One Year in Boston

Experiencing life in the City

By [ E ]

October 14^th, 2020

Parts Unknown

When Yvonne was applying for Critical Care Fellowships all around the country in the fall of 2018, we had no idea where we would end up. We had just spent the majority of our post-college life in the city of Austin and we were excited to figure out where we'd be headed next. We were lucky enough to land in the City of Boston for a year and experience life in the Northeast. Although we had no idea that COVID-19 would change everything about our daily lives, we were able to make the best of our time there.

Urban Commute

I was able to find a job in the city and since we sold both of our cars before the move, I knew I'd be taking the subway into work every day. Growing up in Texas, I never lived in a city with a good public transportation system. It was a nice change of pace to be able to hop on the subway and not worry about traffic and congestion on the roads. There was, of course, the occasional subway delays and breakdowns but overall I enjoyed my commute day to day.

North End

My office was located in Boston's historic North End. Famous for their historic sights, I was able to go on my own Freedom Trail tour each day for lunch. You don't realize how much history has happened in Boston until you visit. Every where you turn there's a historic building, statue, plaque commemorating what happened.

The North End is also known for their amazing Italian food. One of my favorite places to stop for a quick bite was Monica's Mercato where they made one of the best Italian Subs I've ever had. Neptune's Oyster is another great seafood restaurant in the neighborhood that did not disappoint!

Charles River Esplanade

Whenever the weather was nice and we wanted to go on a walk close to the city, the Charles River Esplanade was a real treat. There's always so much activity going both on the water and on land. The culture around sailing and rowing was new to me after growing up mostly in Texas. One thing we regret not being able to do is rent kayaks and have a day on the water.

Titletown

You can't experience Boston without experiencing Boston Sports, right? Luckily I was able to see the Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics play while I was there. Fenway Park was really an amazing ballpark with the confines being so close to the streets and buildings next door. Everything about it felt old, historic, and the fans were just as fun to watch as the game.

I worked right next to TD Garden so we made a few after work happy hour trips to the games. Even when just leaving work and entering North Station, you could tell it was a game day just with everyone wearing their Bruins and Celtics gear. Reminded me of game days in Austin!

Moving On

We really enjoyed our single year in Boston even with half of it being taken up by COVID-19 quarantine. We will definitely be back to visit in the future and hope to experience everything we loved about the city and see some familiar faces!