Boston, you’re my home.
OK, not technically right now, but I am from Massachusetts. And living in New York, you can’t believe the number of times I’ve found myself fiercely defending my New England roots – mostly having to do with the longstanding New York-Boston sports feud.
I’ve always been extremely proud of being from Mass. and that’s why the events of this past Monday shook me to the core.
Nevermind my freakishly fast brother had already finished the Boston Marathon almost an hour and a half before the two bombs went off that afternoon, nevermind all my childhood friends were way too close for comfort nearby getting drunk in honor of the day – hey, Marathon Monday applies to alcoholic intake too – but I was angry that something like that could happen in my city.
As the deluge of support and well wishes for Boston come in across the country, followed up by Obama’s seriously touching and amazing speech at the interfaith services to honor the victims and their families this morning, I just wanted to put the reasons why Boston will be just fine all in one place.
We’ve always been #BostonStrong, but just in case you’ve never been there, these are only a few of the reasons Beantown will rise up again.
We have the BEST schools out there.
In case you forgot, Obama dropped some serious Boston cred this morning, reminding everyone that both he and Michelle went to Harvard Law School. If Harvard isn’t good enough for you, there’s also prestigious schools like Boston College, Tufts, MIT, Boston University, Northeastern and Berklee College of Music – just to name a few. Pretty sure the person who invents the time machine or finds a cure for cancer is studying in Boston right now…
Our sports teams – and crazy ass loyal fans.
Yes, I’m stealing this joke from Stephen Colbert, but if the Red Sox can go 86 years without winning a championship, I’m pretty sure this city can get through anything.
So maybe you’re a New York sports fan, but at the very least you love to hate New England teams. And there’s a reason – we’re smaller, we’ve got a big chip on our shoulder and we have so many drunk Irish people cheering teams on, that it makes for some pretty insanely fanatical (and belligerent) fans.
Let’s not forget all those fans x 1000 for the Celtics (ahem, Larry Bird), Bruins, and New England Patriots.
The hot men who love us.
There’s a reason the most beautiful men in Hollywood and sports love Boston – we’re f*cking awesome.
Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Ben Affleck, John Krasinski, Chris Evans, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Tyler Seguin to name a few. Oh, and Leo DiCaprio (aka the KING), and Bradley Cooper, can’t turn down a movie set in Boston to save their lives.
The movies:
Boston movies are the real deal. If you haven’t seen The Departed, Good Will Hunting, Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Ted, Fever Pitch, The Social Network, you’re missing out on some of the best movies, ever.
The music:
New Kids on the Block, Aerosmith, The Dropkick Murphys, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Pixies, James Taylor, Donna Summer, The Cars, New Edition…in fact, Boston should probably have some sort of benefit concert, so we can get Steven Tyler and Bobby Brown on the same stage. Imagine?
The fact that America only BEGAN here.
Ever heard of the Plymouth Rock? If you like American history, run, not walk to Boston. Check out the Freedom Trail, the Paul Revere Statue, the State House, Faneuil Hall, the Charles River…this is turning into a history lesson, but yeah.
The progressive politics.
Bostonians are not perfect – by any means. But I am proud to be from a place as notoriously progressive and liberal as New England. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. It’s also one of the first to legalize medical marijuana and lawmakers continuously champion tougher laws on gun control.
The food.
Lobster, clam chowder, Boston cream pie, brick oven pizza, baked beans, old fashioned ice cream, you probably gained weight just by reading this.
BONUS: Coffee milk…
So this is technically a Rhode Island thing. But it’s damn good! As long as we got coffee milk, we’re A-OK.
And… The obligatory picture of Tom Brady:
