, ranging from Chinese food, to the best Boston clam chowder you will ever taste.
Once everybody is finished getting their Boston merchandise from the market, I usually move inwards toward the center of the city. The next popular place to stop is an entire street. Newbury Street is a very popular shopping spot. When you walk down Newbury Street, the feeling of the real city life comes out. Car horns and people calling for taxis make up a lot of the noise on Newbury Street. The street is littered with shops, some bigger than others. You may find your favorite store to be a small jewelry store down a flight of stairs that takes you under the sidewalk. Or you may be like me, and never run out of things to do in a huge store such as Nike Town.
The last very notable thing that I always notice when I go to Boston is the pride the people have for their professional sports teams. You may never go to another city that is more passionate about Major League Baseball team in your life. Everywhere you go you will see gear from the Red Sox, the professional baseball team, the Boston Bruins, the professional hockey team, the Celtics, the professional basketball team, and the New England Patriots, the professional football team.
I am fortunate enough to have attended two Celtics games, which take place in TD Garden, a large sports arena in Boston. The energy you get when you go into the arena is contagious. Even if you aren’t a big sports fan, it’s a thrilling atmosphere. When a team goes on a run and the entire stadium starts going crazy, it is one of the best feelings I’ve experienced because you feel like you are representing the whole city in that moment.
Regardless of if you are aren’t a sports fan or if you absolutely can’t stand shopping for more than 30 minutes, Boston has so much to offer that I promise you will enjoy your experience there. If you haven’t visited the beautiful city before, I highly suggest you stop by and experience it for yourself.