In Love With Boston — A Photo Essay

Surabhi Surendra
5 min readMay 2, 2019

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A Year-Long Love Affair Captured in Photos

There are three kinds of places — one that make you theirs, forever. And the ones that can never be yours. And then the ones that can’t be yours but still feel like your own because they give you some of your best memories.

Boston is one such city that has given me plenty of good memories to be cherished for life.

I moved to Boston (at MIT, to be precise) in August, 2017 for my husband’s master program. Initially it was a challenge to adapt to the ordinary student life in Cambridge especially because I had a comfortably easy life in Delhi. It took me a few weeks to embrace this new life where I’d spend hours in counting and calculating each dollar spent.

But once I got accustomed to the living in accordance with the meagre stipend, I began to fall in love with the place.

I tried to spend my mornings at Charles River and evenings in cafes. Photography helped me in capturing those moments and some great friends that I made, made living so much fun and easier.

Here is the summary of my one year spent in Boston.

  1. Boston — The City of Runners
Runners at Early Dawn ©Surabhi Surendra

Boston is called the city of runners and rightly so. If there is one thing you can find everywhere in Boston (other than Dunkin Donuts, of course) it is — runners. You can see people running early in the morning, in the hot noon and in the wee hours of late evening. Bostonians love to run.

2. The Boston Skyline

A Glimpse of Boston Skyline

It is magical to see the Boston skyline lit up with the early morning sunlight while the city gears up to live up the phrase ‘Carpe Diem.’ I love to watch the sunrise because I get to see this marvelous view of Boston skyline across the placid Charles River. I live in Cambridge, which is right across Boston and this is the view from my window!

3. The Charles River

It is the Charles River that connects (or divides, whichever way you think) Boston and Cambridge. On one side of the river lies Boston and on the other is Cambridge — the city of MIT and Harvard.

4. The Boston Fall of New England

New England fall is famous for serving its colorful platter of fall foliage and Boston sits beautifully on one corner of it, giving us a glimpse of this natural phenomenon. Head to The Castle Island or Arboretum or just stroll around the city. The fall will mesmerize you nevertheless.

5. The Boston Cafe Lives

While you can find a Dunkin Donut on every nook and corner of the city, Boston can still boast of hosting some of the best cafes for a cup of joe or a pastry. From Tatte to Blue State to Thinking Cup to Flour to LA Burdick to many others, the city has a lot to offer just in the name of coffee. Most of my favorite cafes are pictured in this image. Clockwise — Tatte, Flour, Blue State, Paul, LA Burdick, Darwin.

6. The Boston Streets

The Famous Historical Acorn Street ©Surabhi Surendra

It is not just the skyline that exudes charm, Boston’s beauty lies in its many streets. Go to Newbury for a leisurely walk among luxury or Acorn street to step back in time.

7. The Boston Weather (or the Seasons)

The Winter Whiteland

Okay, this one has got many to complain. I have a love-hate relationship with Boston weather. I love the consistent nip in the air but when it suddenly rains without any weather predictions or gets cold as f*ck, I can’t help but hate it.

But it turn so serene and beautiful when spring arrives.

A Spring Sunset

8. The (Boston) Universities

MIT

Boston neighborhood claims not one but two ivy-league universities, state-of-the-art MIT and its very own Boston University. It is this youth atmosphere and young population that never let Boston age.

9. The Boston Harbor

The Boston harbor is home to the port of Boston and contains about 34 islands. This is Boston skyline as seen from the bay.

10. The Spirit of Boston — Its Culture

The Bench From the Last Scene of “The Goodwill Hunting” at Boston Public Garden ©Surabhi Surendra

Boston is a historical city and it is reflected in its culture. From the Boston Tea Party to Freedom Trail, there is a lot to see in the city. Boston Public Library was the first large public library in the USA. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is one of the largest art museums in the world.

Make Way for Ducklings ©Surabhi Surendra

There is so much more to the city than these photos.

But I hope you liked Boston through my camera. These memories will stay with me for a long time.

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