It’s great to be back in Boston! As I re-explore my hometown, I am seeing bits of Beijing everywhere.
The Charles River, Cambridge, MA
Lake at the Summer Palace, Beijing
Boston Hubway Bikes (which people can borrow by the hour)
Beijing Share Bikes
Lemonade Stand, Boston Common
Chinese yogurt drinks in clay cups (common on street corners)
Spider Web, Harvard Square
Giant spider and web at Cherry Lady’s farm, Fangshan district
- The Neighborhood Restaurant, Somerville, MA
Beijing BBQ on the Terrace
Very old Red Line map (someone tore off the new map sticker), MBTA
Beijing Metro
The Freedom Trail, Boston
Tiananmen Square, Beijing
Public Art Project (The Stranger Exchange), Davis Square, Somerville, MA
Graffiti in the 798 District, Beijing
Local glass blowing artist, Boston Green Fest
Musician at the Ethnic Minorities Park, Beijing
Very local tomatoes (from our house)
Dragon Fruit from Beijing
Granary Burial Ground (Cemetery for Paul Revere, victims of the Boston Massacre, and more), 350 years old
Forbidden City, 600 years old
I’m not surprised that these similarities exist. I’m most shocked that when I look at these pictures, I feel like they’re all “home” in some sense of the word. I only spent 7 weeks in China, but it got pretty comfortable and familiar. And it’s fun to be a tourist in my own city; taking photographs helps to see my surroundings in a new light. It’s good to know that “home” and “away” can be found anywhere.
Categories: China, Global Citizenship, USA
Innovation on Earth 
Wow! When I go to Boston I just look at what I know, its so cool to see things through a different eye like you showed us here. Your a tourist in Boston, but showing all these pictures and your blog entries kind of made me a tourist in China!
oh yeah… happy 101th post!
i think it is funny how theu have metro bikes!!!
This is really cool!!
I don’t think I’ve ever realized this before! But, now that I think about it, it’s true! Boston and Beijing have a lot in common!
When you say that “home” and “away” can be found anywhere, does that mean that you can go anywhere and it’ll be considered “home?”
I think the bridge pictures really look alike! Which structure do you think is better? The Boston bridge or the Beijing bridge? Do you think they use the same ways to build their bridges?
I think the Share and Hubway Bikes are pretty cool! I never even knew about them! So people can just take a bike when they don’t have one?
The lemonade stand is awesome!! Are they pretty common in Boston? Did you see any lemonade stands in Beijing? I remember the yogurt drinks from when I was in Beijing, my mom and I each got one after (I think) paddling on the water.
The spider webs are pretty cool, the web patterns are nice!
The leaves at the top of the Boston restaurant make it look really cool!! The Beijing restaurant is pretty cool too.
The subway Red Line map is pretty cool, I hadn’t thought Boston had those on subways! Which do you think is better, the Line Maps in Boston, or the Line Maps in Beijing?
The Freedom Trail and Tiananmen Square are both really cool! Did you walk on the Freedom Trail?
The Public Art Project is pretty creative, how many people do you think drew on it? What do you think the Beijing graffiti is supposed to mean?
Nice picture of the glass blowing artist, how was the Boston Green Fest? (If you went, of course.) What’s it about? Was the music the musician at the Ethnic Minorities Park made good?
Those tomatoes look good! Did you get them at a local farm or something? The Dragon Fruit looks really cool! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten Dragon Fruit! Is it good? Why is the inside white? What are those tiny black dots? Are they seeds?
Paul Revere was a brave man, let us salute him, and wish that he and all the other brave people there, will rest in peace.
I think the picture of the Forbidden City looks really cool!! What creature do you think that is? It looks like some kind of huge lizard with a turtle’s shell.
And finally, I know this comment was really long! So take your time to responding to it!
Best Wishes!!
😉 ~ Anna
And, like Edith, I want to wish you a happy 101th blog post too! 😀