Boston College - Sub Turri Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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American Heritage Like any other large city, Boston had its own ethnic sections such as the North End, the South End and Chinatown. To an outsider, these areas might have suggested a segregation of sub- cultures. However, unlil e any other large city was Boston ' s enormous student pop- ulation, bringing with it fresh, open- minded enthusiasm. For those of us who had the opportunity to explore Boston over our years here, we knew that our city was not composed of isolated sub- cultures, but instead was a blend of var- ious sub-cultures, inviting all to partici- pate. To observe the influence of this melange, one needed only to struggle through the crowded food halls of Fanueil Hall. Here the olfactory nen es were bombarded by the aromas that drifted from various stalls advertising their ethnic cuisine. If a relaxed sit-down dinner was your preference, there were several restaurants in the immediate vicinity to choose from — a la francaise at the IVIagic Pan or ' south of the border ' to Guadalaharry ' s. If immerson was sought, the Italian North End was only a stones throw from the Marketplace, There local residents would converse heatedly in their native tongue while coeds sipped their cap- puccino in the Cafe Paradise. Strolling through the streets while a feast took place was an experience in itself. Natur- ally the word Italian connotates visions of delectable specialties ranging from canneloni to canoli! The Asian influence was not central- ized in the peep-show district of China- town. The Hong Kong in Cambridge and Aku-Aku in Back Bay were often fre- quented by students from all over Bos- ton. After a couple of the infamous Scor- pion Bowls whether the restaurant was in Boston or China became blurred. Last but far from least was the Irish population in Boston which constituted the largest ethnic group in the city. Even without a drop of Irish blood, there was always that one day out of the year that fell somewhere in the middle of March. For B.C. students, St. Patrick ' s Day im- plied a self proclaimed holiday (or for those more dedicated students, a half day of classes] that begun at noon and Makis Icrtridis lasted until the wee hours of the mom ' . Droves of students flocked to the famous establishments such as The Purple Shamrock and the Black Rose. The most heart-warming aspect of the event was that singing, laughing, and dancing in the bars were people of all ethnic back- grounds as well as Irish, enjoying it just the same: this was the real advantage to the blending of ethnic cultures in Boston. — Maureen McNicholi Geoff Why 28 Boston

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Cash or Charge? Remember the first time you were in Boston and living away from home? The first time you realized that you were run- ning out of your special soap (or after- shave) and you casually told your room- mate that you had to go out to CVS and pick up some more? But sudden panic and sweaty palms took over as you real- ized that you didn ' t even know where a CVS was or worse yet what it was. If they hod to pick a name for a drug store why did it have to be something that sounds OS deadly as CVS? Better yet do you remember trying to decorate your room? You thought when you first saw it, cinder block walls just won ' t do. The RA had mentioned some- thing about a place called the Harvard Coop. It seemed strange that you could actually get discount posters at a coop but they were probably so cheap because you had to go to a chicken coop to get them. Oh well. chickens or no, the new checkbook needed some breaking in. But then senior year rolled around and you thought you were just so worldly. You knew the location of four CVS ' , four malls, three Telio ' s, two Hit or Misses, Filene ' s, Jordan Marsh, Brooks Brothers, Bloomingdale ' s, Macy ' s, Faneuil Hall, all the specialty shops on Newbury street, a variety of shoe stores, and three Lim- iteds. Face it; whenever you were able to close that closet door (or curtain an up- per campus dorm-dweller will so fondly recall) you knew it was time to hit the streets of Boston and find some more clothes to stuff into it. And what a selec- tion to choose from! Filene ' s was proba- bly the most frequented until you found that weird little Experienced Clothing shop over in Cambridge and from then on in it was downhill until mom started buying suits senior year forcing you to face the reality that the real world was quickly approaching. Fortunately, Boston offered a number of different stores for the variety of tastes it had. Thus shopping in town served a dual purpose of fulfilling the needs of the shopper and getting the BCer into the city to do some exploring. Wide selec- tions showed us that there is life beyond sweatshirts and Levi ' s. Shopping in Bos- ton was a pleasure, an adventure, a figure in the checkbook, a bargain at Telio ' s that you saw at Jordan Marsh for fifteen dollars more, the little heart shaped stone with I Love Boston painted on it that you bought at the Bull Mari et for your little sister. But above all shop- ping was the end of your senior year when you were still trying to figure out how to balance your checkbook . . . — Tenia Zielinski Alison Brooks 30 Boston