When we compare other places to Boston, they usually fall short. Those cities and towns aren’t at fault. They’re probably perfectly nice… in an adequate yet lackluster way! It’s just wicked hard to compete with Boston. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or have moved away (and probably moved back again), living here ruins you for life.

1. In other cities, you won’t find abundant green space like this...
Flickr / Jeff Gunn
Virtually every Bostonian lives within a ten-minute walk of a public park.
2. A skyline this beautiful…
Flickr/Eric Kilby
Admire it from Top of the Hub, from a ferry, from Prospect Park. It’s easy to find new spots to appreciate this view. What’s trickier? Finding another city skyline that can compare to Boston’s.
3. …Or so much water.
Flickr/Arek Olek
Water views are always soothing and they're everywhere in Boston. We have numerous rivers, ponds, lakes, and the ocean!
4. It’s rare for a world-class city to have lovely beaches as well.
Flickr/Bill Ilott
It’s typically more of an either-or scenario.
5. You’ll be hard pressed to find a city with such charming architecture.
Flickr/Lei Han
Admire the many different styles of buildings as you travel through the city's distinct neighborhoods.
6. You’ll have to pretend to be wowed whenever someone shows you something "really old" that is built after 1880.
Flickr/Mark Baylor
To put things in perspective, the Paul Revere House dates back to 1680. So, we'll be polite, but probably not all that impressed.
7. People insist on pronouncing the "r" sound in other parts of the country and they don't understand our slang.
Flickr/Andrew Kaszowski
You order a frappe on a scorching day and receive a coffee. What?! You can’t even get beer because when you ask for directions to the nearest packie, no one understands what you’re talking about. In short, your beverage options are limited.
8. If you can’t pick up beer promptly, you might miss the start of the game...
Flickr/Marc Choquette
Worse yet, you can’t expect every business with a TV to be screening the Sox or the Pats.

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9. ...so you have to race through traffic to get home to watch. In other places, the light turns green and drivers just sit there for a full three seconds (counted Mississippi-style) before bothering to move.
Flickr/Amodiovalerio Verde
You’re missing Tom Brady. And this is how much they care…
10. Public transit isn’t an option...
Flickr/Greg Chiasson
...because it a) doesn’t exist, b) is incredibly slow, c) goes such a ridiculously short distance that you wonder why anyone bothered to create the infrastructure for it in the first place.
11. We’re Number One. As a Bostonian, you’re used to being on the cutting edge of everything.
Flickr/Andre Chinn
Boston was the first city in the nation to have a city park and a public garden. The Massachusetts Constitution is the oldest functioning written constitution in continuous effect on the planet. Oh yeah, and the World Wide Web was first invented by Tim Berners-Lee at MIT in Boston. That’s not the same thing as "inventing the Internet," but still…
12. You expect to have access to fresh seafood, homemade pasta, and cuisines from around the globe.
Flickr/InSapphoWeTrust
In short: we're spoiled foodies.
13. Boredom is something you’ve heard of, but rarely experience.
Flickr/Madeleine Ball
Who could be bored when surrounded by amazing attractions and ongoing events varied enough to please everyone?
14. Fall doesn’t look like this everywhere.
Flickr / Ipotatol
In some places, the leaves don’t go out in a blaze of glory; they just die.
15. I don’t want to alarm you, but there is a nationwide shortage of Dunks.
Flickr/Andrew Abogado
Once you leave Massachusetts, you can't use them to give directions because they're not on every corner. There are even towns that don’t have a single Dunkin’ Donuts - you will not survive long in these places.
16. It’s hard to replace the sense of community you get from living in Boston.
Flickr/Adam Salsman
People genuinely care about each other here. There’s always some kind of charity fundraiser or community event going on. The people are what make this a city you’ll want to call home for life.

What’s your favorite part of living in Boston? If you ever moved away, what did you miss the most? Let us know in the comments!

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