Lowell as “boring”

As a lifelong resident of Lowell, I take issue with Joe Rouse’s gross misrepresentation of my hometown in Tuesday’s Daily Free Press. In the article, the city is described as boring, when in fact, that is far from the case. From reading the article, I can only assume that the author based his opinion of the city on the ten-minute walk from the commuter rail station to the Tsongas Arena. If you had spent any time at all in the city, you would have noticed all that Lowell has to offer.

You mention Lowell as the home of the American Textile History Museum in sort of a mocking fashion. The many various museums dedicated to the history of the mills are actually quite interesting as Lowell is one of the true birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution in America.

But if that’s still boring, fine. Spend a short time in the city and you’ll see dozens of shops and restaurants representing all the various ethnic groups that live in the city. From Greek to Irish to Cambodian to Brazilian, Lowell is one of the most multicultural places in New England. With all due respect, I don’t think you can say that about Orono.

It’s obvious that your visit came during the dead of winter, for if it was in the summer, there would be different events going on everyday, including the nation’s largest free folk festival in July, and the Southeast Asian Water Festival in August that annually attracts 60,000 visitors in a single day to this “boring” city.

But let’s get to the important issue, sports. I have been to UMass-Lowell games at the Tsongas Arena, and readily admit there are usually more empty seats than full ones. The blame for that goes to the university and its students and alumni, not the city as a whole, because unlike schools like Maine or New Hampshire, UML is hardly the only show in town. There’s the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL, who share the Tsongas Arena with the River Hawks. That’s over 40 other hockey games that also take place in that arena, not to mention all the concerts and other events that always sell out. Don’t forget that a good crowd at Walter Brown Arena would only fill half of Tsongas.

A couple years ago, Fox Sports Net picked Lowell as the overwhelming winner in the “Best Sports City in New England” contest. I would invite you to buy a ticket and go see what Lowell sports is all about at a Spinners baseball game this summer, except they are already sold out, as they have been for three years in a row. Every single ticket (to a 6,000-seat stadium) sold for three years running. Those “pathetic” Lowell sports fans.

Therefore, I take great offense when you try to assert Lowell more boring than the great cultural epicenter that is Durham, NH. It isn’t perfect, but as the city’s slogan says, there’s a lot to like about Lowell.

James Ostis jostis@bu.edu 978 479 9502 COM 2006 Lowell resident