by According to an article in the September/October issue of Cond Nast Travelers, Boston is starting a new chapter in its history.
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New England has 2 of the most colorful small towns in America, according to Fodor s Travel
Many of the communities that founded Boston have been left out of the account of its history, according to the article’s author, Sarah Khan, who is a local resident.
According to Khan, Boston’s artists, businesspeople, chefs, and Mayor Michelle Wu—the first woman and person of color elected mayor—are transforming the city’s image as the exclusive haven of Mark Wahlbergs, paahked caahs, and annoying sports fans.
She pointed out that Wu is putting fairness and inclusion first and that the current city council is the most diverse in Boston history.
Christopher Worrell, the state representative for the 5th Suffolk District (Dorchester and Roxbury), told Khan that Boston is a very varied and segregated city where everyone lives in their own bubble. It’s a completely different generation, though, and I believe there is more mixing and mingling now. In the past, those in positions of authority primarily looked out for their own people, and they didn’t look like you or me.
According to Khan, she left Boston decades ago because it was hard to cross the imperceptible lines dividing groups there.
She visited a variety of eateries and other establishments throughout the city for the article, talked to the people who manage them, and appeared to be happy with her experience.
Over the past three decades, I have traveled to many different continents, including New York City, Cape Town, Mumbai, and Dubai, all of which I have found to be more vibrant and cosmopolitan than Boston, Khan wrote. However, my parents are still from Hyderabad, so I’ve been returning to the suburbs, wondering when Boston would catch up to the rest of the globe. I’m beginning to believe that the time has arrived.
Khan visited Chinatown’s Immigrant History Trail while on an African American Academy Black history tour. BLKChip, a gallery in the Seaport; Grace by Nia, a soul food restaurant in the Seaport; Jadu (meaning magic in Hindi), a coffee shop and wine bar in Jamaica Plain; Dorchester’s Comfort Kitchen, owned by Chef Biplaw Rai from Nepal and his wife Nyacko Pearl Perry, are a few of the establishments she wrote about. Another is Just Book-ish, a Black-owned bookstore in Dorchester.
“This restaurant is many things,” Perry explained to Khan. We don’t stand for a specific group or identity. I believe that Boston is experiencing more of that overall.
Do you concur? Is Boston starting a new chapter in its history? Please use the form below or send us an email at [email protected]. There’s a chance your reaction will appear in a future piece.
Conde Nast Traveler says Boston is entering its ‘next chapter.’ Do you agree?
Kristi Palma writes about New England tourism as a culture reporter for Boston.com. She writes about hotels, airlines, and activities in Boston and New England. She is the writer of the weekly travel newsletter Scenic Six.
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