Rave Review of Boston

Now that I've officially been accepted into a top 20 MBA program... I will definitely be moving away from Boston in the next 3-4 months. I'm having all kinds of mixed emotions about the move. Four years ago, when I gathered all my things after graduation in Washington D.C. to move up here , I didn't know that I would fall-in love with the city. Most of my decision to move to Boston after graduating from GW was because  I debated going to Boston University instead of George Washington when I was seventeen and I had a growing curiosity about living out the fantasy of my runner-up school choice. I always saw Beantown as a temporary hub that I would eventually leave for my next great life adventure/career move. Boston has become so much more than that over the past four years. I think it was moving to Southie that changed it for me. My ardor for the city turned from just a general appreciation to a close-knit feeling of belonging. There's something so intimate about Boston that has made me plant myself, crack open a Harpoon, and stay for a couple years. Unlike other cities I've lived in or visited, I've started to feel like I own some of Boston. Like a piece of Boston has somehow become my private possession. Unfortunately moving away, I can't uproot the Pru, Fenway, and local bars and take them with me. Somehow I'll have to find a way to let go of it to make room for my new home in the South.

I'll miss the food trucks in the summer, especially the lobster love and fro-yo trucks. I'll miss the sports bars with the endless amounts of patrons deeply invested in the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox. I'll miss Fenway and the big blaring Citgo sign that shines in your face when you get off the Kenmore T station. I'll miss Faneuil Hall and all the crappy food they sell at Quincy Market. I'll miss the North End and the cannolis and the confusingly narrow streets. I'll miss the local K-8 market that I go to three times a week for fresh meats and gatorades. I'll miss the Seaport and being able to visit restaurants, bars, and museums that look out on the Boston Harbor. I'll miss Marathon Monday and St. Patrick's Day and Fourth of July... holidays that have their own unique traditions living in the Bean. I'll miss my office in the financial district with the big window sill that local pigeons hang out and poop on. I don't know what the pigeons look like in the South but I'm not sure I'll appreciate their company nearly as much.

I'm lucky that I've gotten to move and live in so many places. I've gotten to travel, make new friends, and have enriching experiences. But Boston will always be a special place to me; a place that I will always consider home.