Boston=College?

Faced with a lot of choices (which maybe, just maybe, I can tell you about soon!), Nathan and I were thinking back on the good ole days of college:
Basketball games, Brew and View, the Quad, lots of free stuff--you know, the usual.

And then it hit me--living in Boston is very much like going to college with a million other people. Want to hear my reasoning?

1. As soon as you get here, you are Bostonian and now living on the "east coast." I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but to Bostonians, the east coast means Boston. Not New York, not Maryland and most certainly like some place like North Carolina. We have not lived previously on "the east coast."

College indoctrination at orientation is much the same way. You've made it to a place and suddenly most of our wardrobe should be true blue (if you attended UNC Asheville as Nathan and I did) or green, navy blue or red in Boston (depending on who is playing--the Celtics or the Red Sox).

2. As mentioned above, as soon as you enter college, you suddenly have a team that you cry over, rejoice in and love very intensely. It's definitely the same way here in Boston. When this happened last night, people ran and drove up and down our little street screaming and blowing their horns. We didn't have a television, but we don't need one. We found out the Celtics won as soon as our neighbors knew.

3. College immediately sets you up with these common memories--remember Humanities 124? Remember orientation?

The T is much the same way. Remember the day the train just stopped for 20 minutes? Remember that day it actually ran on time?

4. Shared spaces become yours during college too. OUR Quad, OUR dining hall, OUR dorms.

Good gracious, here in the Boston you have pride-inspiring shared spaces coming out your ears. OUR Boston Common, OUR Charles River.

5. Remember (for those of you who went to Asheville) how steam would back up in the boiler in Governor's Hall and the fire department was always arriving? Guess what? The same thing just happened to the building next door. Can't we talk about how awesome it is to wake to the sound of TWO firetrucks congregating outside your building?

6. One of the really great things about college is that you're poor, but there is free or reduced price stuff EVERYWHERE to entertain you on a budget. Very much the same here. You're poor, but check these things out!

7. Arguably, one of the best parts of college is the random holidays. My brother has already warned me that the fact that you aren't in college anymore really hits you when it's time for fall break and, suddenly, that isn't a given anymore.

But, have no fear! These holidays still exist in the fair city of Boston! Yesterday was Bunker Hill Day, but you also get to throw such holidays as Evacuation Day and Patriots Day in the mix. Love it!

So there you have it. The good college times aren't over! They just morphed into good "we know we're the best city" times. And hey, we're the NBA champions!