I Miss the North End

The North End signifies home to me more than any other place in the world (and I have lived in MANY places - Chicacgo, Miami, NYC, NZ, and Maine to name a few). I attribute this partly to the fact that it appeals to my European roots. Having been raised in Belgium, I miss the "feel" of Europe and nothing brings this back more than the North End. To me, it is the perfect blend of Europe and the U.S. I cherished my mornings wading through the throngs of Haymarket, grabbing a good cup of coffee and saying hello to all my neighbors along the way.

One of the biggest error in judgments I ever made was moving out of the North End (I have made many other errors, but those are for later). There were a number of reasons for this fateful decision, but what's done is done. But, I still consider myself an honorary resident, by vritue of the number of close friends that live there, the times I frequent the "hood", and my involvement with NEMPAC. Don't get me wrong, Cambridge is beautiful, but I find the sense of community seriously lacking. Notwithstanding the fact that I am surrounded by closet Republicans posing as Liberals and a bijillion trust fund babies, I miss the vibrancy, variety and rough edges of the North End. In Cambridge, I find my ears straining to catch sound of a good mean Boston accent. Sigh.

However, the old adage "home is where the heart is" rings so true. Some of my closest friends live there, and as long as they are there and there is a couch with my name on it, it will always be home to me. I just spent a delightful evening with one of these friends, Lauren. We go WAY back, and I can only think of a handful of people who know me as well as she. She is part of my family, and I count myself lucky to have her, her husband and amazing little girl in my life. There are so many others (and you know who you are). Thanks for keeping the North End front porch light on for me ;)