50 Things I Learned In My First Week In Boston

It has now been six months since I've moved to Boston, and what an adventure it has been.

Whenever I find myself in a new location I always try to absorb as much information as I can in order to blend in with the locals. Sometimes it's easy, but most of the time it's an adjustment. I would like to think that everyone feels a bit lost or shocked when they immerse themselves within a new city – especially one with so much history and on the opposite side of the country. 

So if you have a desire to check out Boston, here are a couple of things for you to make your transition into Beatown a whole lot smoothly. 

*And for those who are looking to visit the UK, check out my previous article that I wrote about the 50 Things I Learned In My First Week In London.*  

#1: You have to like the New England Patriots. 

#2: Scratch that. You have to LOVE the New England Patriots. To be qualified to live in Boston, your appreciation for the New England Patriots must reach a certain accecptable limit for you to enjoy the city. Otherwise you'll be shunned and ostrosized from all forms of social gatherings and group conversations. If your heart is for another NFL team that is NOT the Patriots, fine. Just as long as you at least acknowledge and respect the New England Patriots, you're in the clear. Unless you're a Jets fan. In which case, you're totally screwed.   

​#3: Essentially, every sports team in Boston is deemed as important. Sports are a major part of the city's culture. Bostonians are known for their fanatical devotion to the Red Sox, the Bruins, the Celtics and – of course – the legendary New England Patriots. This, I actually fascinating. Coming from the Los Angeles area, I was always surrounded by merchandise for the Lakers, the Kings, the Dodgers and (now recently) the Rams. But I always personally felt that the presence of sports teams in LA were not as admired nor as glorified the same way as they are in Boston. I think it's because Boston has produced some great champions over the years. You can never go a week without hearing Tom Brady's name mentioned at least once. Nor overhear a converation about how Larry Bird was the best power forward that the NBA ever had.  And good luck trying to escape a confrontation when someone agrues that "Big Papi" holds the record for the most home runs in MLB history. So if you plan on establishing your roots in Boston, it's critical that you familiarize yourself with Boston's intense sports teams and quickly become a fan. 

#4: Most people perfer Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks. While this may at first seem unfathamable, it's actually true. Dunkin was first established in Massachusetts in 1950 WAY before Starbucks was founded in 1971 in Seattle. To many Bostonians, Dunkin is native to the New England territory, while Starbucks is viewed as a kind of invader. Granted, although you will find an equal number of both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks coffeehouses on every other block, Dunkin Donuts is the place to get real New England coffee.   

#5: You'll encounter the following words when you're in New England: "Wicked," "Masshole," "Bang a uey," or the most famous one of all "Park the car in Harvard Yard" (pronounced: Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd). That last one actually doesn't make any sense because you cannot really park your car in the middle of Harvard Yard. 

#6: Go find Bodega. That's all I can tell you. It's a super secret retail store hidden somewhere within Boston. And once you find it, you will never look at retail stores the same way again. 

#7: Wahlburgers is a hamburger restaurant chain in Boston that is owned by Mark Wahlburg and his brothers Donnie and Paul. And it's pretty freaking delicious! 

#8: When it snows, go to Harvard Yard to build a snowman or start a random snowball fight with some of the Harvard undergrads. 

#9: It's worth investing in a monthly MBTA pass. Like, seriously. Yes, it is $84.50 a month – which I understand can be a pain in the ass for some – but it is worth spending that money to easily hop on the T, without worrying if you have enough money on your card. Plus, the advantage of spending $84.50 a month is the fact that the city is both small enough to get you to and from your destination, while also having it be big enough for you to go the extra mile to explore another part of Boston. You can pick up a Charlie Card at the Park Street Station for free! 

#10: Newbury Street is the Fifth Avenue of Boston. It is an entire street filled with high-end boutiques, and the best restaurants for all of eight blocks. Aligned with historic 19th-century brownstones, Newbury Street is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike since it is known as one of the most expensive streets in the world.

#11: Explore the green oasis that is the Kendall Square Rooftop Garden. This secret garden in Cambridge is on top of a parking garage with a bunch of tables to sit, talk with friends, read or think. There's no restaurants, so grab some lunch and make your way up to view the rest of the city.

#12: J.P. Licks is the Baskin Robbins of Boston. 

#13: The clam chowder in Boston will be the best clam chowder you will ever have in your life. And rightfully so. If given the opportunity, ask for it in a bread bowl. 

​#14: The two best places to get authentic, thick, hot chocolate is L.A. Burdick in Cambridge, and Amorino on Newbury Street. 

#15: Legal. Legal Seafoods everywhere. 

#16: Dollar oysters will be the best thing that will ever happen to you in Boston during the summer. 

#17: If you arrive to Boston with a car, park anywhere that is open on the street. You should plan on getting a parking spot at the end of November. Once you have that spot, DO NOT MOVE until the spring. Bostonians can get really territorial when it comes to parking. So much so that they will even cone off their parking spot to thwart off any potential drivers. 

#18: Candlepin bowling. It's like regular bowling, except each player uses three balls per frame, rather than two. The pins are thinner, making it more difficult to knock down. The best candlepin bowling can be found in South Boston. 

#19: If you say "Cape Cod," people will think you're a tourist. Call it "The Cape." Everyone will know what you're talking about. 

#20: Evacuation Day (March 17th) is a public holiday in Boston that celebrates the date when the British troops were evacuated from the city of Boston during the American Revolutionary War. Everyone takes the day off from school and work to celebrate. It also shares the same day as Saint Patrick's Day. 

#21: Happy Hours are illegal. It's true! Since 1989, the law was passed to reduced drunk driving accidents. Efforts to repeal the happy hour ban in Boston have in the past been unsuccessful. While you still can grab a nice cold beer at your local bar late at night, you might have better luck finding a few cheap drinks elsewhere, if not, then out of the state. 

#22: The Boston University Bridge is one of the only places in the world where a boat can sail under a train, going under a car, that is driving under a plane.

#23: The Ted Williams Tunnel is the deepest tunnel in North America, running 90 feet underground! 

#24: The CitGo sign is Boston's version of the Hollywood sign. And while its neon presence makes it well known around the Kenmore area, the nearest CitGo gas station is actually 1.5 miles away. 

#25: Isabella Stewart Gardner was the original hoarder. Okay, so maybe she wasn't a compulsive hoarder, but she did travel the world to amass a collection of some of the most priceless paintings in history. Her museum is in Fenway, modeled after a 15th century Venetian palazzo, where visitors can admire and peruse through her collection of rare books and artwork. 

#26: The best Boston cream pie is at the Omni Parker House. It was also first invented there.

#27: A golden pinecone sits on top of the gold dome of the State House to symbolize the importance of logging to Massachussets in the 18th century. 

#28: If you're starving after a late night flight into Logan airport, take a taxi/uber to Santarpio's in East Boston. There, ask for a "well-done" pizza. It definitely hits the spot and quickly helps you recover from any jetlag. 

#29: Avoid Storrow Drive at all costs after 4 o'clock PM. The road will be in a total gridlock afterwards. 

#30: Eataly will CHANGE YOUR FREAKING LIFE!!! Why? Well, where else do you expect to find a more perfect Italian food emporium that is personally runned by Mario Batali?

#31: You can go stargazing with Harvard Astrophysists. The Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics hosts monthly observatory nights free to the public. You can sit in on talks or even avoid the crowd by rushing to the roof to view the stary night on their telescopes.  

#32: The ICA (The Insitute of Contemporary Art) is free on Thursday nights from 5 to 9 PM. Any other day, it is a $15 admission fee. 

#33: The Boston Symphony Orchestra keeps a block of $20 tickets for people under 40 years old. They are on a first come, first serve basis. The maximum is only 2 tickets per performance.

#34: There's a way for you to get free museum passes around Boston! The Boston Public Library has free passes to the New England Aquarium, the MFA, the Children's Museum, the Harvard Natural History Museum, the John F. Kennedy Library Museum and a whole selection of other local attractions. But in order to obtain these free passes, you need a Boston Public Library card. Nevertheless, the savings will be rewarding! 

#35: You can learn swing dancing at MIT. Every Wednesday, the MIT Lindy Hop Society hosts a free dance lesson to teach visitors how to dance from traditional swing, to blues, to hip-hop. 

#36: You can go ice skating at the Warrior Ice Arena. Yup! You indeed read that correctly! You can skate on the same ice as the Boston Bruins at their new training and practice facility at Boston Landing in Brighton. It is open to the public between 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM. And if ice skating isn't your thing, then you can drop-in between 10:30 AM – 12: 30 PM to watch the Boston Bruins themselves practice in the mornings. 

#37: Raven Used Books is the best place to go to obtain affordable, great literature. If you believe that the best kind of books are the ones that are stocked on the shelves instead of viewed online, Raven provides a strong base of books in perfect condition for eager readers.

#38: You can find and sit on the same bench where Robin Williams and Matt Damon shared a scene in the movie "Good Will Hunting" at the Boston Public Garden.

#39: Without a doubt, the Beacon Hill neighborhood has some of the most beautiful streets in Boston.

#40: No matter what people tell you, there is an obvious difference between Mike's Pastry and Modern Pastry in Boston's North End. 

#41: Fall is the best season to explore every inch of the city. 

#42: The ducklings from Robert McCloskey's children's book, Make Way For Ducklings are immortalized as bronze statues at the Boston Public Garden.   

#43: You can take a private tour around WGBH and personally visit the studio where Julia Child filmed her telivision series, The French Chef. 

#44: Every year Canada sends over a Christmas tree from Nova Scotia, as a way to thank the city of Boston for their assistance after the 1917 Halfax Explosion. The tree is lit in the Boston Common throughout the Christmas season.   

#45: The most famous building in the North End is a four-story townhouse that is really skinny. The house was built primarily out of spite after two brothers squabbled over the co-inherited land. While one brother went to fight in the Civil War, the other brother built a huge house on the legally shared property. When the other brother returned from the war, he built a house that was 10.4 feet wide on what remained on the property. Located at 44 Hull Street, the Skinny House is also avaliable for rent for $250 a night. 

#46: You can find a real life Egyptian mummy in Boston! This 2,500-year-old corpse at the Massachussets General Hospital  – known as Padihershef – has been on display at the hospital since 1823 after he was given as a present by Dutch merchant Jacon Van Lennep. 

#47: If anyone – friends or family members – decides to visit you in Boston, you are required to take them on a Duck Tour. No excuses. You'll be a bad Bostonian if you don't. 

#48: No one calls this bridge The Longfellow Bridge. All the locals refer to this landmark as the "Salt-and-Pepper Bridge," due to the shape of its central towers. 

#49: Ned Devine's is the place to be on a Saturday night. 

#50: Attend The Head of the Charles Regatta every October. 

Boston is really a great city to live in. Everything is either within walking distance, or easily accessable via their MBTA system. You absolutely will not be bored living in this New England community. Your next adventure might just happen to be around the corner!