The Boston Report: Day 6

I'd seen the ads for Newbury Comics in my free city guide the day before. They advertised it as "THE place for independent music and the best prices on CDs in town!" Definitely my kind of place, without a doubt. The store I visited was on Newbury Street, home of blocks and blocks of trendy shopping and dining. This was probably what the lady back at the Airport T station was referring to when I mentioned I was heading to Copley and she replied, "oh, the hippie part of town." The average age of the people I saw in the sidwalk cafes and the girls in crosswalks with Ralph Lauren bags spelled out the trendy attitude of the street. I didn't take much of this in, however, before I spotted my destination. (I didn't notice the less savory establishment of "Condomworld" below the CD store until after I left and had taken a picture, however. I guess you get all kinds here.)

Newbury Comics delivered everything it promised: obscure house music, rock 'n' roll action figures, and paraphernalia (not THAT kind, just random music stuff and posters and so on). And, of course, a multitude of new and used CDs and vinyl. It's a bit of a tradition for me to buy some music while I'm in a new place. That way, I can always associate buying Graceland at We Buy Music in Albuquerque, and so on. I stopped myself short of spending too much money, but suffice it to say I ran the gamut on variety after poring through the classic rock, indie, new releases, and used sections.

Coming out of the record store, I was feeling pretty content. I had a fairly good window for getting back to the hotel and checking out, and after that all that remained was finding some lunch and heading back to the airport. Getting splashed by a passing bus didn't even faze my good mood, if that tells you anything. A few hours later, after a lunch of chowder and a sandwich at a nearby food court, I was sitting back in Logan International, musing over my time in Greater Boston. I was eager to return home, but I certainly felt as if I identified with the city and that I would welcome a return trip when I could spend more time there (with Gina, so we could also explore more together). I don't think I would want to visit in February, but sign me up for a trip there any summer you'd like. A city has to be cool if the first copy of their paper that I read features a picture of Adam Gardner from Guster. Sure, there's the chowder and the baked beans and Cheers and so on, but Boston's streets are also brimming with history, charm, and plenty of nightlife and things to do. I look forward to more explorations of the city that brings us Bunker Hill, the Back Bay, and the Red Sox Nation.