MIT student blogger Shuli J. '22

extraordinary and everyday beauty by Shuli J. '22, MEng '23

the city in fall is my city

I got up a little early this morning thanks to the time change and decided to walk to Trader Joe’s to do my grocery shopping. There’s two nearby, but the slightly closer one, at about 25 minutes’ walk, is the “world’s smallest” Trader Joe’s across the river in Boston (which I would say is honestly pretty reasonably-sized for a grocery store). As I left EC and walked across the Harvard bridge at 9 am, the sun was already strong and I had to unzip my fall coat. The trees have finally changed for real, and I found myself stopping to take pictures so much that by the time I had a half-dozen, I felt like I just had to blog them (in addition to already sending them to half the people I know).

If you want the real experience, imagine as you scroll through these that there’s a spring in your step, you’re about to buy lots of delicious food to cook with, Lorde is playing in your ears, and a light breeze urges you onwards. It was such a perfect start to my day; in this kind of weather, MIT, Cambridge, and Boston feel like not just home, but a home encouraging me to be the best version of myself I can be.

The middle of the East Campus courtyard. On either side of the path are bright leaves, and the sun can be seen shining through the mixed-colour trees.

The edge of East Campus courtyard. The foreground is covered entirely in orange leaves, with yellow and orange trees behind.

A view from next to the river. Docked rowboats are in the foreground, the blue river with sunlit ripples in the middleground, and the Boston skyline and fluffy clouds in the background.

A view right from the end of the "Harvard" Bridge; the stone riverbank and teal railing are in the foreground, with dark orange trees behind them.

There’s the Green building!

A sunlit, grassy slope with equally spaced yellow trees.

An overpass with yellow trees to the left and red trees to the right, with blue sky in the middle.

A road in Boston; red brick buildings are visible on the other side. The trees cast a shadow over the foreground but sunlight illuminates a man walking across the street in the middleground.

I LOVE that cute Boston architectural style.

Yellow and green trees in front of a fancy-looking building with a huge triangular front and a round Gothic window.

A red brick building in Boston with stacked bay windows. In front of it is one shortish yellow tree.

The view from an overpass in Boston. The black road has bright white stripes painted on it, and to either side is green grass, blue sky, and yellow-orange trees.

A street in Boston. The foreground is parked cars; the background is trails of white clouds on blue sky and brightly-coloured trees.

A Trader Joe's advertisement for pumpkin-flavoured products. The advertisement is done in chalk on a sandwich board and is incredibly detailed, with realistic shading.

Not strictly fall or the city, but I was very charmed by this incredible Trader Joe’s art.

A road in Boston. Visible are part of a Boston-typical red brick building, a blue sky, and various brightly-coloured trees.

Look down the road… allllll the way down the road… see that red building? It’s Maseeh!

A panorama taken facing MIT on the "Harvard" Bridge. There's lots of deep blue water, as well as faraway trees and prominent buildings of the MIT skyline.

If you click through to load this panorama in full, you’ll be able to see lots and lots of beautiful MIT :D The Hyatt, MacGregor, the boathouse, Baker, McCormick, Maseeh, the Dome, Walker, the Green building, the Media Lab… I love this place so much.