Boston

Boston was the first part of the United States that I knew. My dad's family is from Boston and my grandparents still live there, so I have always visited them there. Many of my earliest memories as a child were visiting family in Boston. Though my grandparents live in Braintree, which is a little bit outside of Boston, we always go into the city to do fun things. I have always like the atmosphere of New England, especially Boston, mainly because I have spent so much time there throughout my life. It was the first region of the United States that I knew before actually moving here myself, so it was a bit of a shock when we moved to the Midwest, as it is very different here than the Northeast. Whenever I go back to visit family, I feel very much at home in the city.

These days, we always either visit my family in Boston for Christmas or at the end of summer. These trips are always very different, as we do very different things according to the seasons. Whenever we visit, my aunt and I try to get out of the house a lot to do as many things in the area as we can. In the winter, we often go into town to go shopping. We either go to Faneuil Hall or Newbury Street, although I like Newbury Street a little more. Newbury Street is a really pretty, old, brownstone-style street, with many stores and restaurants and coffee shops, for when you get hungry. My personal favorites are Muji and H&M, but they have so many different stores there that you'll find whatever you're looking for.

In the summer, we don't really go into the city, but rather go to one of the many beaches in the greater Boston area. My uncle lives in Scituate, so we often visit him there and go to the beach, which is really fun. If you go to Minot Beach, there is one really large rock which you can climb up and jump off of into the water, if the tide is high. If you go to Scituate Harbor there is one restaurant called Mill Wharf which has excellent seafood. Nantasket Beach is also incredible, though it gets really crowded in the summer. We got lucky one year and went directly after a huge thunderstorm, so the beach was deserted, even though the sky was clear again. My aunt and I also often drive down to Cape Cod, where the beaches are even better. Though it is a long drive, it is absolutely worth it as the beaches are so beautiful and the Cape has a really relaxing atmosphere in the summer. Falmouth has a really nice beach with really clear water, though the water can get a little cold. Centerville has a really nice beach as well, and though the water isn't so clear, it is really warm, which is incredible in the summer. Centerville also has the best ice cream I've ever had in the United States in an old-timey ice cream shop called Four Seas. Though I usually hate peanut butter, their peanut butter ice cream is to die for, and great for a hot day.

Boston is definitely my favorite U.S. city and I'll always cherish coming back to visit my family there.