list #32: what i’ve learned so far in Boston

(Above: flowers and foliage in the Boston Public Gardens)

1. It’s Quin-zee, not Quincy. Apparently the original Quincy family (as in John Quincy Adams) pronounced with a “z,” so the town we live in does too.

2. The drivers are crazy on the highways, it’s true. But they’re nicer when you’re in town.

3. Said highways, and lots of other roads, are covered in potholes. Yuck.

4. People really do talk like the New Englanders you hear in movies. (Mahket, chowda, etc…)

5. The public libraries are beautiful, and have great selections of books and movies.

6. The people at Brookline are just as friendly as we’ve heard they were.

7. New England clam chowda is delicious. (I knew this, but have re-learned it since coming here.)

8. During a heat wave with no a/c, ice cream, ice water and box fans are essential to survival.

9. All the churches up here seem to be old and beautiful. (Like Oxford.)

10. There is no good Tex-Mex food. So far, anyway. (I suspected this.)

11. Don’t visit Harvard Yard on move-in weekend for freshmen. (We did.)

12. I miss my Texas family a LOT. But I’m glad to be here.

(The beach near our house, with the Boston skyline in the distance)