EGAN: Dating Boston

This Friday I went on a date with myself. Alone, I ventured to Harvard Avenue to take the 66 Bus into Cambridge. I had originally planned to adventure to that seldom-visited land across the river with my roommate.

When her plans changed, I debated, but ultimately decided to go it alone.

Freshman year, I would rather microwave my dinner than brave the Warren Towers Dining Hall on my own. Even worse, would be to go without the shield of a laptop or book, and I always loathed finding myself in such a situation.

Yet, browsing the Pacific Island section of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, I felt completely satisfied with life. This past week has been gorgeous, clinging to summer days and giving way to fall nights. Venturing out into the largely unexplored world existing outside of my rarely popped Boston University bubble was perfect.

After standing beneath a towering stela from Guatemala, I headed to Voltage Coffee and Art on recommendation from a friend. It is a small art gallery turned café in Kendall Square. The windows were large and full of sunshine. The barista asked me how my day was.

I ordered a vanilla latte with burnt sugar. It came with one of those pretty leaf designs in the foam, and it felt good.

I sat by myself, under a piece of abstract art I wouldn’t even attempt to understand much less critique, and watched the lattes being made, the people passing by. I left my laptop in my bag, resisted cracking open a book and let the coffee soften the edge off the need to check my phone.

I think as college students, it is easy to get trapped in our schedules here. Our weeks overturn themselves so quickly that we are often left wondering where they went. I, myself, am often guilty of the, “Well, I’m tired,” excuse or, “But, I don’t have enough time.”

Let’s face it, I am not that tired, and I just browsed my sister’s, friends’ and brother’s prom photos on Facebook. I have the time.

I want to know where the best coffee shops are, go to a Salsa dancing class, skate on the Frog Pond, and find the smaller bars boasting live local music. This is a list that could go on indefinitely. The worst part is it isn’t even a new list, just neglected.

Every September, I tell myself I should spend more time in the city. Come November, I have forgotten I ever had the conversation with myself, or I’ll push it to the recesses of my mind, filed under “Things I’ll get to,” adjacent to, “Where I put the all the misplaced earrings,” and seldom opened.

As a senior, this could potentially be my last year in Boston, so I’ve decided that I should actually spend some of it in Boston — no, really I am serious this time!

I have made a plan. Every Friday I will venture out somewhere new, regardless of whether or not I can acquire company. I am for the first time excited about venturing into the city on my own. Alone has become less daunting a concept. The idea has transitioned seamlessly into something I look forward to.

There is something to be said for relaxing into life and enjoying watching the people pass you by. Alone means there are no other opinions to consider but your own. You can leave when you would like to, change your plans as desired, and maybe most importantly, there is time to be silent, to explore your own mind. All day we shuffle from one class to the next, hunch over desks and try our best to absorb the large wealth of information that comes with college. All of this is good, but maybe this quietness of soul is better. Maybe the self-awareness that comes with spending time by yourself is just as important as the time spent with professors in class.

So, next weekend go explore the Boston Public Library, or sample the offerings of the Copley Farmer’s Market. Buy yourself a fancy drink or a sunflower, and enjoy a date with Boston.

Arielle Egan is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a Fall 2012 columnist for The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at aegan@bu.edu.