BOSTON IS A GREAT PLACE FOR A LIFESTYLE, and I bet that is why the Bostonians have this straightforward confidence, probably from feeling superior. They have good reasons to feel that way though, having a city that is clean and important in the history of USA, two of the world’s greatest universities (Harvard and MIT), and owning an accent found nowhere else in the world.

Last night after the walk and dinner, I went to stay at Sheng Jie’s dormitory, which in fact forbids outsiders. My genius god-brother found me a student ID with picture that looks nothing similar to me, and we prayed that the guards are not too diligent in doing the checking. Fortunately, I passed through the gates with no complications whatsoever, and I thank God that I won’t have to stay out alone on a chilly Boston night. His school and dormitory was converted from an old church and so they have halls that once held masses and ceremonies. The hallways are clean and they have lots of confusing doors and pathways that look like a maze to an amateur, but their two-bed rooms are actually really small. His roommate coincidentally left today, so I had the honor of sleeping on his bed instead of on the ground. I did however notice a room with a Taiwanese flag hanging on his window, I hope that does not promote any conflict with the Mainland Chinese students here.

It was midnight when we arrived at his room, but we insisted on watching ‘Kung Fu Panda’ on his computer before reluctantly going to sleep. As a result, today’s sightseeing started at 11am, and with my bus leaving Boston at 4pm, there ain’t much that we can see. With a Charlie Card at hand, I went on the T (which is the country’s oldest subway or metro). The trains are newer and cleaner than New York’s and they even have some tracks that go on the road, along with the traffic (they stop at traffic lights too, which is so interesting). We passed by plenty of residential neighbourhoods that looked safe and comfortable. Again, I do think that Boston is a wonderful place to settle down and have a life.

QUINCY MARKET AND THE SEAPORT WAS THE ONLY DESTINATION OF THE DAY. We hanged out with the same group of people from yesterday and we loitered around the historical Quincy Market, watching all the tourists going around buying souvenirs and stuff. I am convinced that Boston loves their lobsters. You can see all sorts of lobster themed souvenirs on sale, there is a soft lobster toy that doesn’t bite, a cute plate that says “Trapped in Boston”, and also a lobster teddy, which I adored. One souvenir that I got was a coin freshly pressed out of one dime and two pennies. What you do is you insert the coins, roll the machine, and a souvenir coin will be transformed from your money. The best thing is that they have different machines with different patterns, so this must be a cool thing for collectors. We also hanged out at the Faneuil Hall, which is another historic building, but I am not familiar with its past.

AFTER LUNCH, we went to the seaport, where the Aquarium is located at, and this is where you can take a ‘Codzilla’ boat out for whale-watching. The afternoon sun is just right and the breeze definitely made my day. They also have a ducky bus that you can get onto (with a cute ducky butt), the bus can travel both on land and in water so you can tour the whole city without changing any mode of transport. If you are not comfortable traveling on a duck, the elegant horse carriages are a good option.

I HATE TO SAY THAT THIS IS ALL I SAW IN BOSTON. I don’t have enough time to see much, and partly because my main reason for this trip is to visit my God-brother. So, after walking without purpose and chatting along the way at the seaport, it was time for me to get to the station for my bus. On my trip home though, I started to notice all the different license plates that the cars here have. Different states produce different car plates, and most of them has a motto on it. I think it is nice to have something attractive and good-looking hanging on the back of your car, so I was curious and started looking out of the window, counting as much different car plates I can get. From what I seen, the New York’s ones are quite symbolic, and they do look great. Some states such as Connecticut, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, have mediocre ones that aren’t that memorable. Florida’s really confusing. The big fruit at the center strips it away from all the beauty it has. But the most yucky one is the Massachusetts’ (I’m so sorry), because I think white plates with red numbers are not artistic or creative at all.

ANYWAY, whether it is looking at HANGING plates or just HANGING around with friends, Boston do seem like a cool place to relax. It is fun doing nothing but watching car plates all day though, you should definitely try it here sometime.