It’s been quite a while since I’ve last written about any travel, but this has not been due to a lack of trips. It’s been the opposite, actually, leaving me with a lot to write about. Most recently, I was recently lucky enough to visit a famous American city (for the first time).

The first time I saw Boston, it was through watching a movie. I had always assumed the city was as it is in every Hollywood film – tiny, a little grungy, and the opposite of a metropolis. Although the city has a certain reputation, I encountered a city that wasn’t what I was expecting. As such, here are the five main reasons why I was pleasantly surprised by Boston:

A greener city than I imagined.

1. It’s not all Irish:

To some, this may have been rather obvious. This was not the case for me. Though it may be naive, I expected Boston to have at least one Irish pub on every street. Despite this, it turns out that Boston’s neighbourhoods are extremely diverse. The city’s Little Italy is impressive, and most of its central and surrounding areas are home to many foreign students. This leads me to my next point…

2. There are a lot of Spaniards:

Maybe it was just an odd coincidence, but it seemed as though I encountered Spaniards everywhere. Considering Boston is not as big as New York City nor Los Angeles, this was surprising to me. As my sister and I strolled through central Boston, I heard an abundance of castellano. Of course, this could be because…

At Harvard’s library.

3. There are plenty of prestigious universities/colleges around:

Before visiting Boston, I knew of three major schools in the area: Harvard University, Wellesley College, and MIT. Since my sister currently attends Harvard, I became acquainted with the campus and its famous library. However, I didn’t know that the area also boasted Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern University, Tufts University, as well as many more schools. This abundance of academia clearly contributes to the city’s diverse feel, as students from all over the country – and the world – flock to attend one of its many schools.

4. The city is easy to navigate:

There are parts of Boston that are a little difficult to get to from certain places, but the city is fairly walkable in general. To make things even better, public transportation in the city is rather affordable and well-connected. Although I found the city’s subway lines to be poorly thought-out in the absolute core of Boston, this is easily forgiven by the fact that Boston’s subway line is the oldest in the United States. In any case, it’s a refreshing change from Los Angeles, which is impossible to move around without a car.

My sister walking through downtown.

5 – It’s very American, but it still feels a bit European:

While you walk around Boston, there’s absolutely no doubting that classic American feel. Although, it’s also called “New England” for a reason. There’s a vaguely-“European” feel to Boston. In addition to it being built more like a European city in terms of transportation, many of its eateries retain something that is clearly more from the other side of the pond. This makes Boston an interesting place, as it can be quite familiar for many North Americans and many Europeans, too. This might be why there are so many Spaniards there!

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In any case, my trip to Boston last weekend was a great one. I realized that I really enjoy the city, and would love to go back some time soon. There’s a great deal to do there, a lot of different sports teams to watch (if you’re into sports!), it’s outdoorsy, but also compact enough to move around without it being a huge ordeal. I can’t wait to go back!