17 Reasons To Love Boston

Perhaps you grew up in Boston or spent your college years here and have since moved away – after all, the demands of jobs and family can sometimes take us to unexpected places. If that’s the case, you probably feel the tug of longing or find yourself eager to reminisce with other ex-Bostonians. Many people are drawn back to the city because their love for Boston never quite dimmed. Whether you can’t conceive of living anywhere else or are questioning the decision to move away, here are just 17 reasons why your heart may always be in Boston:

Smelling traces of ocean on the air and catching the squawk of seagulls, even when you’re in the middle of the city.

Flickr/Charice L.

Digging your toes into a soft sandy beach while simultaneously admiring city views.

Yelp/Donna M.

Embracing your inner nerd because Boston is filled with smart people and being here inspires your curiosity and desire to learn. When your library is this gorgeous who wouldn’t want to be a nerd?

Flickr/tambrieann

Cradling a container of strawberries (or your favorite fruit) that you gathered at a pick-your-own place or found at a local farm stand.

Flickr/Richard Hemmer

Biting into that first deliciously soft and warm apple cider donut of the season.

Yelp/Jonathon W.

Dessert: from cannoli to Boston cream pie to our plethora of ice cream shops, we have dessert covered.

Yelp/Michelle T.

Fall. The whole season is perfection.

Yelp/Galina M.

Not needing to wait until October 31st to wear a costume. We don’t just appreciate history, we reenact it! (That goes double if you live in Salem)

Flickr/Lee Wright

Curling up with a bowl of perfect chowder on a cold day… safe in the knowledge that it won’t be polluted with tomatoes!

Yelp/Andie P.

Rooting for the Sox in a sea of red and blue and wishing Big Papi could have played forever.

Flickr/Al Case

Cheering on the Pats… and getting excited about Tom Brady’s birthday.

Flickr/Mark Fletcher It’s August 3rd - memorize this date.

Being united by our complaints about bad weather

Flickr/Jim McIntosh It’s easy to love crisp white snow under a blue sky. Loving brown slush that soaks in your boots on your commute to work is harder. But we’re all in it together.

The number of Bostonians who deeply care about injustice at home and around the world.

Flickr/John Hilliard

But we’re still able to laugh at ourselves (and each other).

Flickr/DAVID Swift

You don’t have an accent when you’re in Boston, you’re just talking…. and no one hassles you about your pronunciation of “r.”

Flickr/Josh Mazgelis

So…

Flickr/justinanewton

Much…

Yelp/Niru R.

Culture.

Flickr/Madeleine Ball

Knowing that tourists choose Boston as their vacation destination, but you get to live here all the time.

Flickr/Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism

Which of these ring true for you? What would you add to this list?