Boston Memoirs...

It has been 2 months since I left Boston or in better words moved from Boston, as of today exactly 9 weeks and 1 day. As I am unpacking my 25 boxes that arrived 2 months later I realize that I am faced with so many memoirs that are tingling my nervous system and I find myself missing Boston and doubting my decision to leave Boston...I lived in the Boston area for a little more than 9 years, it's the most I've lived in one city actually, so it has some very important memoirs (not counting my moves around Boston area). I moved to Boston after college in Illinois to work in a lab and then made a career change and went to graduate school and then worked as a Dietitian and then somehow some mysterious force confinced me to move to Turkey. And why have I not written down my memoirs? These past 9 years, actually total 13 years spent in USA has been the time when I grew up and changed a lot pyschologically. So I decided to write down my memories, my faves, my wish I did this in Boston in a list that goes like this: (Please remember these are really important for me and my personal view of the Boston area that contributed to the person I am now, and because I have lived there for a long time it is a long list).
- Boston is where I had my first job as a newly graduate.
- Boston is where I worked with mice, both in the lab where I had to experiment on them and in both of the houses I lived there where we kinda were roommates for some time. Ahhhh! was not a great experience.
- I lived on High Street in Brookline for 7 years and River Street in Cambridge for 2 years. When I had found out that there is a street in Cambrigde named Garfield St, I really really wanted to live on that street but didn't happen. Luckily, all the streets I've lived on in US have had great names by chance.
- I once looked at a house to rent on Elm St. in Cambridge and it was a great house, but because of the name of the street I couldn't rent it (Elm Street Nightmares was in my head).
- The house on High St. used to be owned by some hippies I believe and I experienced squirrels building nests in the roof and squirrels, mice and bats living in the attic (not the part I lived in). Interesting?
- I've visited Lee Street in Cambridge and Prospect Ave. Somerville side for many many times as some friends know and had some of the best experiences, parties and friendships develop and thighten there.
- Other streets I've walked on and hanged out around the most are Massachusetts Ave., JFK St., Brattle St., Harvard St, Newbury St, Boylston St, and the Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive (but more on the walk way next to Charles River) and of course Harvard square, Central square, and Coolidge Corner.
- The studio I rented on High St. was the attic 3rd floor of a house and it was the most beautiful place I've ever lived in with huge windows and blue walls and always green garden view.
- First time I drove on the long American highways more than I could imagine and with lots of confidence.
- First time I had a car accident and first time someone hit my car at a Stop sign! (Hopefully these are first and last!)
- I drove from Boston to Montreal, Quebec (about 7 hours) and back once and alone and it was the longest time I spent driving and I got a speeding ticket in Vermont and this may be the last time I drive that much...
- First time I visited New York City and had lots and lots of fun as I visited many more times, but then I got tired of big cities.
- First time I shoveled snow that was higher than my height and my car.
- First time I did sailing and it was a tiny boat, we were 3 people on the Charles River.
- Boston is where I became a vegetarian and started experimenting in vegetarian cooking.
- Boston is where I first started baking and oh yes it was deliciousa as some know.
- I was introduced to Indian cuisine here for the first time and the very first restaurant my friends took me was spicy as hell but then I found out there are certain spices and dishes that are less spicy and realized that there are common ingredients in Indian and Turkish cuisine and eventually fell in love with this cuisine as well.
- Of course this is the city where my Nutrition knowledge was enlightened and where I became a Dietitian and then a Lactation Counselor.
- And I started practicing yoga for the first time here, the very first time was in a church with some odd old teacher which made me not like yoga at all but then I thought maybe I should try a yoga studio with normal looking teachers and it happened while I was living in Cambridge, my best friend and I started at Karma yoga every Sunday morning at 11am I think it was and we fell in love with our teacher, the studio and yoga which led me to 6 years of practicing in Karma Yoga Studio with various teachers and styles.
- First time where I started running for exercise and to deal with stress in the city and even realized the possibilitiy of running at a marathon.
- I already mentioned that I grew a lot here, but Boston is where I experienced my first transformation and changed the most pschycologically, changing my point of view on life and the world.
- This city and my growing interest in Nutrition made me realize the importance of organic and local foods and I started shopping only at Farmers Markets in the summer and stopped buying other stuff in order to afford it. Other times mostly I shopped at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods again limiting the money I spent on other stuff.
- I have to say Boston is where I fell in love, really fell in love for the first time and was so blinded by this that I missed my flight for the first time...
- First time I babysitted and fell in love with a baby...
- First time I worked in a chocolate shop but only lasted a few weeks because my classes needed more time and I ate too much chocolate there...hey they wanted me to try all the flavors in order to inform the customers and there were at least 40 flavors. But still its the best place I've ever worked so far.
- First time I worked at a cafe, Kookoo, tiny cute little place but with the best Middle Eastern food and best boss which was a great experience for me.
- First time I swam in a ocean and not a sea. But I still preferr the Mediterranean sea.
- Started painting in my studio in Boston through classes at the School of Museum of Fine Arts.
- Learned Spanish mostly by speaking, hearing and watching Spanish movies and shows because had to counsel clients in Spanish.
- First time I drove a UHaul truck (to carry my 25 boxes to the shipping office of course) and my feet hardly reached the gas or brake because the seat didn't move and did I say it was a huge truck, was a difficult thing to drive...
- This city and High St. studio is where I went through several life changing events and illnesses. (Can't say what is my first life changing event, is it when I moved to US alone at age 18 or when I was forced to move from one country to another growing up until then?)
- First time I ever went to a Temple which was a Hare Krishna Temple and fell in love with the Temple that also changed my life, but sadly it was only about 1 month before I left Boston.
*So, in the end, Turkey had been the country I grew up physically as a teenager, but USA has been the country I grew mentally, psychologically and spiritually. Now I'm in Turkey again, so wait and see what comes...

My fave spots in Boston area that you could have found me at are:
Harvard Square wondering on the streets or listening to street musicians or at Au Bon Pain or Crema Cafe or Dado Tea or wondering around at some summer festival or chatting with friends.
Dado Tea in Central Sq.
Coolidge Corner in Brookline.
Kendall Square Cinema (Independent movies)
Harvard Square Bookstore (the independent one)
Trident cafe and bookstore on Newbury St.
Brookline Booksmith on Harvard St. (also an independent one)
H&M store on Newbury St.
Urban Outfitters store on Newbury St and Harvard sq.
Anthropologie clothing Store on Boylston St.
Free People clothing Store in Prudential
Lululemon sports/yoga Store in Prudential
Ten Thousand Villages Store in Brookline
Berk's, Camper, and The Tannery Shoe stores.
A Peruvian Store in Harvard sq. Mass ave...don't know its name.
Miracle of Science cafe and bar
Casablanca Restaurant and bar.
GrassHopper Vegan Restaurant
All Indian restaurants in Cambridge
Algiers Cafe in Harvard Sq.
Central St. Cafe in JP (Jamaica Plain)
Dim Sum at China Pearl
Japonaise Bakery and cafe in Brookline
Paris Bakery in Brookline
Caffe Paradiso in Brookline, next to Boston University or on Newbury St. (This place which I found out is a small chain was also my fave cafe in Urbana at UIUC, IL where I drank coffee, chatted a lot and studied a lot).
Tealuxe and Teavana for tea...
Cuchi Cuchi and Oleana are my fave restaurants but I haven't been there that much because they are $$$$$$
Top of the Hub (Lounge on the top of Prudential with the best view of Boston and free jazz music every night).
Cambridge 1 Restaurant for the best pizza and beer right before a movie at Harvard Loews Cinema.
L.A. Burdick cafe for their hot chocolate
Finale Restaurant for their Chocolate Cake (go their during a Birthday and get a special!)
Farmers Markets at Copley and Brookline.
Cristina's Ice cream in Inman Sq. (try the Adzuki Bean ice cream and anything with ginger!)
Toscanini Ice Cream (I loved the one in Harvard sq the most until they closed and kept only the original store in Central Sq.)
Metropolis Cafe for their Belgian dark chocolate pancakes.
Ula Cafe in JP.
Cafe Pomplana in Harvard sq is cute but good for a quick coffee not to sit for hours.
Karma Yoga Studio in Harvard Sq. (also with a cafe)
Museum of Fine Arts, especially during the annual Turkish Film Festival
Boston Common Park, usually walking around the pond and staring at the beautiful trees, even in the winter...
Charles River walkway starting from Massachusetts Ave. on Boston side up to where it ends around Museum of Science.
Hatchshell during the summer for events and festivals on the Boston side of Charles River.
Charles River walkway starting from around JFK St on Cambride Side and walking towards Watertown...this is also where I ran with my best friend for some great Sunday mornings.
My fave Bridge is actually not the Harvard Brigde on Mass. Ave. but the small bridge that connects Cambridge to the Harvard business or law school...don't know its name..Ahhh!
Walking to and around Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain where I worked and where people ice skated many years ago.
Also the T (subway) especially Green D Line and the Red Line is where I spent a lot of time in but not my fave places really, especially the Green Lines.

Fave Trips from Boston:
Commuter Rail train to Rockport (my fave town and place where I dreamt of moving to instead of Turkey but didn't happen).
Train to Newburyport and then Salem (the witch town as they say).
Driving to Newport, RI or Provincetown in Cape Cod.
Kripalu Yoga Center in the Berkshires (Western Mass.) - this place changed my life.
Trips with the cheap buses to NYC- my first trips were exciting, but I don't desire to be in huge and caotic cities like that anymore. Boston to NYC trips always made me think of Ankara to Istanbul trips although I never lived in Ankara, I thought I understood those people wanting to be in a bigger city until now.
New England States, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine great for skiing but also all sorts of activities that I didn't have time to do:(

Wish I also did...
Spend more time traveling to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and the Cape and its Islands.
Saved money to go to Kripalu Yoga Center many many more times.
Have the time to go to more yoga retreats.
Saved money to travel to the Caribbean and Central America and South America. (But I have seen most of USA and some of Canada).
Drive on Route 1 all the way to the North end in Maine visiting each little town on the way.
Have the courage to move to Rockport and start all over again.

So, yep I do miss Boston and friends who are still there and even the places I haven't had a chance to visit. Well, life goes on with more opportunities and I am optimistic about the future and open to changes...
Anything similar you've experienced, some big move perhaps or memories as a Bostonian? I'd love to hear about them...