Summer reflections: tales of a boomerang Bostonian
It’s that time of year again, the sun is shining, people are shedding their winter layers and a fresh group of new graduates are joining our team here at FleishmanHillard Boston. And one of the questions that inevitably comes up is — how long have you been with FH?
Well, I’m not sure when it happened, but I’ve been with FH for almost four years, and am celebrating 18 months in Boston this month.
That’s right, I was lucky enough to be a member of FH New York prior to moving back to Boston. I had been living in New York for four years after completing my grad work at Boston University (Go Terriers!) and working in the area for several years post-graduation, so I consider myself a boomerang Bostonian. (Fun fact, there are actually three members of FH Boston that started their time with FH New York before making the transfer here).
Since boomeranging back to Boston, I’ve noticed so many remarkable changes to the city, and it’s been great exploring some of the more fun changes with many of my FH Boston co-workers.
A perfect example of this is the transformation in the Seaport area. There wasn’t much there when I left, and it certainly wasn’t somewhere people spent a lot of time if they didn’t have to. Now, it’s a vibrant neighborhood with some great places to eat and gorgeous views, not to mention the home of FH Boston’s offices. Being part of this up and coming neighborhood has certainly had a huge impact of the quality of our work happy hours, and our office took full advantage of our new neighborhood for our annual holiday party in December. We had a wonderful time at Del Frisco’s — the food, views, wine and of course company were an amazing way to wrap up my first year at FH Boston.
Speaking of food, the warmer weather has the team once again taking advantage of Boston’s growing Food Truck scene. Being based on Congress Street means we have easy access to the many food trucks that park near South Station, as well as the ones along the Greenway. When we moved to the area last year, one of our new team members started the tradition of Food Truck Fridays. Needless to say, with so many options the tradition is alive and well, and anyone who can head out for a food truck adventure at noon on Fridays does.
Another example of how Boston has changed are all the seasonal activities that now bring new life to City Hall Plaza — ice skating and holiday shopping in the winter, and puppies, beer, mini-golf and ice cream in the summer. My sister put it best when she responded to my excitement about going to a recent Wag Wednesday event with some co-workers there, by saying “Puppies, beer and ice cream on a Wednesday. So, you basically went to heaven for an afternoon?” And honestly, sitting out in the sun petting puppies and eating ice cream was just that — all in the heart of an area of Boston that had long been considered a wasted space in a vibrant, growing city.
So, when people ask me why I moved from New York to Boston, I share this simple answer. No, it wasn’t the food or the puppies (though both of those do rate high on my list)… it was the people. I am so grateful for my FleishmanHillard Boston FHamily.
