As a long-term resident and language teacher at LSI Boston, Marcella Haddad knows the city extremely well. Students often ask her advice about the top places to visit, popular restaurants and bars and the most fun leisure pursuits. But even she would never claim to know the city inside out. However, according to Marcella, taking the time to discover the hidden side to Boston is definitely worth the effort.
“If you stop on any street corner in downtown Boston and look up, you will see at least three things; a sleek silver skyscraper; a brick building with detailed, carved archways; and a black-and-white sign for a quirky cafe that you could have sworn wasn’t there the day before.
Boston loves its history. We still change the baseball game score at Fenway Park by hand, and a few blocks away, the Victory Gardens that were started in World War II remain in use as a community garden today. The city wants you to explore the past too — just look down and follow the red brick line of the Freedom Trail to see sixteen different historical sites, from the African-American Meeting House to the giant USS Constitution, the oldest warship that’s still afloat.
The city will unfold new secrets the more you pay attention. How many times have I walked past the Museum of Fine Arts before I realized that the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, with its unusual array of sculptures & swords and its ever-blooming courtyard, was just across the street? I knew the best place to get used books and attend author events was Brookline Booksmith, but only just discovered that cheeses and teas from around the world are right around the corner at Allium Cafe. I love shopping at the Prudential, but only recently realized that an unusual machine with three buttons will print out a short story if you just select your reading time: one, three, or five minutes.
Of course there’s beautiful views and famous landmarks to visit, but the best part of Boston are the secrets that only reveal themselves if you take the time to stay for a while.”
Take a course at LSI Boston and discover the real Boston for yourself.