This is one of the very first photos of myself in New England, my new home. When I first moved here, Paul had fun showing me around. We lived in Rhode Island at the time, but Boston was a favorite destination. I remember falling in love with this grand, beautiful old city.
This was taken on St. Patrick’s Day 2002. We had gone to ‘Southie’ to watch the parade. It was a very cold, blustery day. I still had not developed a proper cold-weather wardrobe, and bundled up as best I could in my California-weight wool coat. I didn’t even have proper boots to keep my feet warm. I had always thought I understood the concept of ‘cold’. I found out I was wrong. I had no idea.
But it was fun watching the parade. I remember there was a group of college kids sitting in the windows of a building across the street, watching the procession and drinking heavily. I kept waiting for one of them to fall out. No one did, although one of them came pretty close a couple of times.
Afterward we walked to the Common. We were passing this tavern, The Bull & Finch Pub, and I wanted to get a photo. This was where the exterior shots for the TV show Cheers were filmed. My mom always loved that show, and I wanted the photo to send back to her in California. I had a disposable camera with me to take snapshots of the parade, so I asked a passerby to take our picture. So here we are, looking like a couple of tourists, when in reality Paul has lived here all his life and I was a new resident. Although, I think you could make a case that I was still in ‘tourist phase’. I think when you move somewhere you are a tourist for a bit, till you get acquainted with your new surroundings.
I well remember this very cold day. I remember having fun and feeling a sense of adventure from exploring a whole new world. I’ve loved Boston ever since, and I’m always ready visit her anytime.
