by Roy -

When someone gives you directions that start off with “you can’t get there from here, ” you know you are in Boston. But aside from the maddening one-way systems and tangle of streets, the city has an extensive public transport system, grand cultural institutions, albion towers of academia and smugly bourgeois brick architecture that are permanently attractive to long-time residents and mini-fridge carrying university students alike.

What is it known for?

In many ways the history of Boston is the history of the United States. Many of the nation’s creation myths were born here, from “the shot heard round the world” that began the American Revolution (in nearby Lexington), to the tea party that has political resonance today. You can walk the Freedom Trail (just follow the red bricks!) that takes you through a tour of downtown Boston, past the Old North Church and the State House to name a few historic spots.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Joydeep Mutsuddi

The Boston skyline

Boston – My Third visit ….Its February and still snowing. Having just arrived from Puerto Rico, my body kind of contracts to preserve the warm Puerto Rican sunshine. Good try, one step outside the terminal and the blast chills your lungs.

Logan airport has a confusing car park ..so my brother-in-law who lives here is just as confused in locating the floor on which he parked his car. Several elevator switches and 20 minutes of walking through an icy blast we reach the car.

The BIG DIG – My b-i-l, Ashim has been excited about this for a while – for a while??? Well, almost a decade. Result, several years of digging cavernous tunnels you have sinuous serpentive roads strangulating the city and confusing the hell out of drivers. So several missed turns later we make it to Malden and home – sweet, warm home.

Boston has a lot of positives too – to me it brings to the fore a set of cultural aspects of America that one misses in many newer cities in the States. It is not the flashy Las Vegas, it is deep rooted, academic, the hub of bio-tech and a large multi-cultural student population. It is a melting pot of languages, color, minds ….awesome. I spent a small afternoon at the flea market and a food court. Both the food on offer and the people mix was a truly a representation of the globe – well almost.

Boston has more history than many other American cities- I did make time to see the Ist computer that has rows of swtches and takes up an entire wall, MIT and Harvard , the oldest Pub in America- Awesome! If you hang around just enough you can feel an energy there that is vibrant and intellectually stimulating.

Boston Museum of Science

Being a short stay, my sis decided that visiting the Science Museum would be a good idea and she was right. For a 14$ ticket I learnt about physics, aeronautics, orthopaedics, hip replacements, metamorphosis and for another couple, got myself an orange juice & fries. The food court at the bottom has a spectacular view of the Charles river that cuts across Cambridge and Boston ( Read Academic and Commercial parts of the city). It also houses a nice shop.

I scouted for some stuff and got myself a magnet that sticks on my whiteboard – Another day comes to an end for Boston to let its hair down

It reads “What would you attempt to do if knew you could not fail?” To me that is so representative of what I have seen of Boston, continually pushing the frontiers of education and research. The only thing that Boston needs is better roads, more road signs and patient drivers – they are more liberal on the horn than any other US city driver.

I did not do the pubs or the “scene” as yet. That’s on the agenda when I am there next – & that is no later than 2006.

S’long – Loved the Party!

Joydeep Mutsuddi

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