They Bombed My Town
New England has a nickname for everything. If you have a cabin in the wilderness somewhere, that's your "camp." If you're an outsider visiting in the mountains of Vermont, you might be called a "flatlander." And while the rest of the world offhandedly refers to Boston as Beantown, old-school locals call it The Hub.
For my Midwestern readers, of which there are many, this is a foreign concept. People from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois do not refer to Des Moines, Iowa, as The Hub. But this is New England, a composite of six small states, and the nickname doesn't have much to do with geography.
Boston is the heart of sports' fans consciousness. The Celtics, Bruins, Patriots and Red Sox are the only major league teams in New England and they are all Boston teams. But this isn't just about what teams you root for and see on TV.
If you live in New England, you're likely to go to Boston for something a few times a year. There's art, concerts and dining on a world-class level. The region's biggest and busiest airport is Boston's Logan Airport and New Englanders from all over fly out of it. The vast majority of New Englanders can make an easy daytrip to Boston.
Most importantly, Boston is an economic hub. Massachusetts has some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, thanks to its world-class universities that people come from around the world to attend. It's all right here.
The Wife and I are renting a condominium next to Logan Airport. It's about 10-minute walk to Delta's terminal from our front door. It's also about a 10-minute walk to the Maverick stop on the subway's Blue Line. From there, it's one stop and two minutes to the heart of Boston.
That's where I'll be going tomorrow. Though I'm working in Maine as we transition to Portland, my true love in life, I spend my days off in Boston. Tomorrow is my day off, and I have to go downtown.
I've been thinking about it since the bombs went off. What do I say about this to my friends? What can I do? There's nothing much to add to the national discussion. I don't have any leads on solving the crime and I can't add anything to your emotional understanding of what happened.
I cried at my desk quietly Monday afternoon while I looked at pictures of horrified people in downtown Boston. There was nothing I could do; we, along with tens of thousands of other Bostonians, offered up our spare bedroom to anyone in need on Twitter. Nobody took us up on the offer. I had to leave work about 15 minutes early because I just couldn't take it anymore.
Tomorrow, I'll catch a ride to Boston with TW's Bestie (who really needs a nickname). After a quick hello and goodbye with TW, I'll put on my running gear, pet Daisy Duke on the head, and jog over to the Blue Line. I'll take the train to Aquarium, get out, and just start running toward Copley Square.
You could be excused for thinking I hate Boston because I'm moving out after less than a year. That's utterly false. Boston is fantastic. It's the best big city I've ever visited and I'd argue its place above any city in the country. I simply don't like living in a big city because, at heart, I'm a skier, a golfer and an off-road runner.
And, really, anybody who lives in New England can say this: Boston is my hometown. It is, after all, our Hub.
For my Midwestern readers, of which there are many, this is a foreign concept. People from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois do not refer to Des Moines, Iowa, as The Hub. But this is New England, a composite of six small states, and the nickname doesn't have much to do with geography.
Boston is the heart of sports' fans consciousness. The Celtics, Bruins, Patriots and Red Sox are the only major league teams in New England and they are all Boston teams. But this isn't just about what teams you root for and see on TV.
If you live in New England, you're likely to go to Boston for something a few times a year. There's art, concerts and dining on a world-class level. The region's biggest and busiest airport is Boston's Logan Airport and New Englanders from all over fly out of it. The vast majority of New Englanders can make an easy daytrip to Boston.
Most importantly, Boston is an economic hub. Massachusetts has some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, thanks to its world-class universities that people come from around the world to attend. It's all right here.
The Wife and I are renting a condominium next to Logan Airport. It's about 10-minute walk to Delta's terminal from our front door. It's also about a 10-minute walk to the Maverick stop on the subway's Blue Line. From there, it's one stop and two minutes to the heart of Boston.
That's where I'll be going tomorrow. Though I'm working in Maine as we transition to Portland, my true love in life, I spend my days off in Boston. Tomorrow is my day off, and I have to go downtown.
I've been thinking about it since the bombs went off. What do I say about this to my friends? What can I do? There's nothing much to add to the national discussion. I don't have any leads on solving the crime and I can't add anything to your emotional understanding of what happened.
I cried at my desk quietly Monday afternoon while I looked at pictures of horrified people in downtown Boston. There was nothing I could do; we, along with tens of thousands of other Bostonians, offered up our spare bedroom to anyone in need on Twitter. Nobody took us up on the offer. I had to leave work about 15 minutes early because I just couldn't take it anymore.
Tomorrow, I'll catch a ride to Boston with TW's Bestie (who really needs a nickname). After a quick hello and goodbye with TW, I'll put on my running gear, pet Daisy Duke on the head, and jog over to the Blue Line. I'll take the train to Aquarium, get out, and just start running toward Copley Square.
You could be excused for thinking I hate Boston because I'm moving out after less than a year. That's utterly false. Boston is fantastic. It's the best big city I've ever visited and I'd argue its place above any city in the country. I simply don't like living in a big city because, at heart, I'm a skier, a golfer and an off-road runner.
And, really, anybody who lives in New England can say this: Boston is my hometown. It is, after all, our Hub.
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