Boston has long been a tourist destination and, given our city’s role in shaping the nation, it always will be. Between tourism and business travelers, we receive lots of visitors each year. Many of them have preconceived ideas about Boston – some accurate and some off base. So, here are 11 things that Bostonians want the rest of the country to know:
1. You can never have enough Dunks.
NEVER. Even if you had one on every corner. Oh wait… we do...
2. Fluffernutter sandwiches make us nostalgic.
Fluff was invented here and is still manufactured in Lynn; when a company hits it big and sticks around, we take note and appreciate it. We know that Fluff is nutritionally questionable, but it feels like childhood in a plastic jar, and you can't argue with that.
3. New England in general, and Boston in particular, has a rep for harsh winters. That’s fair enough, but some years our winters aren’t nearly as bad as you think.
And other years they’re so much worse – we're looking at you, 2015!
4. Fine, we are seafood snobs…
…and we tend to be skeptical about eating fish in a landlocked state. Then again, given the freshness of the seafood we're used to, can you blame us?
5. Our skyline is the best.
Especially when viewed from a ferry.
6. So are our sports teams.
We're called TitleTown for a reason.
7. When the light is green, step on it.
We’ll let you know if you don’t. Admittedly, I’ve never sat with a stopwatch at intersections around the nation to compare, but Boston’s lights seem exceptionally long, so we really don’t want to miss that green. Work with us here.
8. We’re wicked proud of the part our city played in U.S. history.
And we re-enact it on a daily basis! Excessive? Hardly. If it weren’t for mobs of unruly Bostonians, we might never have gained independence from Britain.
9. You’ve doubtlessly heard about our stellar colleges…
Did you know that our academic excellence starts much younger than that?Massachusetts 8th graders are first in the U.S. when it comes to math scores, and second in the country for reading.
10. …And our world class healthcare.
This year, Massachusetts was ranked number one in the nation when it comes to healthcare accessibility! Many of our state's pioneering hospitals are located in Boston.
11. Those living in Greater Boston still consider themselves Bostonians.
However, those who live in Boston proper don’t like it when people living in the suburbs say they live in Boston.
Heck, some folks are still annoyed that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck said they grew up in Boston, when technically it was Cambridge!
What would you add to this list? Let us – and the rest of the country – know what you think in the comments!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.