The Boston University community shares various reasons they love Boston and what makes the city so special.
The history, the river, the passion, the pastries, the parks, the word “pissah” and so many other favorites you shared remind us what makes this town so special
Why I Love Boston Terriers Share Their Reasons
The history, the river, the passion, the pastries, the parks, the word “pissah,” and so many other favorites the Boston University community shared, remind us what makes this city so special.
For all our moaning and groaning about the weather, the Red Sox, the potholes, the traffic, the T, and the cost of real estate, there’s a lot to love about this city. April, when the Boston Marathon arrives, Fenway Park lights up, the Charles River and the Esplanade come to life, and our t-shirts and baseball caps come out, seems like the perfect time for Terriers to answer this question:
What do you love most about Boston?
We asked, and you delivered some gems. You also reminded us what makes our city wicked special.
I love the endless coffee shops and pastry shops I get to explore in the city. I love listening to live music, eating a vanilla ice cream cone, and dog watching while strolling through the Boston Public Garden. I love waking up to a surprise blizzard and making myself a latte while praying for a snow day.
— Sarah Wang (CAS’23) originally from Tucson, Arizona
I love Boston because where else could you say, “The Bruins look pissah this year,” and people know what you’re talking about? Native Bostonians have a love/hate relationship with everything! We love our sports teams, but will boo them out of the arena. We love the seasons, but hate to shovel. Boston has character and its inhabitants are characters. We love our history of rebellion and its politics. I love Boston because it’s the greatest city in the world.
— Kelly Nee, Executive Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police
I love Boston because of its (1) role in American history, (2) small spatial extent and therefore accessibility (“European-like”), and (3) world-class attractions (Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Red Sox and other sports teams). When I went to college, I had a difficult decision of whether to major in physics or American history. President Kennedy’s decision to “go to the moon” pushed me into space science. I was recently in Philadelphia and visited Independence Hall, where I stood next to the desk where John Adams and John Hancock sat. That ranked with meeting Big Yaz [Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski] when he was awarded an honorary degree at a BU Commencement! Every morning, I drive to campus from the west. Rather than use Storrow Drive (the most direct route), I take Memorial Drive and suffer through several red lights. Why? Because I can see the river and Boston ahead of me!
— Michael Mendillo, College of Arts & Sciences professor of astronomy
Boston is a unique city with a troubled past and a thorny and complicated present, but there are many things I love about it. Three As for Boston are its architecture, academics, and athletics. First, architecturally, Boston is an absolutely beautiful city. Its natural and historic features are stunning, from the Charles River winding through the city to man-made beauties like the Boston Lyric Opera, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and, dare I say, our new Center for Computing & Data Sciences (smile). I also love that Boston is a city of academics. With nearly 100 colleges and universities in the greater metropolitan area, Boston is filled with scholarly curiosity and exploration. And, it has avoided the growing culture of anti-intellectualism that has sprung up in other parts of our nation. Plus, Boston has amazing sports teams with dedicated fans. Whether it’s the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins, or the Terriers, there’s always interesting entertainment and fan fun in Boston with sports.
— Angela Onwuachi-Willig, dean, BU School of Law and Ryan Roth Gallo & Ernest J. Gallo Professor of Law
I love Boston for four reasons:
— Greg Stoller, Questrom School of Business senior lecturer in strategy and innovation
1) Our history
2) The “can do” attitude
3) Willingness to constantly innovate
4) How the city came together and has continued to be BostonStrong
I love Boston because it’s an hour away from home (Rhode Island) and has a lot of green spaces to explore. I have been able to meet amazing people. I also have fond memories of frequently spending time with my father in Boston when I was younger.
— Kasandra Kue-Rojas (CAS’23)
My family: two moms with two sons and two dogs. We moved here about 10 years ago—so we will always be “from away,” as my Boston friends like to remind me. I love the literary history and the vibrant literary landscape of today. There are tons of great Black, Indigenous, and people of color creating works that make me think and wonder and step back. Lots of fabulous bookstores and comic shops keep my money flowing back into these communities. I have to say, though, graffiti artists need more spaces to step up their game.
— Laura M. Jiménez, senior lecturer and associate dean of equity, diversity, and inclusion at BU Wheelock
My favorite spot in Boston is the summit of Peters Hill in the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. An early morning run through the arboretum culminates in climbing that big hill and watching the sun rise over the skyscrapers of Back Bay and downtown Boston from one of the highest points in the city—followed by the joy of getting to run downhill from there!
— John M. Marston, College of Arts & Sciences associate professor of archaeology and anthropology and director of the archaeology program
The energy and tempo of the people of Boston is noticeable the moment I enter the airport. And so is the humor: ‘I thought this was a smart city,’ one person grumbles, trying to locate the Uber pick up location at Logan.
— Christina Lee, School of Social Work Associate Professor
I love how passionate Bostonians are about their sports teams. I grew up here, going to games at Fenway Park, TD Garden, and, most importantly for me, attending BU Hockey games at Agganis and Walter Brown Arenas, which my family has done together for over 50 years.
— Sam Moller, assistant director, communications, BU Sustainability
I have loved witnessing our museums expand both their galleries and their missions over the past decade. The MFA, Institute of Contemporary Art / Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Harvard Art Museums have undergone recent renovations, have become more inclusive in the work they show, and are more welcoming to all communities, including students. As the days get darker, I love to meet friends at the Gardner to see their beautiful courtyard garden and exhibitions of historical and contemporary work by artists like Titus Kaphar, whose thought-provoking show of portraits was recently on view, along with the exhibition Metal of Honor: Gold from Simone Martini to Contemporary Art. These museums are all free for the BU community.
— Dana Clancy, director of the BU College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts and an associate professor of art
I love Boston, the city where I was born in the year that Goodnight Moon was published. My parents completed postgraduate degrees from BU’s College of Fine Arts (School of Fine Arts at that time) and our home was a gathering place for their creative, talented friends. Mom worked at the Fogg Museum (now part of Harvard Art Museums) and Dad taught music at a local school. I have fond childhood memories of immersion in the arts at home—where my Mom also built and operated a ceramics workshop, and in the community that is so richly endowed with world-class cultural institutions such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the Museum of Fine Arts that continue to entertain into the 21st century.
– Andrea Taylor (COM’68), Senior Diversity Officer
As a newcomer to Boston, my favorite things so far are dinner and pastries in the North End, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. I am soaking in the beauty of fall. I’ve been walking my dog through as much of the Emerald Necklace as I can. It’s incredible to live in an urban setting that also has fantastic green space. It’s also a good reprieve from Boston drivers who behave as though their horn was designed for emotion regulation!
— Kara Cattani, the newly appointed director of BU behavioral medicine, who moved to Boston this summer from Utah
I love Boston because it’s the most European of U.S. cities, and connects people across continents and worlds. Having grown up in France and settled in Boston, I think the city is the perfect balance of diverse cultures.
— Michael Anteby, Questrom School of Business professor of management and organizations
Boston is an easy city to love. Before I moved to Boston, I lived in New York City and before that, in Ann Arbor. I loved that New York is a big city with all a city offers. I also loved that Ann Arbor is very much a college town, accessible, and with new energy every fall. Happily, Boston combines all these qualities. It is big enough to have everything—culture, food, sports teams—and small enough to be accessible. And it is unquestionably a student town, refreshed and renewed every fall as a new cohort of students arrive. I feel fortunate to live here, and to be in a position to contribute to this place by working at Boston University and serving as chair of the Boston Board of Health. Boston is a place that gives much; it is a privilege to be able to give back.
– Sandro Galea, dean and Robert A. Knox Professor, School of Public Health
As someone born and raised in New England, I was so excited to hear that Dr. Ibram X. Kendi was founding the Center for Antiracist Research at BU in 2020.
— Olivia Poulin (Wheelock’24)
I remember growing up in this region and learning in school about the history of Boston as the birthplace of the American Revolution, an origin story that touted ideals of democracy and liberty while neglecting how the city’s history was deeply entrenched in racism. Yet Boston was also a site of abolitionist and antiracist organizing—it is the city, for example, where Maria Stewart laid the foundation for Black feminist advocacy through her revolutionary speeches and activism. There is an undercurrent of antiracism that persists in this city alongside the progression of racism.
The Center taking root here, becoming part of Boston, seems to echo the city’s historical struggle toward justice. I’m hopeful that the innovative work of the Center—alongside other organizing efforts that continue to deepen and expand in this area—can create newfound potential for Boston to embrace antiracism and transform its narrative of “liberty” into the realization of intersectional liberation.
Boston to me feels like the Goldilocks “just right” city. While it is a huge city where there are always new things to do, restaurants to explore, and sports games to attend, it doesn’t feel so big, as every part of Boston is easily accessible and not too far apart. You don’t have to choose between being near the mountains and the beach, you don’t have to choose between noisy and quiet, and you don’t have to choose between different seasons—Boston has it all. Whether it’s Back Bay, Beacon Hill, North End, the Seaport, etc., each part of Boston is known for its own features and characteristics, so you never get bored exploring the city.
— Isha Kumar (LAW’23)
One thing I love about Boston is the pride that people have for the city. Boston is such a wonderful city that is rich in culture and history, and has a strong sense of community. You should always be proud of where you are from, and Bostonians truly embrace it.
— Edward “E.J.” Wong (CDS’23), originally from Tustin, California
One of my favorite things about Boston is being near the water in the North End when the USS Constitution fires its cannon, which happens at 8 am, and at sunset 365 days a year.
— James Johnson, Professor of History and Chair, Department of History
I love Boston because there are so many schools and students in the area that there always seems to be something going on. The city kind of feels like one big college campus.
— Shannon McKean, originally from Huntsville, Alabama (CGS’22, SAR’24)
I love living in Boston because it’s such a dynamic environment with places for people from every walk of life to make their own communities. There’s space for so many different types of people to thrive; young people and college students, obviously, but also young families and retirees. I love living in a place where I can see people at all stages of life happy and fulfilled. It gives me a lot of hope.
— Isabella Newell, originally from Washington D.C. (CAS’23, Pardee’23)
Boston gets a bad rap for being cold and tough. During my time here, I have found warmth and inclusion, especially within the arts community. Every niche group and outlier can find community and welcoming, and the comradery and collaborations between all of the Boston artists and institutions are so exciting.
— Lissa Cramer, Managing Director of BU Art Galleries
I love the arts scene in Boston. Whether it’s catching a play at the Central Square Theater, an exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art, an immersive experience like the Van Gogh and Monet exhibitions, a concert, a ballet, or a comedian, the city has a lot to offer. Even closer to home, the student productions on campus are amazing, as well as the Wheelock Family Theatre shows.
— Seferine Baez, Area Director, Kilachand Residences, Lower Bay State Road, Residence Life
As an American historian, I think Boston is one of the best places to research and teach. You can drop into just about any period of American history through Boston—from Native, to colonial, to modern American history. In all of my courses I try to incorporate Boston’s remarkable array of historical sites, monuments, and archives. (I’m the guy who stops to read every plaque!) As someone who grew up here, moved away, and returned in 2015, I have come to appreciate the deeply seasonal patterns of life here, too. There’s always excitement with the change of each season. And, of course, being able to walk from my office to Fenway Park is not a terrible thing, either!
— Andrew Robichaud, assistant professor of history, College & Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
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