En flânant à Boston

Flâneur, a sort of an observant pedestrian, alone in the crowd. I am an amateur flâneur, and here are some of my observations.

Boston is different from Hanover. Boston is not New York, and size is not the only differentiating factor. Boston is a place, Hanover is an idea. New York is both a place and an idea. Boston lacks the global mystique of New York, yet manages to fill that void with a tangible presence and notable absence of the overly processed and commercialized mystique of New York. Hanover is all mystique and little substance. If New York sells its soul and body, Hanover is a ghost that haunts those who leave, and Boston creates its soul from the reality of its inhabitants, neither imposing nor posing. If New York is a trendy club, defining by bling and bustle the behavior of its patrons, Hanover is a fraternity basement, an illusion created by an idea, and drawing the resultant masses with the Edenesque promise of coolness, knowledge and free beer. Boston is an old-fashioned pub, providing a framework for existence, nurturing its clientele, who in turn define this place that allows them to flourish as themselves.