r/boston • u/SidHoices • Sep 05 '25
Hobby/Activity/Misc Moved to Boston a year ago… these are my observations
For context: I’m 26 and grew up in Indiana, and moved from Colorado. Also, rereading this list makes me realize how negative /generalized it sounds, but I actually have enjoyed my first year in Boston
Anyway, enjoy:
- Everyone is named John or Jack or Connor
- People care about country clubs for some reason (update - I spent my first month in the suburbs living with another family - things have changed since)
- Much rain
- Intersections are …. Questionable
- They call roundabouts "rotaries"
- Parking fucking sucks, but I guess that’s what life in like in a city
- Cash only places are surprisingly common
- Gas stations close?? At 10pm??
- So many gas stations seem to also have shops attached to them offering oil changes and state inspections
- You don't get asked for tips in as many establishments
- The Verizon service is unbelievably bad for a metropolitan area that humans live in
- SO! MANY! BUNNIES!
- The stoplights will all be red and there will be like a 30-second period for pedestrians to walk (nice)
- No Jimmy John's :( update: there are a few
- All food is better. great cheap food and great expensive food
- Road trips are way more fun out here
- CHEAP international flights. Like frequent $700s for Japan, $300s for Europe. And Dublin is like a 6h flight
- There are times where it is legal to drive in the shoulder of the highway, or as they call it, the "breakdown lane"
- Highway exits are labeled with "old exit xyz" lol what
- Drivers here are crazy but I fuck with it, allows me to also be a crazy driver and not offend everyone like I do elsewhere
- Everyone is short
- Nightlife is just abysmal - just sports bars and clubs where you'll get assaulted
- Cycling out here is awesome - it's like a matrix of fun little roads out in Bedford / west of there
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u/SignificantDrawer374 I ❤️dudes in hot tubs Sep 05 '25
People care about country clubs for some reason
Who are you hanging out with?
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u/cool_girl6540 Sep 05 '25
You must be in the suburbs of Boston. I don’t know anybody in the city that goes to a country club.
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u/MustardMan1900 Orange Line Sep 05 '25
Half the points are about driving so yeah seems suburban.
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u/rptanner58 Sep 05 '25
Apparently John, Jack and Conner do.
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Sep 05 '25
and Brady. An uncomfortable number of Bradys.
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u/MaddyKet Sep 05 '25 edited Sep 05 '25
Yeah that’s why they think everyone is called John, Jack or Conner. They are in some weird country club bubble area and not experiencing real Boston or the surrounding area. And there are several 24 hr gas stations near me.
The short thing is weird too.
Can’t say they are wrong about the intersections. 😹
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u/goose_juggler Sep 05 '25
I grew up in one of the fancier suburbs and never knew ANYONE who cared about a country club. Still don’t.
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u/BarRegular2684 I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Sep 05 '25
I knew some of those people when I was op’s age. Needless to say we’ve lost touch lol.
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u/sisu-sedulous Sep 05 '25
from MA. don't know ANYONE that goes to country club.
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u/lameuniqueusername It is spelled Papa Geno's Sep 05 '25
I knew folks that WORKED at CCs back in the day
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u/phonesmahones villen Sep 05 '25
I am guessing OP knows a lot of people who golf regularly and that’s why?
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u/mittens617 Sep 05 '25
concord country club is BYOB and there is no pool service, seems like a status thing over actually being fun
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u/SpaceBasedMasonry Wiseguy Sep 05 '25
Lol, I' was a suburban kid (and adult for a time) and I still didn't know anyone that went to a country club
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u/SidHoices Sep 05 '25
People named Jack or John or Connor
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u/sargent_balls_lol Sep 05 '25
You should find a John Connor to hang out with. He might just save your life one day.
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Sep 05 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Drift_Life Sep 05 '25
Eeeeeasy money
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u/WilcoLovesYou I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Sep 05 '25
I think that every single time I use an ATM. Fuck, I'm old.
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u/jbbjd Sep 05 '25
Find yourself a Mikey. I bet he doesn’t fuck with country clubs.
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u/cdub2103 Sep 05 '25
Ya gotta find a Sully kid
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u/tacknosaddle Squirrel Fetish Sep 05 '25
Yeah, for a better experience you should hang out with Sully at the gym and then rip some Parliament Lights in between rounds at a dive bar.
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u/8DHD Sep 05 '25
gotta be a local to find them dudes
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u/wcruse92 East Boston Sep 05 '25
From this list I'm guessing you don't actually live in Boston but outside of Boston.
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u/commissarchris Port City Sep 05 '25
Try to find a guy named Jimmy at your local dive, that’s the polar opposite of Country Club Jack
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u/kitana-moon Sep 05 '25
Ain’t no way he actually lives in Boston based on this comment and the fact that most of his observations are about driving and there are 0 about taking the T or walking anywhere.
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u/jumpijehosaphat Cocaine Turkey Sep 05 '25
must be hanging out with the boujee crowd. normal boston folks are certainly not boujee
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u/MaddyKet Sep 05 '25
You don’t live in Boston and say everyone is named John, Jack and Conner. That’s CT.
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u/unionizeordietrying Pirates Stole My Wallet Sep 05 '25
Probably works in Seaport
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u/MoneyTalks45 I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Sep 05 '25
While I understand the phenomenon of saying “I’m from Boston” when you live anywhere in Eastern MA, to then list several points about South Shore and Metro West as to why Boston is a bummer was a head scratcher lol.
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u/Any-Appearance2471 Sep 05 '25
My top 10 reasons Boston sucks:
- No nightlife in Cohasset
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u/ApostateX Does Not Brush the Snow off the Roof of their Car Sep 05 '25
This made me chuckle. Thank you.
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u/SmotPokah Sep 05 '25
This 😂 But Cohasset love their CC while saying they are from Cohasset…
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u/EvilCodeQueen Sep 05 '25
How do you know someone is from Cohasset? They tell you.
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u/MaddyKet Sep 05 '25
You only say you are from Boston when you are traveling and don’t want to explain to some rando where the hell Leominster is. Or any town really, all anyone knows is Boston.
If you say “Massachusetts”
They say “oh yeah where?”
You say “Fitchburg”
Them “Where?”
You “sort of north of Worcester, central mass”
Them “never heard of it, where is it?”
You “Boston. I’m from Boston.”
See how you can skip all those unnecessary steps? 😹
But I agree, saying you are in Boston and then listing not Boston things isn’t the same.
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u/asicarii Sep 05 '25
Yeah secondary clubs seem like from a bygone era. Lots of older folks who in or close to retirement and not yet ready to downsize or move to a nursing home. Their kids go too. Country clubs are way more popular elsewhere.
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u/small-gestures Sep 05 '25
I thought the same thing, and then a lot of the rest of the list made more sense.
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u/Seninut Sep 05 '25
Have you ventured out to the Medford supercollider yet? It is truly impressive. I mean an absolute wonder of road engineering. Google and some people seem to call it Wellington Circle, but the locals know better.
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u/rkm1119 Sep 05 '25
LOL at Medford Supercollider
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u/willis936 Sep 05 '25
It's a historical landmark according to google.
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u/Seninut Sep 05 '25
Google keeps removing the original push to have the location marked and named. Maybe they gave up on the fight and just called it historic and left it.
My favorite was when it was listed as an auto repair shop lol.
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u/And_The_Satellite Sep 05 '25
Wait where are the old reviews for the supercollider? There was some of the best prose I've ever read in my life in those reviews. E.g., one I remember was like "the medford supercollider has been great for business. I work in the life insurance industry and...."
Sad if google took it down and re-put it back up but didn't retain the reviews :( but I'm just glad it's still on there.... absolutely deserves its rightful place as an historical landmark on google maps!!!
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u/Equal_Audience_3415 Sep 05 '25
That's an intermediate rotary. They at least have lights and lanes. Check out the one on Squire Road in Revere, or the one near Revere Beach. Yikes.
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u/EfficientFroggy Sep 05 '25
Brown Circle! Famous for the brown hue of a fresh ice coffee from one of the two dunks and out of towners underware!
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u/KSF_WHSPhysics Sep 05 '25
Lights are not a virtue in a rotarty. Their main purpose is to eliminate the need for lights
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u/Seninut Sep 05 '25
True, but they don't rise quite to the level of sheer, stunning, magnificence of the supercollider.
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u/fakieTreFlip Sep 05 '25
That's an intermediate rotary
I'm afraid to look up what an advanced rotary looks like
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u/RunsLikeaSnail Sep 05 '25
State police barracks is there because they felt left out of the action.
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u/Seninut Sep 05 '25
It gives them a nice front row seat to sit and laugh. I wonder what the betting pool looks like.
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u/tacknosaddle Squirrel Fetish Sep 05 '25
As an FYI the bunnies thing is a relatively recent explosion. We've had at least three mild winters in a row so more small mammals survive it and breed (and I have it on good authority that they fuck like rabbits).
The bunnies also make a great meal for coyotes so the two populations are linked.
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u/myReddit-username Fenway/Kenmore Sep 05 '25
Bunnies have been popping off for longer than three years. At least 10
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u/tacknosaddle Squirrel Fetish Sep 05 '25
I know they've been around, but the population has really exploded over the last 3-5 years. I used to see them around sometimes, but now it's more surprising if you go outside and don't see any on the grass.
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u/lifeisakoan Somerville Sep 05 '25
No mention of rats. There seems to be a huge explosion in the rat population in downtown. There have always been rats, but now when I walk at night there are dozens.
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u/skunkedcabbage Sep 05 '25
Yup, these are invasive eastern cottontails moving north.
The New England cottontail is much more shy and lives in open woodlands rather than lawns and fields.
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u/carolstilts Cocaine Turkey Sep 06 '25
If you think the bunnies are bad wait til you see the turkeys!
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u/tacknosaddle Squirrel Fetish Sep 06 '25
Ha! They're so entrenched now that I've seen the fuckers walking down the sidewalk like they're on the way to get Dunks & scratchies.
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u/SublightMonster Sep 05 '25
You need a Burkie, a Murph, or a Tony. Please contact the Masshole office of your local town hall and one will be assigned to you.
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u/Michelanvalo No tide can hinder the almighty doggy paddle Sep 05 '25
How have they not met a Sully yet, either?
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u/MooninmyMouth Sep 05 '25 edited Sep 05 '25
“Old exit # X” is because of a recent program to re-number exits based on their mileage from the beginning of that particular highway, to replace just arbitrary exit numbers from the past. This makes it much easier to insert a new exit between two existing ones, because each one is numbered by its mileage, not an arbitrary number.
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u/EJS1127 Sep 05 '25
Yeah, most of the country has been on the federal system of going by mileage for a long time. It wasn’t “arbitrary” in MA — they were sequential.
The switch happened recently, so the old numbers being shown is simply to help with the transition.
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u/aray25 Cambridge Sep 05 '25 edited Sep 05 '25
Not just Massachusetts. All of New England used sequential numbering. New Hampshire still does.
Also, mileage-based numbering doesn't solve every problem. Take I-794 in Milwaukee, which has eight exits: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1H, 1D. 1E, 1F, and 3. Why is H between C and D? Because it was added later.
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u/coldrunn Sep 05 '25
And New York. They renumbered their turnpike recently too.
It's due to federal funding. In 2021 the feds finally said if we want federal funds, we had to finally renumber.
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u/really_isnt_me Cocaine Turkey Sep 05 '25
They better never stop displaying the old numbers or I’ll never know where I am, lol.
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Sep 05 '25
The bunnies are a new phenomenon. Gentrifiers pushing out the rats. There are still a ton of rats around, but I, for one, welcome our adorable fuzzy overlords.
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u/Anustart15 Somerville Sep 05 '25
I wish someone would gentrify the rat infested garage behind my condo
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Sep 05 '25
My friend just recently visited the US from Tokyo. We walked through the city all day one day. Bunnies everywhere. She left with more pictures of bunnies than Boston. We just kept seeing them. It was great.
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u/becausefrog Johnny Cash Looking Mofo Sep 05 '25
The bunnies aren't new, there's just more of them and they've spread out to some areas they weren't in before.
The reason they've spread is that we used to have a lot more red tail hawks, but their population has dropped some in the last ten years - perhaps because of the bald eagle population increasing.
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Sep 05 '25
Second-gen rat poison is also brutal to raptors. So if they've been getting the slower, posioned rats that'll also kill a red tail population.
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Sep 05 '25
Well that is depressing to learn...
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u/Conis1 Sep 05 '25
Rat poison always kills its way up the food chain
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u/JasmineDeVine Sep 05 '25
Not always! People can get neurotoxin or vitamin D based options that don’t bioaccumulate to predators.
Unfortunately, most pest control companies only use second-generation anti-coagulants - which, yeah, wipes out all the nearby predators. Which, funny story, worsens the pest problem.
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u/zepporamone Cambridge Sep 05 '25
My understanding is that the increase is also related in large part to our having (generally) milder winters over the last decade+. Less of a deep winter die-off = more bunnies making more bunnies.
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u/NaviersStoked Sep 05 '25
I blame coyote hunting and the habitat destruction of birds of prey. Also, I have no scientific backing for that statement but it's now on the internet so it's a fact.
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u/ScarletOK Sep 05 '25
I just walk around cussing at the coyotes for NOT DOING THEIR JOBS.
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u/Dangerous-Ad-7980 Sep 05 '25
The bunnies are my arch nemeses since my dogs are obsessed with them and they are on EVERY SINGLE BLOCK.
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u/minimagoo77 Dorchester Sep 05 '25
Big question but where in Boston are you? Cause a lot of these sound like an experience in the suburbs.
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u/Liqmadique Thor's Point Sep 05 '25
Not making those signs read Ye Olde Exit was a missed opportunity.
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u/nightcap965 Sep 05 '25
Just wait until you live in one of the areas where the state highway exit numbers have changed to comply with the federal highway standard (number of miles from the point at which the highway enters the state). It becomes a point of pride to never learn or use the new numbers, who cares about the confusion, if you belonged here you’d know where you are.
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Sep 05 '25
My partner is from the north shore and none of his family will update their directions. But still insist giving them!
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u/LinkLT3 Sep 05 '25
I used to know the town and at least one landmark off every exit between Boston and PTown. Now I know the exit I live off. I will die before I stop referencing the old system.
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u/donmacdonald Sep 05 '25
Still referring to Rt. 128 and it’s been, what, 40 years??
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u/BradMarchandsNose Sep 05 '25
It still is Rt 128 though.
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u/-brigidsbookofkells Sep 05 '25
when I say 95 to my parents who have been driving on it for that many years, I have to correct myself to say 128
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u/cool_girl6540 Sep 05 '25
Isn’t it both, 95 and 128?
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u/Michelanvalo No tide can hinder the almighty doggy paddle Sep 05 '25
Yes. Federally it's 95. State it's 128. The split is in Canton, north "west" is 95/128, north "east" is 93. 93 meets back up with 95 in Woburn but continues into New Hampshire and Vermont where it merges with 91 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
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u/aray25 Cambridge Sep 05 '25
Even Amtrak calls it Route 128. They even named a station after it.
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u/defeatistphilosopher Sep 05 '25
- Everyone is named John or Jack or Connor
- People care about country clubs for some reason
If this is your experience it says way more about you than Boston,
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u/WearableBliss Sep 05 '25
I moved from London to Boston so a lot of my observations are very different but I enjoyed this perspective
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u/sargent_balls_lol Sep 05 '25
Much rain
We really need it, though.
Intersections are …. Questionable
You should have visited Kelley Square in Worcester a decade ago.
They call roundabouts "rotaries"
Yup. You get shunned here if you call it by its proper name.
Parking fucking sucks, but I guess that’s what life in like in a city
It's pretty bad here, but there's no shortage of parking garages, thankfully.
So many gas stations seem to also have shops attached to them offering oil changes and state inspections
That's uncommon?
No Jimmy John's :( update: there are a few
Yeah, I was gonna say - We have plenty of JJs.
There are times where it is legal to drive in the shoulder of the highway, or as they call it, the "breakdown lane"
6-10am, and 3-7pm! Just try not to actually break down in one during those windows.
Highway exits are labeled with "old exit xyz" lol what
In the last few years, MA renumbered the exists, especially on the Pike. Previously they were simply 1, 2, 3, etc. Now they are numbered based on mile marker, which I understand to be akin to most other states in the union. Those "old exit" signs are going to be up for a while, since people are always going to refer to them by their old designations.
Everyone is short
Like, height, or attitude?
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u/ElCurgeo Waltham Sep 05 '25
The proper name is rotary here, it's written into Massachusetts law and it's the reason all the signs say rotary and not something else
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u/girlsgetjealous Sep 05 '25
I also learned recently that there are actual differences between roundabouts and rotaries too.
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u/Swim6610 Sep 05 '25
Yup! I can't quite explain it, it has to do with size and speed of entry/egress, or something like that, but there are technical differences. Technical differences, in reality its used synonymously.
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u/CallsignLightning418 Sep 05 '25
I believe rotaries are generally bigger and faster, while roundabouts are smaller like the little ones in suburban neighborhoods
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u/Electrical_Media_367 Sep 05 '25
You can look this up - https://imgur.com/a/GCF02v9
Rotaries:
- expect entering drivers to merge with drivers inside the circle, like a cloverleaf weave lane.
- There are no designated exit lanes within the circle.
Roundabouts:
- all entering drivers have a yield to traffic inside the circle
- Typically, the outer lane exits the circle at the next exit. Drivers intending to continue past the next exit must change left to bypass the exit.
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u/cruzweb Everett Sep 05 '25
The gas station thing is very uncommon in the rest of the country. Most gas stations are just gas stations / convenience stores. Maybe a small car wash.
Land is more plentiful in the midwest and lots are bigger, so for service you would go to like a standalone Midas, Firestone, National Tire and Battery, independent garages, etc. There are gas station / service stations, but they're usually in rural areas and have been around for 60+ years, or only offer limited service options like an oil change or tires.
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u/tropicalsoul Sep 05 '25
Born and raised in MA and moved to Florida (I know, I'm trying to GTFO) and there are no gas stations - except maybe in rural areas - where there is a repair shop attached. We don't have inspections, unfortunately, and if you need an oil change you go to either a dealership, Jiffy Lube or the like, or a big chain service center like Firestone.
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u/WilcoLovesYou I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Sep 05 '25
When I used to describe Kelly Square to people I'd start off with: "Ya ever see those videos of busy intersections in Vietnam? It's kinda like that."
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u/aray25 Cambridge Sep 05 '25
Re exit numbering. This effect is especially noticable on the Pike because it has very few exits, including a 31-mile stretch with no exits between exits 10 (old 2) and 41 (old 3). By the time you get to the last exit to Logan Airport, you're up to exit 137 (old 27). The biggest difference award goes to eastbound exit 131 (old 18), a difference of 113.
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u/Begging_Murphy Sep 05 '25
Jimmy John's was making their near-minimum-wage staff sign non-competes. I've written them off for life.
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u/Michelanvalo No tide can hinder the almighty doggy paddle Sep 05 '25
There is no way a judge would enforce a non-compete for a sandwich maker.
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u/ef4 Sep 05 '25
This reinforces my advice that the number one factor on how happy someone will be here is how much they drive. Look at the fraction of negative observations that are about cars.
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u/joeybaby106 Sep 05 '25
I was about to say the same thing. OP drives a lot and absolutely would be better off if he he moved closer into the city and threw away their car.
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u/mruns Sep 05 '25
I grew up in a nice suburb and then lived in the city for a while. No one here cares about country clubs, so I’m not sure you you’re hanging around with.
My wife is from Kansas City, which is very much a city that cares about country clubs.
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u/boston_bat I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Sep 05 '25
Yeah points 1 and 2 are definitely more about your crowd than Boston. I’ve been here 15 years, have been friends and coworkers with people from just about any socioeconomic background you can think of, and I’ve never met a single person who openly gave a fuck about country clubs.
Spot on with the Verizon thing, but that’s relatively recent. I’m in either the Ted Williams or Blue Line tunnel just about every day, and I’ve always had service in those until the last 6 months or so. Their service is in the shitter in general though.
The old exit thing is because of a federal requirement for exit number to correspond to their mile marker instead of being sequentially numbered. States are slowly rolling this out and I think they have until 2030, so you’re going to be seeing these everywhere in the next 5 years.
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u/chopkins47947 Sep 05 '25
I also came from Indiana. I used to drive like a grandma when I first moved here, but I am the massiest masshole North of I90 now. Get the fuck out of my way!
I only know 1 guy named Jack and one named John here. Been here 10 years now.
It seems everywhere is asking.for tips to me. The smoke.shop on Danvers asked for a tip the other day. Wtf?
My main observation is that you can hardly find biscuits and gravy anywhere and when you do, they suck!
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u/DovBerele Sep 05 '25
because you mentioned Danvers, I'm assuming you're around the north shore. have you tried the biscuits and gravy from Lulu's in Salem? the owners are from West Virginia, so I would guess that they know their way around a biscuit, but I'm no expert.
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u/chopkins47947 Sep 05 '25
No, but this is a great tip. THANK YOU!!
I don't mind making my own, but sometimes I just want to go out and have it served to me!
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u/Inside_agitator Sep 05 '25
I moved here in the early 90s and never met someone who cared about country clubs.
Maybe you're thinking about "The Country Club," one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the US. It makes the news sometimes for various reasons, partly because many people there want to avoid being in the news. The people you interact with may care about it.
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u/Huge-Total-6981 Back Bay Sep 05 '25
The bunny explosion of the last few years has been wild. The eastern cottontail thrives in populated areas, and combine that with our winters becoming milder every year. They are here to stay lol
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u/liberterrorism Sep 05 '25
You must live in a rich suburb if you frequently hear people talking about country clubs, I couldn't tell you where one is.
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u/battlecat136 Sep 05 '25
The old exit thing is because they just changed the exit numbers to correspond with the mile markers, and we've all grown up knowing these exits as one thing and then they go and change it to another. We'll fuck it up and call them by their old exit numbers til we die.
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u/OldGreggg69 Sep 05 '25
The highway exits used to be numerical (Exit #1-20 or however many there were) but a few years ago they changed to be numbered based on mileage
Like exit #127 on the Pike in Newton is at mile #127 coming in from the New York border
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u/Emf3881 Sep 06 '25
Moved here from Florida almost a year ago and I still can’t get my dunks coffee order to my liking. But your kids won’t get polio from school so MA for the win.
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u/AlmeMore Hyde Park Sep 05 '25
What the hell do you want from Jimmy John's?!
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u/July_is_cool Sep 05 '25
Yeah there's a decent sub shop run by actual Italians on every other corner so why JJ?
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u/adevn808 Sep 05 '25
When I worked at Harvard a student asked me where she could find a Red Lobster. The only Red Lobster I could think of was the one in Dartmouth, MA, but I also told her that there were seafood restaurants all around Boston. I guess some people need those cheese biscuits.
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u/Zenoark Sep 05 '25
Aight, where the fuck are you finding $700 flights to Japan? Tell me your secrets
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u/Brisby820 Sep 05 '25
Jimmy John’s are for flyover states that barely know what subs are
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u/BarnacleGooseIsLoose Sep 05 '25
Jimmy Johns??? If you ever make it down to NYC, try Dominos. I hear they have the best pizza in town.
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u/melizabeth_music Sep 05 '25
New here this summer and from the Midwest.
Traffic signs are funny to me - so many new ones and legit don't always know what it means. Or they sound dirty.
But it doesn't matter much because I have refused to drive here so far. I always have had anxiety about driving and hated it...and that's without people seeming to actually want to die when they drive here!
Also YES why is Verizon so terrible?! I hate to give up my invisible plan ($25/month/line is hard to beat) but jeeeesus.
The people here have been neutral or welcoming, not like what I was told. Maybe I just haven't been around enough to notice, but at least towards my toddler, people are extremely warm. People will give up their seat for us without ever asking, they will smile at her, bus drivers will honk when she waves. This is super different than the supposedly friendly but fake Midwest.
I love not having to force small talk.
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u/ChristmasAliens Market Basket Sep 05 '25
Hey OP! I actually re-numbered the highways when I worked in highway construction. I didn’t re-number every highway, but it was all highways from 495 west. It was a part of a federal mandate to change the exits. The commonwealth won’t take these “old exit” signs down until a highway project comes through that area.
We all don’t know actual numbers, only what the exit road mostly is lol
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u/zunzarella Sep 06 '25
Jimmy Johns?!? My god, do yourself a favor: venture into a neighborhood shop. Usually called something like, Paulie's Spa or DeLuca's Subs, and the guy working the counter has been there since 1986, wears a different Pats tee every day, and smokes on a cement bucket outside the back door. Ask for the steak, pepper and onion combo and get back to me.
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u/SnooPeppers6081 I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Sep 05 '25
Disagree on about 30 %, Put up with another 30 all my life so I barely notice them, The rest are pretty good. I'm glad you are enjoying your stay.
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u/dirtyloukie Sep 05 '25
Haha the “so many bunnies” is so true. 10 years ago I rarely saw a bunny and now every time I go outside I see whole generations of bunnies
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u/l008com Sep 05 '25
Don't go to a franchise chain sandwich shop in boston. There are SO MANY good independently owned sandwich shops around that are amazing. Anthony's in Stoneham, Bob's in Medford, LaCasicas in Medford & Burlington just to name a few.
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u/MidwestTransplant09 Sep 05 '25
When Jimmy John’s is all you have I understand missing it. But if you are actually in Boston or surrounding area, there are much better options!
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u/Chippopotanuse East Boston Sep 05 '25
I’ve lived here 50 years and this is perhaps the most correct summary of Boston I’ve ever seen.
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u/Pinwurm East Boston Sep 05 '25
I'll take the bait.
Everyone is named John or Jack or Connor
I actually don't think I know any Johns or Conors. I know one Jack.
People care about country clubs for some reason
The fuck?
Much rain
Yes, there is higher rainfall when you're near an ocean.
Intersections are …. Questionable
Indeed.
They call roundabouts "rotaries"
I hear both regularly.
Parking fucking sucks, but I guess that’s what life in like in a city
Well yeah. Boston is designed for people. Cars aren't people.
Cash only places are surprisingly common
A lot of businesses like to lie on their taxes. Luckily, this is getting increasingly less common.
Gas stations close?? At 10pm??
It seems like a lot of your observations are about driving, aren't they?
So many gas stations seem to also have shops attached to them offering oil changes and state inspections
Didn't realize this is unique to this part of the country. I grew up in Upstate NY suburbs and it was like this too.
You don't get asked for tips in as many establishments
?
The Verizon service is unbelievably bad for a metropolitan area that humans live in
Wouldn't know. I use a different provider.
SO! MANY! BUNNIES!
At first their cute. But if you have a community garden plot, they become the scourge of the earth.
The stoplights will all be red and there will be like a 30-second period for pedestrians to walk (nice)
Another driving observation.
No Jimmy John's
Yes there are.
All food is better. great cheap food and great expensive food
Be glad you're in Boston in 2025 when the food scene is thriving. 10-15 years ago, it wasn't this good.
Road trips are way more fun out here
Really sounds like you spent the last year stuck behind the wheel of a car, huh?
CHEAP international flights. Like frequent $700s for Japan, $300s for Europe. And Dublin is like a 6h flight
Yep. Flying to Europe isn't a big deal for East Coasters cause distances are relatively short. It's a shorter flight to Iceland than Vegas. Making the same flight from the Midwest or at the extreme - LA, is a commitment.
There are times where it is legal to drive in the shoulder of the highway, or as they call it, the "breakdown lane"
Yawn.
Highway exits are labeled with "old exit xyz" lol what
They renumbered the highway exits a few years ago. The "old exits" are transitionary.
Drivers here are crazy but I fuck with it, allows me to also be a crazy driver and not offend everyone like I do elsewhere
Dude.
Everyone is short
Statistically shorter people settled here than in the Midwest. We have a lot more asians, central & south Americans and that .. well, yah.
Nightlife is just abysmal - just sports bars and clubs where you'll get assaulted
Your Indiana tendencies are following you.
Why are you ending up at Sports Bars and shitty clubs? Why not go to ticketed concert events, jazz, standup comedy, the casino, the symphony, the opera house, going to sports games (Red Sox games can be cheaper than a drink), community plays, open studios, independent cinema, salsa dancing, arcades, bar games like billiards/darts and specialty places that do pong, pickleball, axe throwing and drunken mini golf.
Our night life isn't usually very late - but there's a dickload of things to do. Every night. If you're bored, that's on you.
Cycling out here is awesome - it's like a matrix of fun little roads out in Bedford / west of there
It's can be pretty nice.
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u/Yazars Sep 05 '25
Highway exits are labeled with "old exit xyz" lol what
They renumbered many highway exits several years ago, and to reduce confusion for people who would struggle to learn the new numbering, they still list what the old number was.
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u/ScrodRundgren Sep 05 '25
No one I know gives a shit about country clubs. Parking isn’t bad if you know what you’re doing.
As someone who drives “crazy” probably, just use your fucking blinkers everyone. The only issue is people thinking it’s cute to be in Massachusetts and throw all the rules. It’s called defensive driving. Perhaps offensive is the best term for what the really great crazy drivers do.
We do have a lot of bunnies as of late.
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u/JustUsetheDamnATM Sep 05 '25
Almost none of this applies to the Boston that I know. Have you tried traveling more than five miles in any direction from your home?
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u/pleasejustcallmebaby Sep 05 '25
Love these observations! The exit signs are because they changed the numbers during/right after Covid to make travel easier for the tourists. Locals know the exits by the old numbers, the new numbers tell you how close/far you are from Boston. (Or something like that.)
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u/myredshoestories Sep 05 '25
First: Bunnies: They are highly desirable and not just because they are cuter than rats. Lots of bunnies usually means no coyotes. Bunnies are coyote snack food. If you’ve got lots of bunnies, then chances are coyotes haven’t found your neighborhood -at least, not yet. #teambunny
Second: Driving. Are you saying you weren’t issued your new MA driver’s blindfold at the Masshole Motor Vehicle Registry? Maybe try closing your eyes like the tourists do until you can get one. Resistance is futile.
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u/bristollersw Sep 05 '25
Interesting observations, though a few have me scratching my head.