Attending a three-day conference in Boston, I had the opportunity to walk the streets, ride the "T", eat the food, and live the Boston life albeit very briefly. It was a good adventure and one I wish to replicate. This little post is not so much for the Bostonian as for those who are curious about the world.
Hearing an estimate that there are approximately 80 universities in Boston, I quickly noticed a "collegiate" atmosphere. It seemed as though college students of all ages abounded. Most people walking had a satchel or a backpack and it was common to see people reading on a bench. In the subway, approximately 1 of 3 or 4 people had a book. Most of the books were college textbooks although the occasional Baldacci novel would be seen rather surreptitiously. At any given time, there are well over 250,000 college students in a city proper of less than 700,000 people. Readers and learners and potential academicians seemed to seep through virtually every part of the city, finding residence in Cambridge and Harvard square.
It is rare that my walking pace is matched where I live. I tend to walk briskly with decided goals and a deliberate step that long legs seem to enjoy. Yet in Boston, my pace was matched or exceeded by most people. A further look and I realized that I saw very little obesity. Of course this could be due to the larger people being in automobiles or staying home, but in general I wonder if the crowded city (yes, everything was close together), led to emphasizing walking over riding. If so, then space and wide-open regions are ironically contributing to the wellness problems of our country! (okay, way out theory and certainly pocked full of gaping holes).
Another weak theory: friendly people are generally larger people. My attempts to have a conversation on the subway were met with confusion and suspicion until I became as silent as the others. Texans do tend to strike up friendly conversations with strangers. Bostonians are more reserved (maybe they are thinking great academic thoughts as opposed to Texans!).
While I saw the usual fast food, burger places, sandwich shops, there did appear to be more fish restaurants than I expected. It is hard (nearly impossible) to find fresh fish in central Texas for obvious reasons, so I indulged in the amazing fish delicacies found in virtually every restaurant. And what a treat--swordfish, salmon, sushi, mahi mahi, etc. graced my lips at every opportunity.
Bookstores: a disappointment in some ways. I went to four used bookstores and three new ones. The new ones had the usual assortment of bestsellers organized in the typical ways, with some emphases on literature and political books. The used bookstores were small and specialized. One only dealt with paperbacks while another only had history and politics. My favorite one specialized in documents and art books. The used fiction section was small and concentrated primarily on the finer authors of our times. I did pick up a couple of TR books (I collect biographies and related books on Theodore Roosevelt) and coveted a few other things, but elected not to buy since I might exceed the luggage weight limit. Overall though, Archer City, Texas reigns as the finest used bookstore I have experienced and nothing in Boston can compare.
Materialism: still rampant as it is everywhere with glamorous, glossy malls and high sticker items. Slowly becoming much less materialistic, I found little joy in perusing the expensive items. Happy they exist and that many enjoy them, I walked by them with scarcely a glance.
Enjoying a good cup of coffee everywhere I went, I have about decided that coffee is the elixir of cheer in our country. Tending toward contrarianism, I must admit to being like everyone else with regard to coffee. Great stuff and Boston had its share of great coffee.
It was a fun time and I am glad for the experience. But being mildly claustrophobic, I was glad for the return to my native land called Texas with its expansive sky, cattle, friendly people, and lots of space.
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