I always loved this city, partially because I spent 6 weeks at Boston University last summer, and partially because there are so much fun things to do around here, even streetwalking felt interesting.

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Chinatown

BTS concert posters were plastered across the pillars nearby, advertising tickets that cost hundreds of dollars each. Yet just a few steps away was Chinatown. Some people sat begging on street corners, while others watched over small shops or pushed carts through the streets, earning their living little by little in one of the country’s most expensive cities. How ironic.

Walk another twenty minutes, and you arrive on Newbury Street. Designer goods gleam behind polished windows, and shoppers carrying armfuls of bags pass by. As night falls, crowds stream toward the theaters to see musicals beneath the bright marquee lights.

But what lies behind all that splendor?

As I listened to Namjoon sing, “If love and hate are the same, I love you, Seoul. If love and hate are the same, I hate you, Seoul,” I found myself relating to his words.

Perhaps Boston is the same. After spending the past few days here, I have come to love the city when its lights come on. I love the music spilling out of its theaters and the energy of its crowded streets. But I cannot pretend not to see the places those lights fail to reach.

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Walden Pond

At last, I was able to slow down and walk toward the place I had dreamed of visiting for so long.

The pond was far from empty. People swam in the water and rested along the shore. Yet the landscape still felt vast and open. There was no cell service, whether intentionally or not, and the absence of connection seemed strangely appropriate.

I walked to the site of Thoreau’s cabin and placed a stone on the cairn in remembrance.

People come and go here. I wondered whether they leave as the same people who arrived, or whether, in some small way, the pond changes them.

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Solo Travel Tips

• Stay alert while riding buses and the T, especially when traveling alone. Google Maps can guide you through most routes.

• Walden Pond has little to no cell service. Perhaps that is fitting for a place associated with Thoreau’s attempt to live simply, away from the distractions of society.

• Staying near Newbury Street is convenient because you will be close to shops, restaurants, theaters, and public transportation.

• Chinatown has many cheap and delicious bakeries, so it is a great place to find affordable pastries and snacks.