The trip to Provincetown was our last trip on Cape Cod. There were a few days left before our main trip along the US East Coast. We decided to follow this route: Boston - Washington - New York. We bought the cheapest tickets we could find, and two companies helped us with this: Peter Pan bus and MegaBus. So, for a ticket from Hyannis to Boston we paid $5 each, and for a ticket from Boston to Washington about $30. In Boston, we decided to stay for one full day, as we had already been there when we flew to Miami; in Washington we had 10 hours, and in New York three days.
Arriving in Boston, we faced a problem with our suitcases. They were very large and heavy, and the luggage storage at the bus station was very expensive and only worked until 10 pm (our bus was at 0:00). We started looking for another way out and accidentally stumbled upon an ad at some newsstand at the train station that they accept luggage for storage. The kiosk is located near the escalators in the main waiting room. The prices there turned out to be much more reasonable and they worked around the clock. Leaving our things there, we bought a 1-day subway ticket and went for a walk around Boston.
Our first stop was Harvard. We were very lucky, and on the day we were in Boston, student meetings were held at all universities, where the leadership read congratulatory speeches in a solemn atmosphere, and some universities were open to visitors.
Arriving at the "Harvard" station, we immediately headed to the main building. It was very beautiful, an orchestra was playing, everyone was in formal attire, parents had arrived, students were meeting and laughing. There were a lot of teachers who, by the way, turned out to be very friendly. The atmosphere of celebration and joy was felt in the air. There was no arrogance from the students, and everyone we asked was ready to take a minute and help. Unfortunately, we never got into the university, as they only let people in with passes, but this in no way spoiled our mood and we were very happy that we visited this beautiful place. The university itself is located in a park surrounded by a fence, so entering the gates, it feels like you are entering another world. Students sit with MacBooks on the grass under the trees and discuss something, someone is slowly riding a bike, someone is running and barely holding their open backpack, guys are arguing about solving a problem - in general, a complete immersion in student life.
But leaving the university and the park, you do not leave the area of numerous "Harvard" signs that are found at every step. On the opposite side of the park is the official university store, selling "Nike" sportswear made specifically for the university, casual clothing with branded merchandise, books by famous graduates, pens and other school supplies. The prices are not very cheap, but the average J-1 student can afford it. The quality of the clothes depends on the price.
In addition, there are numerous unofficial shops where Harvard merchandise is also sold, but, admittedly, ordered from Aliexpress. The prices here are significantly lower, but the quality is a complete disaster, so I do not recommend it. Of course, there are a huge number of different bars, restaurants and other establishments aimed at students nearby.
After visiting Harvard, we headed to another world-famous educational institution - the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Unlike Harvard, it is not located as conveniently. We arrived at the subway station closest to the main building, from which, according to maps, a shuttle to the university was supposed to run; after waiting for it at the stop for 15 minutes, we decided to walk. The university itself is 20 minutes from the subway, and the path to it runs along the beautiful Boston waterfront. It is really very beautiful there: boats with MIT logos are in the water, people who have gone for a run are constantly running along the embankment, someone is sitting on a bench and just looking ahead, cars are rushing by opposite. It reminds me of St. Petersburg, but highly modernized. I recommend everyone to walk along the embankment and just enjoy the beauty of the city.
On the approach to the university, there is a monument made of numbers (I don't know the name), and on the opposite side, a kind of buffet was organized for students, where people, just like at Harvard, talked and met. By the way, there were no solemn events there, but it is possible that we were late.
The most pleasant moment was that it was possible to enter the main building without hindrance and walk around it. I don't know if it was officially allowed, but no one said anything. The building inside is amazing. Firstly, it is truly huge and it is difficult to even guess how many classrooms are there. Secondly, the building is very modern. I wandered around it for two hours and it never ceased to amaze me: bridges built between buildings, numerous spiral staircases, various arches and other architectural delights - all this is so diverse and unusual that at first you don't believe that you have ended up in a university. And you don't believe it because in St. Petersburg, as a student of one of the universities, I associate state educational institutions with Soviet or even older buildings that need repair. With old teachers and other attributes familiar to everyone. Thirdly, I was struck by the technical equipment of the university. In every classroom there are modern projectors, interactive whiteboards, an audio system, new, beautiful desks and chairs, rest areas equipped with coffee machines and cookies, as well as boards placed at every step on which students could discuss solving problems. In the laboratories, I saw many students working on research. They were so engrossed in the process that they often didn't even notice me. They had modern equipment at their disposal: microscopes, laser devices, consumables for experiments, etc. - in general, everything necessary for conducting an experiment and subsequent analysis of the results. In the nuclear sector, there were numerous barrels filled with reagents, various instruments and, of course, iMacs. I don't know why I remembered the iMac, but their abundance for some reason stuck in my memory. They were in every laboratory, in every academic department, and even the guards, if I had seen them, would probably have had Macs. This, of course, speaks to the level of technical equipment that is maintained at the institute.
After walking around the university for two hours, we were about to leave when we heard the sounds of a horn. Yes, yes, the sounds of a horn and shouts, like in the Middle Ages. We followed the sounds and realized that we had ended up in a real battle. Catapults, assault structures, swords, shields, armor, water bombs - all this surrounded us right in front of the main entrance to the building. Asking people, we realized that a battle was taking place between the faculties (I might be wrong). It was really very cool, because there were about 70 people on each side and they were all armed with various types of weapons. There were even Russians who were shouting our Russian swear words)).
We watched what was happening for a long time, it was unrealistically cool to see how adult smart people run, shout and fight. Better than any theater. Americans really know how to have fun.
After the Massachusetts Institute, we walked around the shops a bit and headed to the train station. Of the shops, I recommend the Primark clothing store, which is located in only a few cities in the world. A very good, cheap and high-quality store from which you will not be able to leave without purchases. In addition, I recommend visiting Chinatown in Boston, the central park and looking at the city hall - a very beautiful, stone-paved structure.
In general, Boston is a small New York, which, as it seemed to us, is calmer and more fun. There are more than 100 universities located there and, accordingly, you are surrounded only by students everywhere, and they, as you know, are fun people. I also liked the architecture of Boston, which comes from a mixture of American and English styles. Lots of stone and few trees. Lots of bars, lots of red brick and chrome steel. Very beautiful. This is the city that we liked more than all the ones we have been to. I would really like to return there.
Be sure to set aside 2+ days for this city, you won't regret it! Well, we are getting on the bus and going to the next city on the route - Washington.
I am posting the first part of our video from Boston, where our walk to Harvard University will be shown. I will attach the second part with the Massachusetts Institute a little later.
CITY OF UNIVERSITIES - BOSTON, series 6
To be continued.
