Saturday, June 18, 2011

Day Off in Boston

Sleeping in feels so good! We had no college tours today, allowing us to sleep in until 10 AM, eat brunch, and head to Boston for a relaxing day. But it wasn’t as relaxing as we would have thought. Every Bostonian we saw wore Bruins’ shirts or flaunted Bruins’ gear. For those who don’t follow hockey, like me and many people in California, the Boston Bruins just won the Stanley Cup, a championship trophy won by a hockey team each year. We missed the Bruins parade, but the spirit of the Bostonians could be found on every block.
We planned a visit to Fenway Park, but a local we asked for directions told us it was an hour’s walk from our parking spot near the restaurant and that we would “never make it”. So we shifted to Plan B: the T. The T is the transportation system used in Boston that includes a subway and buses. Purchasing tickets was a confusing task, and once we found the right train, it was jam packed with passengers. It was the experience that counts, no matter how uncomfortable that ride was. We saw the outside of Fenway briefly because we were not allowed inside. All around the stadium were people geared up in Red Sox apparel. If I were to ever live in Boston, I would need to buy Bruins and Red Sox clothes to match everyone else.
Our day in Boston went by fast, with much of our time spent on the T. The dinner at Radius was something to look forward to. I was relieved to quench my thirst and sit down to a nice dinner. The food was fantastic—as was the service. We were joined today by Amy Tan, not the author whom I greatly admire but a Brown alum and friend of Grace Yuen, whom we met on Wednesday. She shared with us her experiences at Brown with the open curriculum, the social life, and clubs. She also told us about Brown traditions such as the Spring Weekend and the Naked Donut Run, which both seem very interesting. She was a pleasure to have with us and very enjoyable to talk to.
I fall harder for Boston every time I go there. The streets are so clean, and the buildings are so elaborate. The city is beautiful. We saw more of the lively side of Boston today because of the Bruins fans. I wish I was a hockey fan so I could participate in the excitement, but unfortunately I’m not.
Providence was also filled with excitement today. When we arrived back in town, a gay pride parade was taking over the streets by our hotel. Proud and enthusiastic people filled the roads, and entertainment blasted around the cheering people. Our hotel concierge said that this celebration would last a few days. We saw a bit of the crowd but went back to our rooms to blog. The parade exhibited a new atmosphere of Providence that we haven’t seen before—an energetic, open-minded atmosphere.
Most of the people we have met on the East Coast have been extremely nice, and I’m sure there’s more to come. We pack our bags tonight and leave for Brown tomorrow! I’m thoroughly excited and am looking forward to tomorrow!

1 comment:

  1. Like you, Kathleen, I'm not a big fan of hockey. We have a fair number of Sharks fans but because hockey is the kind of sport young people grow up with with frozen lakes nearby it's difficult for us warm weather people to appreciate it.

    Of course, right now you're seeing the Bruins fans wearing their pride and because the Rad Sox have resurrected themselves in recent years the locals are pretty proud of their baseball team. They're still proud of their basketball team but 20 or so years ago Celtic Pride was very big in that part of the world.

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