August Exploration

Posted August 11, 2014 by L. Kelly Fitzpatrick

In the areas surrounding Simmons’ Boston campus, there are countless neighborhoods to be explored. This past weekend, I took a step toward better exploring my own neighborhood of Somerville at the Somerville Flea.

Every Sunday, vendors and visitors gather near Davis Square to engage in an exchange of goods from vintage scarves to bunches of carrots, peaches, and plums. Awash with Etsy-worthy ephemera, a stack of enormous volumes stopped me in my tracks. Unbeknownst to me, they weren’t books. They were boxes. And not the kind that butcher books to make them either –  stunning reproductions of War and Peace, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, and other titles. Set on them lining my bookshelves within the hour, I made away with the two enormous false volumes clutched haphazardly in my arms. Arriving home, I soon placed my own copy of Tolstoy’s War and Peace into the box boasting the same title in box format; the daunting pagination of the wartime epic finally matched by a cover of suitable size. Tucked away on my bookshelves, the remainder of the afternoon was spent with friends, fresh cider donuts from the Somerville Flea, and a healthy serving of D&D.

It’s easy to go months, or even years, living in a neighborhood without reaching into it’s local events attractions. Whether you’re new to the Boston area or have long laid your roots here; explore, see the sights, and share your recent neighborhood discoveries.