Boston

The first and only time I have been in Massachusetts was a conference trip to Boston in 1990. I had just joined a software project team and we went to Boston for a software users group conference. But I did have the opportunity to see the city, and it was the first major business trip I had made so it was all a big new adventure for me.

I hadn't been in a very old east coast city before and was amazed and pleased to see what the old part of town looked like - cobblestone streets too narrow for two people walking side by side, the scent of the sea in the harbor - the tall, masted ships. I love the old houses, the brownstones on Beacon Hill. I hadn't seen a real city part until Boston Common. And I hadn't ridden a subway until the T in Boston.

This was also where my practice of visiting museums began. I found I liked them very much and made a habit of seeing one whenever I could from then on.

I had written a novel in which a character attended Harvard and Harvard Medical School, so I took the subway to Cambridge to look over the Harvard campus, and was surprised that Harvard Medical School was not near Harvard but in a different part of the city all together. So I wandered around, gathering background for my novel and taking plenty of photos.

Boston is famous for its seafood and its pubs. I tried both, repeatedly, and enjoyed it. I love fresh seafood and found several great restaurants there. It was also my first experience with Au Bon Pain, a croissant and coffee shop where I had several breakfasts.

I enjoyed Boston but in retrospect, having visited several large cities since, it wasn't remarkable and it wouldn't matter to me if I never returned.