My Own Boston: Ahaan Vaknalli (COM’27)
BU international student takes us to his favorite places in the Hub to connect with different communities
My Own Boston: Ahaan Vaknalli (COM’27)
My Own Boston: Ahaan Vaknalli (COM’27)
When Ahaan Vaknalli arrived at Boston University for his freshman year, he didn’t know what to expect. He grew up in Mumbai, India, which he describes as a massive “melting pot” of different cultures.
But he quickly discovered that Boston is like Mumbai in many ways. Despite being much smaller than his home city, Boston, like Mumbai, is a culturally vibrant metropolis “full of people who want to create something meaningful and inspire the next generation,” Vaknalli (COM’26) says. And the city’s large student population has given him opportunities to collaborate and converse with those of different backgrounds and get insights into their lives.
“As an advertising major, you need to have a pulse on culture,” he says, “and you can’t really do that by just sitting inside all day, which is why I really love reaching out and having these new experiences. Boston is an amazing place to have all of these conversations and have all these collaborations take place.”
When he can, Vaknalli loves exploring different places around Boston to get inspiration for his creative projects, whether it’s for class or his hobbies. Boston’s energy and charm, he says, helps motivate him as a student and a creative.
Some of Vaknalli’s favorite places in Boston to visit:
Boston Public Library Central Branch
700 Boylston St., Boston
In the heart of Copley Square, the Boston Public Library’s central branch is the perfect spot for studying, Vaknalli says. He enjoys the library’s soaring main reading room. The original wing of the building, opened in 1895, was designed by noted architect Charles Follen McKim of McKim, Meade, and White. In 1986, the National Park Service designated the McKim building a National Historic Landmark.
“You have people from probably every school in Boston coming there,” Vaknalli says. “You see people around you, so locked into what they’re doing, and it’s inspiring in a way. It just helps you focus a little more.”
SoWa Art + Design District
530 Harrison Ave., South End
As an advertising student, one of the things Vaknalli values is finding places that inspire his creativity. One of those places is SoWa, the art and design district in the South End. It’s a creative community full of markets, art galleries, restaurants, fashion boutiques, and more, where designers and artisans come together to showcase their work.
Vaknalli is especially interested in the neighborhood’s art galleries. He loves seeing the effort artists put into their pieces, but also the care they take designing their work spaces. “The framing of everything around the work just helps you take it in better and and much more deeply,” he says.
Nud Pob Thai Cuisine
738 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
This Thai restaurant, in the heart of BU’s Charles River Campus, is a popular destination for Vaknalli. He calls it a “home base” of sorts—somewhere he can go with friends to hang out and catch up amidst all their crazy schedules.
He loves the restaurant’s authentic vibe and cuisine and notes that it feels a lot like home. His favorite dish there is the Ka Prao, featuring spicy minced basil, meat, and rice. He and his friends have a challenge: trying everything on the Nud Pob menu before they graduate this spring.
“My friends and I just love exploring the city and everything that it has to offer,” he says. “That desire to explore and do all these new things, I think, comes from home.”