As my flight took off from Logan on Saturday, I had the opportunity to see the Boston skyline from 5000 feet. It really is quite beautiful, with the financial district and waterfront draped in patterned, almost pixilated light and flanked by the Back Bay in flourescent yellows, neon blue, and blinking red rooftop strobes. The scene was compelling, exciting. It promised new people, new experiences, and new stories.
And yet, none of those beacons in the Boston night are actually places where anyone goes once the sun sets. There's the Top of the Hub and a few similar spots, but by and large the Boston night life happens in places you can't see from the air. The crowded pubs full of sports fans watching a Boston team, beer snobs sibbing high gravity Belgians, or music lovers enjoying (or not) the latest local band are all outside the city center. Not to mention the private house parties, late-night coffeeshops, and all-night parks, which aren't even remotely part of the skyline.
I'm not sure I have a specific point to make, beyond the general observation that the things which look nice in a photograph aren't necessarily the same things that make a city somewhere worth livng. Most of those exciting-looking buildings are full of bored office workers and hotels, while most of the night life this city has to offer may not look like much from the outside.
Well said.
ReplyDeleteI do challenge you (plural), to explore the idea that there may be good vantage points from which a night view is remarkable. My old roofdeck, for instance, is nothing notable or special, but its unique glimpse of downtown on one side, and sunset on the other, was thrilling to me.