When Mark Twain visited Boston
Even back in 1869, our little streets confused tourists, as Mark Twain notes in his account of a trip here, starting with his effort to get from the train station to the hotel with the aid of a little kid who charged him 30 cents:
"Boy, why do you wind around in this way -- why don't you go straight?"
"Sir?"
"Why do you poke in and out and wind around and about in this involved and sinuous way? Why don't you go straight?"
The boy turned and surveyed me impressively for many minutes, and then said, as if to himself:
"Go straight in Boston -- ain't he innocent, though?"
He then marched on. But I had lost all confidence, and so I took refuge in the first hotel I came to and discharged James, satisfied that no virtue could abide in a boy whose ways were so crooked. In going from the depot to the hotel we passed one spot seven different times and approached it from a different direction every time.
Comments
that's about streets?
I didn't read it to have any commentary from Twain about the nature of the streets, but of a boy of ill-character who used the streets in a way to defraud a suspicious, but admittedly helpless tourist.
The boy openly admits his scheming ways, more surprised that Twain finds his thievery worth questioning, as if he'd been asked why water was wet.
Read on
The very next section is titled
And the whole point about the politeness is to show the lengths to which the locals, even the sober ones, will go to get a visitor through the maze.
Aha
In going from the depot to the hotel we passed one spot seven different times and approached it from a different direction every time.
Post Office Square.
Whatever happened to this aspect of Boston culture?
Twain also says:
"One of the most winning features of Boston is the politeness of the people. I do not refer to any class particularly. One is civilly treated by all".
Automobiles?
That's my first guess.
You know a good friend of mine
and his wife moved up to Boston from Georgia about 4 years ago. They made an observation that although people down south will be friendlier to random strangers they might pass by in a store, hallway or street, they said whenever they had to stop and ask someone directions or something random up in Boston, they found that Bostonians are as friendly as can be.
Not just "friendliness" in Twain's observations....
...but "politeness". While one surely can find kind and friendly people here, I just don't see "politeness" as a typical characteristic of modern day Bostonians.
yea but thats what I meant...
"You would not enjoy stopping New Yorkers to ask the way to places -- you would not get in a habit of it, certainly, for you would get more curt answers than compliments."
I think a lot of Bostonians are polite/friendly when it comes down to it.
Not my experience
Everytime our family has been in New York City, strangers have volunteered to help us whenever we looked like we might need assistance. We rarely if ever even had to ask for help.
I'm not certain that Bostonians are so solicitous.
(Disclaimer -- there are nice people and rotten people wherever one may go).
Other tourists
The people volunteering to help you in NYC were other tourists who recognized the "omg wtf" look in your eyes from when they had it in theirs earlier that week.
Not even remotely true
And we only had to deal with one unpleasant transit authority person (during multiple trips).
Maybe we were just lucky -- or maybe we did not exude an "I hate New Yorkers" attitude.
;~}
trying to figure out what they think *i* am
whenever i'm in NYC i am stopped constantly and asked for directions and other city advice
i'm not sure if i look non-threatening, local, or chamber of commercy. maybe all three?
NYC. I don't even live in NYC. i can usually answer the question, and often my answer is correct.. but the question-asker didn't know that going in.
Actually, I've had many
Actually, I've had many people comment to me that Bostonians are much nicer than they thought they would be.
I would be a lot more
I would be a lot more voluntarily helpful, but years of living here have taught me that nobody can know every street in downtown/Back Bay. It just makes me anxious that they'll just ask for a random "Public Alley" and then I'll just look like an idiot.
Whatever happened to this
It's still around. It just moved to Marshfield before you got here.
Only Marshfield?
I don't know enough South Shore people to judge. I've certainly met some nice people on the North Shore, however.
Well well.
You must learn to pronounce Quincy as if it were Quinzy, and Fanueil as if it were Funnel. In this way you can palm yourself on the unsuspecting for a native, and so be respected.
Twain got it in one!
But then he blew it
By asking if he could get to Cope-ley Square by way of Tree-mont Street.