I've only written two columns so far, and already I've received some fan mail! I'd love to share a sample with you, but I'd have to censor it in order to make it appropriate for the paper. I'll put substitutions for all inappropriate language in brackets, and you can get the general drift of what my readers think of me.
"Dear [feminine hygiene product]: You can go [fly a kite]. How dare you insult my school! You must have a really small [sense of self-esteem]. If you don't like this school, why don't you just leave and shove a [Q-tip] in your [ear]? Sincerely, Jean-Pierre."
Jean-Pierre, just to let you know that I'm not a total curmudgeon, I've devoted this week's column to Boston Avenue, the home of many things that I actually like, and the hope for a better Tufts.
My freshman year, I was in a Hill Hall forced triple, with windows that faced the Medford hillside. For all I could see, I wasn't even at Tufts. I felt tremendously disconnected from the college experience. I also felt my roommate's chair digging into my spine whenever I tried to sit down, because a forced triple has less free space than Star Jones' wedding dress.
The benefit of this living situation was my introduction to Boston Avenue. Unlike the hipster trendiness of Davis, Boston Avenue has a neighborhood feel. It's also a great place to grab an affordable lunch. For pizza and calzones, you just can't beat Nick's. The crust is crispy and slightly sweet, and the toppings are fresh. There also tends to be a smattering of exotic cars in the parking lot. For a totally different vibe, there's the Danish Pastry House just up the road. For $2.50 you can get a cup of soup and a fresh baked roll at lunch. Another dollar will get you a pastry as good as your mother would make if she were a world-renowned Danish pastry chef. Why would you ever overpay for the processed rations in the campus center?
The businesses along Boston Avenue might be getting a bit of a boost soon, and not just because I mentioned them in print. Aside from my editors, my mom, and Jean-Pierre, I've been told I have a total readership of about three - and I doubt any of them would go to a restaurant just because I told them to. The real reason for the Renaissance of Boston Avenue is Tufts' potential for expansion and possible development along the train tracks.
Though it was a tragedy the Archdiocese of Boston had to pay for its misdeeds by selling off a neighborhood church, and though I'll always miss the minestrone at Jay's, the University did a smart thing by acquiring both properties. Tufts is tentatively planning to build an integrated lab complex on Boston Avenue. The University also owns a fully-rented warehouse and industrial space past the Psychology Building. Most importantly, within ten years there may be an MBTA Green Line stop at the corner of Boston and College Avenues.
Imagine, coming back for your 25th reunion. The Psychology Building finally has a name, Jay's is a community relations office, the Sacred Heart Church is a lecture hall, and the rectory contains housing. Warehouses along Boston Ave. have been converted into loft-style dormitories and affordable housing for professors, and the research lab bustles with activity. There's a T station - Tufts Station - behind Brown and Brew, and the Cousens lot is now an MBTA commuter parking garage with one level reserved for student parking. You can get to the T in the morning without having to hide your coffee from that grumpy lady who drives the Joey! Jeez, this is sounding like the sort of school I wouldn't mind sending my own kids to!
The Green Line stop will bring economic vitality to Boston Avenue, as well as a little more name and place recognition to Tufts. I'm almost as sick of people asking me where Tufts is as I am of hearing the joke about how "tough" my school must be. Once and for all for both questions: It's on the Medford-Somerville line, and it's pretty easy.
The expansion of the campus toward Medford may also ease neighborhood tensions currently brewing in Somerville. Right now, because of the on-campus housing crunch, students are renting in residential neighborhoods. The part of Boston Ave. closest to the school is bordered by light industry, a Catholic elementary school and train tracks. Student parties would only disturb graveyard shift factory workers, bingo players and Amtrak conductors.
Better still, administrative and academic functions could continue their move to buildings in the periphery of the campus, while residential operations would concentrate in the center of campus. Close-together dorms would both bring about a much-needed sense of community at Tufts, and allow our neighbors to get some sleep on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday night.
I'm really heartened by the direction the University could take. It seems that administration and Master Planners also seem to agree that Boston Avenue is ripe for building.
Tufts' future along Boston Ave. is looking sweeter than a homemade pop-tart at the Danish Pastry House.
