People & Places
Cheers to Boston
Cambridge resident Evelyn Murray tells us about her life in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, and takes us on a tour of the area
I emigrated to America in 1963, upon graduating with a B.Sc. From Southampton University.
Today, I live in Cambridge – home of both MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Harvard, and also lots of High Tech/Pharmaceutical companies. It is a city of about 400,000 situated across the Charles river from Boston. I live in a small enclave known as Cambridge Highlands which is a mixed neighbourhood of 'relatively' affordable housing compared to the more 'historic' areas of the city. My house was the original farmhouse, built in 1870, which is fairly old by US standards. Most houses here have been built in the years following the 1920s, when the land was sold.
In many ways Boston compares to London as it is a series of neighbourhoods. The financial area is, of course, dominated by tall skyscrapers. There you will find the Back Bay, which is built on reclaimed land. Most of the houses there were originally 'brownstones' with three to four stories and a basement. They are now mostly apartments. Also there is Beacon Hill, which was the original settlement dating from the 17-18th centuries. This faces Boston Common, where the settlers used to let their cattle graze. Beacon Hill also contains the Golden Dome which houses the Legislature. Interestingly the back side of beacon Hill was where freed slaves settled. Now you will find there is a museum of African-American history, and evidence of the old freedom railroad. Due to the great wisdom of Frederick Olmstead (America's first landscape architect) and others, we have what is called 'The Emerald Necklace', which links green spaces around the city. When one comes into Logan airport, one of the striking points to note is the number of green spaces, and tree lined streets that there are. The landscape is very varied. The surrounding suburbs vary. Most are residential, such as Belmont and Arlington. Some, however, mix industry with residential areas, such as Lexington and Burlington. Most of the industry around here nowadays focuses on high tech. The manufacturing jobs that used to fuel the area have for the most part gone. In terms of other areas in and near the city, there are parts of Dorchester and Roxbury I would not consider walking at night. Around the theatre areas and Symphony hall one is careful, but it's not too bad at night. I am normally careful, driving with my doors locked, and my handbag in the boot, or at least not visible. If I go by Subway (underground) I will only travel with minimum of personal stuff such as credit cards, etcetera. I had my handbag stolen in Cambridge, so am wary! The Subway and bus system in and around Boston is okay, but not outstanding. Driving is often not practical especially during the rush hours. Many people work in Boston so commute in and out
The area around Boston is great for outdoor sports. Skiing and other associated winter activities are only one-to-three hours away. There is also sailing, rowing etcetera for those who like watersports, while there is polo and associated riding activities available in the outer towns. Culturally, Boston is hard to beat. My interests in baroque and classical music are more than fully available: Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, Early Music festival every June, and concerts during the year, plus the well-known Boston Symphony. There are several operatic organizations, and Boston Ballet. The Berklee College of Music feeds into those who like Jazz and more modern music. I also enjoy a wide variety of folk dancing, and do both Scottish and English country dancing.
Living in Boston and Cambridge is expensive, and rents are generally high. House prices are still relatively high despite the recession, although this depends on the number of foreclosures which exist in some areas - this has pulled those prices down. With regards to the recession it has hit, but things don't seem to be as bad as in other areas of the US. This is presumably due to the wide variety of job opportunities and relatively small size of even the larger corporations.
So what are the worst things here? Well, we grumble about the bad drivers – definitely worse than in the UK by a long way, and I personally don't like the snowy winters. These make getting about much more complicated for me, but many people love them. Snow ploughing and removal is a very efficient, although in a bad storm – in excess of 12 inches snow - we will be told to stay off the roads so that they can be cleared. We have to clear the pavements outside our homes within 12 hours of the end of a storm. Pretty much all the northern cities and states are good about dealing with bad weather – it is Washington DC who panics if four inches falls on that city. Medical care is expensive, but if you can afford to pay for treatment, it is one of the best systems in the world.
Education at grade school level is mixed - some good, some not so good, some bad - it really depends on the area. Beyond that level, this area is probably one of the best in the world for all types of post high school education. I believe Boston has one of the largest concentration of Colleges and Universities - Boston University, Boston College, Emerson, Berklee School of Music and Northeastern to name only a few.
Overall, I certainly enjoy living here.