One of the best things about working in a marketing department has to be the part where you get to travel in order to immerse yourself in a different culture and attempt to get a feel for the vibe of somewhere completely different than your typical surroundings. Surprisingly, not every city in America is just like Waterloo, WI where I currently sit and type. Some towns actually have stoplights. The Trek team of pavement bike ninjas (which includes myself) spent some time last week in such a place at the home of some of the luckiest sports fans in the entire world.
We were on a mission to get a vibe for the city of Boston and I gotta tell you that the soul of that city is strong. After stopping into several Trek dealers to interrogate the sales staff we were treated to an amazing dinner at The Washington Square Tavern in Brookline. If you go, get the muscles for an appie and the quail for the main. I guarantee it'll be wicked awesome. Boston's collegiate scene is silly ridiculous with BU, BC, Babson, Harvard, and MIT (not to mention a ton of others) all holding the learning tip down. We hopped on down to Harvard Square to try and pick up some Women's Studies majors but they didn't seem to be interested. Hahvahd's gotta ton a smaht kids. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency and upon reaching our room found that somebody jacked the desk. All I'm saying is that it was gone when I got there and that desk better not show up on my bill.
And these smaht kids ride bikes. It was the dead of winta and Bostonians and students alike were riding like it was 75 and cloudless. No wonder the city once produced the sweetest revolution ever, you can't tell those people anything. The city's mayor, Tom Menino, is a Trek owner and has been one of the most progressive politicos as far as levying for bicycle-friendly urban planning and legislation. How many cities of that size (that is to say "any" size) have a dedicated bike czar on staff? If you're in the Boston area in September you have to try Hub on Wheels. If any city in the world lends itself to be explored by bicycle, Boston may be it.
Seriously, I know Boston was down for some time with the whole "Curse of the Bambino" thing and the Celtics and Patriots have definitely had their runs of complete futility but honestly, is there any better town to currently be a sports fan? The Sox are loading up like a Ueper the week before deer season, the Celts are all over "The Boston Three Party", and the Patriots may never lose again. Wicked silly.
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