the city of almost

At the risk of seeming judgemental and snobbish, I'd like to offer some musings concerning the state of fashion, careers, and the general appeal of Boston, Massachusetts. Highly respected for its academia, Boston is where people go to 'get learned'; I, myself, assumed that the only place for a North easterner to go for college was Boston--certainly no other city would prove credible in the working world. As it turns out, I never wanted to be a member of the working world, and there are colleges in other places just as reputable as those packed densely into the city in which I now currently reside, fearing a total lack of connections if dislocated from the place I 'got learned.'

At the block party that marks the close of Boston's annual GLBTQ(and any other letter you want to throw in there) Pride festival, I became painfully aware of my lack of interest in Boston and its inhabitants. I am not by any means making such gross over generalizations as to the nature of every single person in the city; luckily I have made friends with the more fashion forward go-getters, who, as it were, also despise the city they are currently forced to call home due to any number of unavoidable situations. Of all 200 or so block party-goers, it seemed no one was informed of the death of the torn-apart boot cut jean, Adidas sandal, or skin-tight, label-screaming t-shirt. I was strangely disappointed by the subculture known for its particularly sharp sense of style. It was refreshing to have someone, who was the only other well-dressed attendee, complement my desert boots and teal jeans (yeah, that's right...teal). I don't know why everyone in Boston insists on dressing like it's 2001, especially since most people would be acceptably dressed sans one poorly chosen item. I found myself frequently whispering to my friend, "Almost."

My friend and I applied our "almost" theory to Boston in general. It seems that once you are at the top of your particular field, be it finance, publishing, or academia, there is no where else to go but out. Most people are staying in Boston just long enough to become established and then moving on to other cities, where the industry of their choice is booming. For instance, I will be finishing a publishing program in Boston, but moving to New York to utilize my skills and interests to their fullest, rather than having them slowly exhausted on sub-par publications and businesses.

Despite its picturesque architecture, Boston always seems to be just behind everywhere else in most regards. Almost, Boston, almost.