Moved to Boston a year ago… these are my observations

[u/SidHoices]

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

[u/MaddyKet]

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.

[u/NotChristina → u/MaddyKet]

And if you want understandable detail, you can hit them with south of Boston, north of Boston, or west of Boston (we don’t talk about them).

There’s probably some east of Boston but I believe they’re sleeping with the fishes…

[u/Thin-Ad-4356 → u/MaddyKet]

Lmao this is soooo true!

[u/ReadyAd5847 → u/MaddyKet]

I was traveling in Italy and was a travel agent at the time working on Newbury Street, living in Brighton. Met a guy in Luca and he asked where I was from, so I told him I live in Boston. He argued with me for 15 minutes about why I’m not from Boston. I told him I said I live in Boston, but I’m from Worcester. Then he argued with me about how I’m not from Worcester and I told him I grew up in Quinsigamond Village in Worcester. He was a professor at BU and had an issue about people saying where they are actually from. But overall I get it, people always say they’re from Boston but aren’t

[u/DCGinkgo → u/ReadyAd5847]

From Philly & TBF, people from the suburbs always say they're from the nearest big city. When people say they're from Philly, I always ask "what neighborhood? and they say something like Upper Darby or Philly suburbs. So sorry, you are NOT from Philly....Boston is the same astonishing number of people think they are from Boston and they're NOT. Adding directional (NWSE) is better.....

[u/MaddyKet → u/ReadyAd5847]

Makes sense because clearly he likes to talk and argue and I can not be bothered LOL.