A New Bedford Newbie

For almost six years, I called the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts my home.  More specifically, I lived in and around the Amherst/Northampton region while attending school.  During my time there, I came to embrace the whimsical nature of the mishmash of places and personalities that came together to create the iconic “college town” atmosphere and life style.

If you’re a visitor or a resident, you are guaranteed to see at least one thing every day you would never expect to see.  For example, one day in the winter of 2009, while walking to the library, I saw a fellow student riding her bike across our snow-covered campus.  She was sporting a one-foot tall mohawk, camouflage cargo pants, flip-flops, scarf, and a bikini top. She had a hula-hoop resting on each of her tattooed shoulders as she glided her bike one-handed down the path.  In the scope of day-to-day life’s predictability, she was resting comfortably outside of that bell curve.

But those were the types of things that made Western Massachusetts feel like home.  I lived in a world that not only welcomed and supported the unconventional, but thrived on it like nectar.  Needless to say, this is not what most people would define as “the real world.”  And I agree with those people.

Before all this, I grew up in a town of about 11,000 people in northeastern Connecticut, a rural, lily-white, mostly Christian place, so it took a while for me to get accustomed to being surrounded by the weird and unpredictable.

Eventually I adopted the “When in Rome…” philosophy and espoused the culture for everything it offered. From the vanilla-almond bubble tea at Souper Bowl to the fire breathers who would practice on the Amherst town green on the warmer nights of spring and summer, that world became my real world.

Then I graduated and relocation became a requirement.  After days of discussion and debate with my girlfriend and our puppy, we decided that New Bedford was going to be the next place we call home.  But being the new kids in town, we don’t really know what makes New Bedford home to her thousands of residents.

And that’s where you, dear reader, come in.

I’m planning on writing a column about the city of New Bedford from the perspective of one who has never lived here.  This is a rich place for so many reasons and I hope to begin this journey using your suggestions as my starting points.  Whether it’s one of the beautiful churches that line the cobblestone side streets of downtown or a delicious beverage offered by a local café, I would love to know about it.  In my short time here, I’ve learned that New Bedford is a community in the truest sense. People love the city and they feel a strong sense of pride for the South Coast. And you make the best seafood I’ve ever had.

So, New Bedford, what makes this city home for you? Please leave your suggestions in the Comments section of this column. I look forward to hearing from you.