I have a good friend who grew up in New York City and, unsurprisingly, she takes every opportunity she can to give me a whole spiel about why a life outside of New York isn’t worth living. So when I told her that I would choose Boston over New York any day of the week, I thought she might kill me – if she didn’t go into cardiac arrest first.
A lot of people have that reaction, and not just New Yorkers. Friends from home and even some fellow Bostonians look at me like I’ve been taking crazy pills when I profess my love for our humble little city. Haters are gonna hate, but I stand by my choice.
Look, if we’re being honest, I know New York has us beat in a lot of ways. It has a never-ending supply of hip neighborhoods and equally hip people, and it’s the hub of art, fashion and culture in this country. There’s an undeniable energy to the streets, and it’s easy to see why so many people go to New York to make dreams come true. Plus, it’s served as an excellent backdrop to some of my all-time favorite TV shows, from “How I Met Your Mother” to “Seinfeld” to — the ultimate guilty pleasure — “Gossip Girl.” And okay, I would die happy if I could eat those delicious bagels every day. But none of that changes the fact that Boston will always have a special place in my heart.
Admittedly, part of it is geography. I’m from New Hampshire, sixty miles north and a world away from Boston. Though I may not be a purebred Bostonian, I grew up rooting for the Celtics, shopping on Newbury Street and telling people outside of New England that I’m from Boston since its highly unlikely they’ll have heard of my town in New Hampshire. Plus, for a city-starved girl living in the boonies, Boston was like a Mecca to me. In my eyes, the sun rose and set in Boston, and I jumped at any chance I could to take the bus down for the day and bask in its urban glory. That glossy sheen never wore off, even after I moved here for school.
There’s something intangibly great about this city, if you ask me. There are so many things that are just inherently Boston: Risking bodily harm for a cannoli at Mike’s, getting way, way too into our professional sports, in-your-face Boston accents, rocking puffer jackets six months a year, being the ultimate college town. There’s just a Boston attitude, a mixture of urban coolness and outdoorsy toughness and level-headedness that, in my opinion, is totally original.
Aside from that, Boston is genuinely a great place to live. Call me crazy, but I like the homey charm of a smaller city. Yes, maybe businesses close early and there isn’t the constant chaos of the Big Apple, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I love that you can be right in the fray of the North End one minute and on a quiet, deserted side street the next. I think it’s great that with some good walking shoes, you can essentially traverse the entire city on foot in an afternoon. I love seeing families strolling down the sidewalks and kids playing in the parks. New York may have us beat in terms of street cred, but when it comes to choosing a place to live I’m going Boston all the way.
Will I end up living in New York someday? Honestly, probably yes. As an aspiring magazine journalist, my career is likely going to make that decision for me. And maybe I, like the great Jay-Z, will someday adopt an Empire State of Mind and laugh at any naïve New Englander who prefers Boston. But until that day comes, I’m a Boston girl through and through. You’re stuck with me, Beantown.
-Jamie Ducharme can be reached at [email protected]
