Episode 26--Greatest escape to Boston

I wished that everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and holidays!

As a traditional American festival, Thanksgiving means a lot to Americans, reunion, family-gatherer, feast, and quality time with parents. However, for international students like me, it means a good excuse to take a vacation and do some traveling. Being away from my family doesn’t damper my spirits of celebrating this festival by doing something fun. So for me, I gave myself a break and allowed me to enjoy a six-day trip to Boston, which I have been longing for since October.

Before departing, I asked some of my friends who had already been to Boston for advice, and almost everybody made the same comment, “Boston won't let you down.” That made me even more excited about this trip. Boston has always been my favorite city in US. I am not sure why I am so obsessed with it, perhaps because of its colonial atmosphere, rich historical and cultural heritages, or just the city vibe it gives off. Everything about it is like a magnet that attracts me to it.

Traveling with another ICC student, we had a great time exploring the whole city. For a starter, the hotel that we stayed is located at Cambridge. Overlooking the Charles River and offering an amazing view of Boston skyline, the hotel provided us with a luxurious scene of Boston night view on the first day we checked in, and we felt so lucky that we were given a room with the river view available at a relatively low price. (Suggestion: plan your trip earlier so that you can get a good deal of both your transportation and housing.)

                        These are the views behind my hotel. Aren't they stunning? 

Boston is steeped with strong England ambience, and that is what sets it apart from other cities. What I found it amazing about it is that when I was walking on the streets, I could hear many people speaking in European Language (French, German, Italian etc.). I seldom heard of such a variety of language being spoken in Philadelphia. Also, rumor has it that in Boston, there is a part of area where people only speak British English in order to show that they are different than the rest of American English speakers. While I was in there, I tried to look for evidence to confirm this saying. I got really exhilarated when I heard British English was uttered at some places as I stumbled upon, and that was the moment I began to feel a stronger attachment to the city. Sometimes it was just the tiny little things that made me so enchanted by something. 

This street is called Newbury Street, which is the heaven for shopping! The brands cater to different types of consumers, from mass to high-end, from H&M to Chanel, from second-hand to personal tailor, you will definitely find something that you need. Also, in order to keep up the festive spirits, we went shopping on Black Friday. But we were not that "crazy" enough lining up outside of the store at 23:00. We got up at five the next day morning and went for that street at six to do the shopping spree. That was a bit energy-consuming, but I kept reminded myself that I was in America;  that was their unique festival and I should be celebrating it by following the crowds. Anyway, our getting so early did pay off. 

(Faneuil Hall)

(Quincy Market)

(Old City Hall)

Another thing I love about Boston is that it is on the coast, and it is famous for lobsters! I am a big fan of seafood. Given that it is rather expensive to eat lobsters in China, I decided to take the advantage of its reputation and have a real-good authentic lobster feast in Boston. This season might not be ideal for lobsters, because people can actually go to the beach, catching some live lobsters themselves during summer. While in winter, tourists can still enjoy fabulous taste, but they could not be able to have fun of catching lobsters. So that gives me a reason for going there again during summertime. It is the same for whale watching and all the cruises and yachts. They are closed for now and will be opened in the spring. (when the temperature gets higher)

Clam chowder is sooooo good! 

Steamed lobster at Legal Sea Foods. 

There is also one more thing you cannot forget to mention when talking about Boston--Harvard and MIT, the two top universities. I'd say that MIT is little bit monotonous to have a campus tour since the buildings are pretty straightforward, and it is not big. But I spent lots of time wandering around in the insignia store.  (not sure if it is the right word, similar to Penn Bookstore that sells Penn stuffs)  As to Harvard, I instantly fall in love with it due to its beauty. Both the campus as well as the Harvard Square are terrific. For tourists, it was not easy to resist loving this place. The food was delicious, too. We tired a Mexican restaurant and a Chinese restaurant, and both were highly recommended by students here. 

 MIT's famous building with the dome. 

 Harvard's campus with leaves all over the place. A little romantic and sad....

They say that if people touch the left foot of John Harvard, then they will be going to Harvard someday or be successful in the future. So, I did. Please keep this promise!

In general, as my friends said, Boston did not let me down. Although it was raining on the second and the wind was gusting on the third day, it did not affect my mood at all. If I had a chance, maybe someday after graduation, I would like to choose to live there for a while because I really want to get to the city on another level, not just remaining on a tourist’s perspective, but from an insider’s point of view. That will certainly give me a lot different interpretation of looking at the city as well as different experiences of being in the city.