Let’s stop playing; Boston is just better than New York City. We’re not biased at all. This is a completely impartial and ethical list of reasons why Beantown will always be a chowder-soaked cut above the Big Apple.
History
It’s very cute that New York has the American Stock Exchange building (built in 1921 which is basically yesterday by Boston standards) and the Flatiron building, 1901, but we’ve got the Freedom Trail, the Bunker Hill Monument, the Boston Tea Party site, the African Meeting House, and about a million other sites that represent the foundation of America. In history class, it’s Boston that takes the main stage. Seriously, what was New York even doing while we were winning the Revolutionary War?
Parks
New York loves to talk about Central Park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, but frankly, that was amateur hour. After making an easy buck on that project, Olmstead came back to Boston, where he lived thank you very much, and designed the true gem of his career: the Emerald Necklace. The Emerald Necklace is 1,100 acres, versus 840 in Central Park, and it elegantly loops through the city of Boston, rather than awkwardly dividing it down the middle. Ahem. If you want to learn more about Olmsted, you don’t go to Brooklyn, you come to Brookline where the Frederick Law Olmsted Historic Site is.
Food
Boston’s Union Oyster House (1826) is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in America and you can still pop in for a bowl of clam chowder in 2020. Show us a restaurant in New York City that’s had that kind of longevity. New York may be known for pizza and bagels (though anyone who says that hasn’t been to Boston’s North End or Kupel’s in Coolidge Corner) but we’ve got clam chowder, Boston cream pie, baked beans, frappes, lobstah rolls (that’s lobster, people) and more. New York can keep their overrated, overpriced excuse for pizza; we’ll be on Martha’s Vineyard throwing a clambake with the Obamas.
Escape Routes
Manhattan is literally an island. The closest area you can flee to for a weekend getaway is Brooklyn, and frankly no sane getaway includes ironic beards and $15 lattes. From Boston you can easily drive to the beaches of Cape Cod, the mountains of New Hampshire for skiing or hiking, the rolling hills and cultural oasis of The Berkshires or the historic mansions of Newport. We’ve got mad vacation spots just a short drive from our beautiful city. And as Whitey Bulger would tell you, it’s important to have an easily accessible and scenic escape route.
Brains, Baby
Boston is really, really smart. Perhaps you’ve heard of a little school named Harvard University. In fact we’ve got over 100 colleges in the Boston area, including MIT, one of the top universities in the world for cutting edge technology. In fact, the Global Innovation Agency named Boston the most innovative city in the United States. Massachusetts has produced 62 Nobel Prize winners, compared to New York State’s measly 51. New York almost never makes the list of smartest cities in the country, probably because they’re too busy wishing they had gorgeous foliage like New England.
Real Estate
Even our real estate is better. Our houses have more character and architectural diversity. Our high rises have better views. It’s only 20-25 minutes to our financial district on the ‘T’ from even the furthest outskirts within the city proper (Hyde Park, West Roxbury). You can still get an apartment with outdoor space for under $3,000/month or buy a 2 bedroom condo with parking for under half a million dollars in several locations. Plus you won’t find the Nextdoor Realty Team at any Sotheby’s International Realty in NYC because NRT’s home is Boston.
If you are looking for a home in Boston you should contact the Nextdoor Realty Team. We can talk more smack about NYC (all in good fun, of course), grab a cup of chowdah together, and talk about helping you find the home of your dreams in this historic city.