Boston Locusts Are Among Us

Have you seen the locusts in Boston? I never knew they existed in cities until I came to the New England area; however, the locusts seem to feed and breed in Boston - their home base. I can't say I see them often, but I know exactly where they've been. Similar to how their cousins fly over crops and devour all they see, the Boston locusts take to the streets in swarms and leave their mark, orange tickets, on several parked cars.

The Boston locusts have also evolved more than their smaller more agile cousins. In the city, they take the shape of a parking enforcement officer. Yes, 5'5 - 6'2, sometimes male, other times female, and always donned in dark blue attire. These mercurial insects transform when they see a car missing its parking permit, another car stationed in a visitor's spot a minute longer than it should be or an innocent Mazda parked a tad too close to a fire hydrant. Orange tickets ensue. I was said victim parked too close to the fire hydrant and I have been wounded with the orange ticket of pain. But Ryan, my poor husband, has been the victim of the Boston locusts attack on several occasions - his Volvo's smell must attract the swarm. If you plan to visit Boston, beware of the mutant locusts; they are all around us.

While I am unaware of locusts of this nature in Seattle, I do know the Boston locusts breed quickly and will soon outgrow their territory. 

"Locusts are sometimes solitary insects with lifestyles much like grasshoppers. But locusts have another behavioral phase called the gregarious phase. When environmental conditions produce many green plants and promote breeding, locusts can congregate into thick, mobile, ravenous swarms." 

"The Boston locusts walk the streets as solitary insects, looking for prey and ticketing their victims. In many instances; however, the locusts swarm the streets, especially during the weekend phase. When city conditions produce many illegal parkers and promote ticketing heaven, Boston locusts can congregate into thick, mobile, ravenous swarms."

Getting Used to Different

When I first moved to Boston last January, I was consumed with how different life was on the East Coast. I basically thought people on the East Coast did and said everything wrong.

• Why would you add "r" to the end of idea?
• Who calls pop ... soda?
• Why does everyone jaywalk in front of moving cars expecting the cars to stop?
• Do all checkers at the grocery store ignore their customers?
• Why do waiters give me water only after I place my order?
• Where is the salt and pepper on the tables at restaurants?
• Why do so many people throw their trash on the street without a care?
• What's with everyone feeling like they are entitled to more?
• How many times do I have to hear someone tell me they went to a really good university as if it's the best school in the U.S.?
• Do I always need to wear rainboots when it rains?
• Why do people swear so much more here?

Of course, those were only a few of the things I found weird and wrong on the East Coast during my first six months living in this "new world". Now having lived in Boston for almost a year, I have the following confessions to make.

• I am used to hearing the letter "r" added or removed from words. It's natural - who wouldn't say "Foward" in place of "Forward". Idea"r" still gets to me, but it doesn't sound weird anymore.
• I LOVE jay walking; it's much more effiecient than waiting for the crosswalk signal to give me the OK to go
• Why would checkers be extra nice to me like on the West Coast. It's not like they get tips.
• Not all people drink water like a fish as I do, so OK, I can wait for water or ask for it. I shouldn't expect it.
• Salt and pepper shouldn't be on the table when I'm eating out. Resturants in New England are keeping me healthier.
• People are entitled because they've been here the longest - seriously, it is called New England for a reason.
• I always tell everyone that the journalism program at my college was one of the best on the West Coast - I had to join in with the others and brag about my college.
• Yes, why wouldn't I wear rainboots. Seattlelites are crazy for not wearing them more often.
• Fuck is my new favorite word.

Hence, I have become an East Coaster  - I swear, I jaywalk, I say "suore" (my pronunciation of some words are changing) and I only say pop occasionaly now.

What have I learned? "Different" isn't wrong, it's simply a new way of doing things. I've basically learned that my "normal" way of living on the West Coast is not the "normal" on the East Coast and, you know what, I'm OK with it and have emabraced the "new normal" on the East Coast.

I'll end with a quote as usual. :)

Me: "I can get the pop for the party."
My Boss: blank stare
Me: blank stare back - What part of the sentence does she not understand?
My Boss: blank stare
Me: "Oh, I mean soda."
My Boss: "Who says pop?" hahaha

Snow and Dancing

It snowed this week. Yes, it snowed. Should I say it again; it snowed. Can you tell I don't want to admit that winter arrived early? Maybe it's because I got used to the hot and humid summers on the East Coast that wrap warmth (and, well, sometimes sweat) around me 24/7 and the spring like falls that make me think, "Why do people complain about the weather here?" I could also blame it on my Northwest roots that have pretty much been frozen off this week.

Regardless, winter is here and the past tropical storm - Hurricane Sandy - has left the trees bare, making way for my and Ryan's favorite entertainers to arrive in Boston. The entertainers are truly artistic dancers who chose to add life to the bare trees of winter. They take flight in the wind and cling to branches where they show their best moves to the Boston crowd.

The Dancing Bags of Boston have arrived. 

In all honesty, the Dancing Bags give us a reason to make sure we throw our trash away to limit the number of dancers in the city.

I'll end with this from my husband. "Photos just don't do the dancers justice. They are everywhere!"

Hurricane Mom Hits the East Coast

Northwest Mamas Head East

The home was cleaned. The wine rack was stocked. The pantry was filled. The sheets were changed. The tourist itinerary was complete. We were ready for Hurricane Mom to hit the East Coast!

Ryan and I welcomed our Seattle moms to Boston and our home early this September. We played host to both of our moms for two weeks and learned how to maneuver around our small place with four people - a true skill really. 

The first evening our moms were here, we went to our favorite eclectic restaurant - The Beehive. The food, ambiance, music and staff are our favorite in Boston. So far, nothing compares. 

The Beehive

The next day we visited our local vintage and farmer's market in the SoWa neighborhood. Vendors of every type fill the parking lot for the farmer's half of the market and then vendors who sell vintage items from chairs and clothes to mirrors and maps complete the second half of the market (located inside). Oh, and I can't forget to mention the array of food trucks that have something for everyone. Needless to say, we had lunch at the market, bought some homemade bread and both moms found a new outfit to buy. Going on a Duck Tour was next on our list! Ryan and I had never been before and neither had our Boston friends the Browns so we invited them along with us and our moms. The Duck Tour gave the moms and us locals a nice overview of the city and taught us more about Boston in about 90 minutes, than I have learned living here for almost nine months! We ended the day at the Browns for some stoop sitting, wine and music in the park! 

When Monday morning came, us Boston peeps had to go to work. We left the moms to their own devices during the workday that week. At night, we explored the town with them or stayed home to enjoy dinner and wine on our little porch that overlooks our community garden (and apparently attracts construction workers around 5 p.m. as they create a HH of their own on the curb by the garden - according to our moms). On Tuesday evening, we were able to get tickets to Fenway to see the Boston Red Sox take on the Yankees. The stadium really is impressive and at 100 years old, it should be. It's old, yes, but so many memories and stories have been told on the field, in the seats, behind the snack bars, etc. Even the graphics they use on the big screen are designed to represent graphics used in the 1940s - 60s. The best part of the night - the Red Sox beat the Yankees! 

Fenway Park

We also visited the Top of the Hub restaurant and the Skywalk (located at the top of the Prudential Building) while the moms visited. The view was breathtaking AND we could see our place from the 52nd floor. :) This photo does not do it justice.

View from Skywalk

I realize my post is getting ridiculously long now, but I only have one more mom adventure to talk about. We went to New York for the weekend to introduce our moms to New York City. We walked the blocks; we ate the local fare; we drank East Coast beer and wine; we did a little jig in Times Square; we took in the sights of the city by double decker bus; we viewed the "Cement Jungle" from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building; we paid our respect to everyone affected by 9/11 by visiting the 9/11 Memorial; and we followed our ancestors steps through Ellis Island -- viewing the Statue of Liberty for the first time like those of our past. All in all - the trip was a success!

View from Empire State Building

Statue of Liberty

9/11 Memorial

View of New York City

Multiple "One" of a Kinds

Diversity is a funny thing. You hear it talked about on TV. Your read about it. You think you understand it. But speaking from personal experiences in Boston, you just can't fathom what "diversity" truly means until you experience it. What? Experience diversity? Yep, that's what I said.

For all the men reading this blog - be forewarned - a female over share is about to happen.

Last week, I went to my first gynecologist appointment in Boston which happened to be just two minutes from my place - talk about convenient! I walked into the office and checked in with a Puerto Rican woman, then I talked with an African American woman about my health insurance before taking a seat. I didn't even look up from my spot for five minutes since I was busy answering emails on my phone. Once I did glance away from my phone, I paused. Among about 20 other patients, I realized that I was the only Caucasian female. And then I looked again. A Hispanic woman. An Indian woman. A Vietnamese woman. A Chinese woman. And ... you get the picture. We were all one of a kind in the gynecologist office. It amazed me. That is one in your face definition of diversity. We were all at the office to attend to our female health or for some, future baby's health, and although we came from different backgrounds, we all had the same purpose at that time. The point of my story is that I experience this type of diversity on a daily basis in Boston and I love it. My experience in the gynecologist office is one I encounter on the street, in the grocery store, at the farmer's market and really in most places in the city. 

Where I lived in Washington, I just couldn't experience diversity like this and I didn't know what I was missing until I moved here with multiple "one" of a kinds. My husband's contribution to this blog post: every vag looks the same.

And, as will be the usual, I will end this post with a quote from the end of my actual gynecologist appointment.

Nurse: "OK, you are set to go."
Me: "Great, thank you" I said as I walked toward the exit to the waiting area ...
Nurse: "Wait, I have free condoms for you. You have to take advantage of the freebies."

From Seattle to Boston

Learning how to jay walk. Interpreting the speed limit as a suggestion. Saying soda vs. pop. Putting garbage bags on the sidewalk. Not cringing when someone says"idea-r". Seeing the beauty in plastic bags covering bare trees. Embracing humidity. Eating pizza instead of teriyaki chicken. Acquiring a taste for Dunkin Donuts. Getting used to sports teams winning.

Oh the things we have learned to love or accept after making the move from West Coast to East. I don't think my husband and I ever thought moving to a different coast meant moving into a new culture of sorts, but it has been an adventure and continues to be every time we walk out our front door ... no seriously, one day a camera crew was outside our parlor level Brownstone at 7 a.m. thanks to an odd occurrence across the street. Good morning Boston!

A little bit about me and the husband. We moved from Seattle - the land of the rain, green and beauty beyond measure, to Boston - the land of the heat, bricks and history that is never ending, last January 2012. We also tied the knot less than a year ago and both started new jobs about seven months ago.  Apparently, we don't know how not to keep change out of our life. But in truth - when we received the offer (my husband's job offer) to move to Boston - we couldn't pass it by.

We now live in a quaint 1900-style Boston Brownstone in the South End with our gangsta Jobe. After having seven months to make our new place our "home" and getting to know the city and surrounding states, we are ready to blog about our life, adventures in a new state and life as we are knowing it on the East Coast.

We have several stories to share, but I'll leave you with this for now, my favorite quote -- one of many that has made me laugh -- that the nice homeless man said to me this past winter as I passed him on the street:

Man: "Those are nice boots."
Me: "Thank you, my mom picked them out for me."
Man: "Tell your mom I want to meet her."

Gangsta Jobe

Part of the neighborhood (Feb. 2012)