Field Trip

Hi, everybody. Do you have a fantastic weekend?

Before arriving at Boston, I wonder that why such a city could assemble so many top universities and be a metropolitan area in the US. On September 22nd, Professor Berman gave me an opportunity to recognize this city deeply and think what makes Boston strong.

On Wednesday morning, enjoying the sunshine of Boston, I started my field trip. Living just beside to Charles River, I had not been to take a boat trip to look around the city. It is my first time to visit the Boston Harbor, which is mentioned by Professor Berman in the first class for many times. At the first sight of Boston Harbor, Berman introduced the Boston Custom House Tower to us, which is the most sophisticated building in Boston to contact with others in Europe or India. Then we boarded on our small boat instead of a luxury cruise that is not possible for just 6 dollars. During approximately one and a half hours on the boat, there is a brief introduction to those little islands along our routine from Berman who seems being familiar with every island here and knows the history and interesting stuff relating to each one, such as the name origin of several Islands and the cheapest but delicious hotdog on Castle Island. Those lovely houses on the islands are attractive to me. I wish one day I could have a trip to one of the 34-isaland and enjoy some days there.

Except for the introduction to these islands, Berman let me know the cleanup project standing for a transformation of Boston Harbor. Before the cleanup projects, the water was so polluted that over 280 million wastes were poured into the harbor. Searching on the Internet, I found that there was even a song in 1966 called Dirty Water about the sorry state of water in Boston. After the government investment of 5 billion dollars to implement this project, both the water quality and citizen’s life quality have significantly improved, and Boston Harbor is transformed to be one of the cleanest in the nation even being safe for swimming. During the trip, I also saw some fertilizer plants using for cleaning water which contribute the current clean condition in Boston Harbor.
Another significant project for Boston is the Bid Dig. I can’t image that people can not listen to each other within 5 meters because of the heavy noise from the highway. As a result, there is even no window on one side of Long Wharf. The Bid Dig reduces the vehicle hours of travel and commutes and leaves a green environment for Boston Harbor.

Berman addressed for many times that it is harbors that provide the opportunity for Boston being a central commercial area and a metropolitan city. The shipping from all over the world brings smart people and numerous innovative ideas. They built churches and trained other people forming the foundation of so many famous institutions in Boston, which is the most important source for keeping Boston strong.

It is not only an interesting trip, but also an educational and meaningful guide encouraging me to broad my horizon to recognize Boston.

See you on Wednesday:)