Visit to Boston made Boca Raton resident feel miserable about living in Boca Raton

Local News

“My trip to Boston made me realize my hometown sucks,” 20-year-old Ian Pinto titled a Reddit post he made after a four-day trip to Boston on July 31. 

A Boca Raton resident was left questioning why he lives in Boca Raton after a trip to Boston left him blown away with the city. 

“My trip to Boston made me realize my hometown sucks,” 20-year-old Ian Pinto titled a Reddit post he made after a four-day trip to Boston on July 31. 

“I know vacationing is different than living at a place, but it just felt so much better,” he said. 

Pinto traveled to Boston with his girlfriend Domenica Corral to visit her brother who lives in the city. The couple stayed in Boston Harbor and tried to experience everything the city has to offer, including lobster rolls at James Hook & Co, shopping on Newbury Street, and traveling via the MBTA’s Orange Line. 

Pinto, who has lived in Boca Raton his entire life, said the trip widened his perspective on the world. 

“It really made me think, ‘wow, there is more to life than where you’re born,’” he said. 

Pinto’s post highlighted the differences between Boca Raton and Boston, including its walkability and public transportation. Pinto said using the train was easy and allowed him to explore the entire city. 

Unlike in Boston, Pinto said he has to drive everywhere in Boca Raton because of how the city is spread out.

Pinto also said Boston was “surprisingly cheaper” compared to Boca Raton’s extremely high prices and the food “tasted a billion times better.”  

“I spend $10 for a tiny latte in Boca, but in Boston, I didn’t spend more than $6,” he said. “$4-5 was the norm! The restaurants were so reasonable as well.” 

Pinto, who runs a pizza-making Instagram account, said the pizza in particular was “way better” than any pizza found in South Florida. 

Some Reddit users in the comment section argued against describing the city as “cheap.”

“I’m shocked you think Boston is cheap,” one user wrote.

“Depends where you went and what you ordered but Boston is absolutely not cheap,” another user commented. 

Pinto said another thing he enjoyed about Boston was the people. Pinto said people were extremely kind, welcoming, and “woke.” 

“Almost every cafe and restaurant had pride stickers, and I even saw a catholic church having a pro trans sign,” Pinto said. “In boca, you would lose 70% of your customers if you even affiliated yourself with politics, but these shops were literally thriving and packed. It’s really nice to be surrounded by likeminded people.” 

Many commenters said the post was a nice reminder to appreciate the city they live in. 

“I love Boston,” a user commented. “Thanks for your review to remind us how good we have it.” 

Pinto said he hopes to one day move to Boston with Corral. He said the trip left him inspired to be open-minded and travel more, prompting him to open a travel credit card to plan more trips. 

“It genuinely opened my eyes because I haven’t really escaped my bubble in my hometown and so when I left and I had access to walkable cities, a walk away from everything, it really just opened my eyes,” he said. “Seeing the unity that you guys have in Boston is just incredible.”