mari__712's Qualifier
Player:
Event:
Status:
Pending Review
Score 1:
796,140
Score 2:
681,440
Total score:
738,790
Details:
Once upon a time, in the grand tapestry of American cities, there was a place called Boston. It wasn’t the biggest city, nor the smallest. It didn’t have the glitz of Hollywood, the hustle of New York, or the cowboy swagger of Dallas. No, Boston was something much more special: it was perfectly, spectacularly average.
Boston’s founding fathers didn’t set out to make it average, of course. They dreamed of greatness! But somehow, everything about Boston seemed to land right in the middle. Its winters were cold, but not North Dakota cold. Its summers were warm, but not Florida warm. Its sports teams were good—sometimes too good—but balanced out by decades of heartbreak that made the victories feel earned.
Even Boston’s famous accent was the linguistic equivalent of a shrug. Sure, it was distinctive, but it wasn’t incomprehensible like Cajun French or intimidating like New York slang. It was just… there. A charming quirk, like a gap-toothed smile.
The people of Boston embraced their averageness with pride. They were a city of "meh" made magnificent. Tourists came expecting grand spectacles and found Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner, the functional caffeine lifeline of an admirably average populace.
Boston’s history was equally balanced. It had the Boston Tea Party, a moment of revolutionary defiance, but it also had the Big Dig, a construction project so drawn out and expensive that it became a national punchline. For every Paul Revere galloping through the streets, there was a Red Sox fan muttering, “Maybe next year.”
Even its geography was average. Boston’s harbor was neither the busiest nor the quietest. The Charles River was a respectable size—not as mighty as the Mississippi, but not a trickle like the Los Angeles River. And Boston Common? A perfectly serviceable park, neither too large to get lost in nor too small to skip entirely.
Despite—or perhaps because of—its averageness, Boston became a beacon for those seeking a city that didn’t try too hard. It wasn’t pretentious like San Francisco or brash like Vegas. It was just Boston, a city where you could enjoy a decent lobster roll, root for teams that win just often enough to keep things interesting, and walk streets that were just crooked enough to remind you they were designed before urban planning was a thing.
In the end, Boston’s greatest strength was its ability to make everyone feel at home. Whether you were a scholar at one of its many universities, a sports fan cursing Tom Brady for leaving, or just someone looking for a place where the coffee was hot and the vibe was “pretty good,” Boston welcomed you with open arms.
And so, Boston stood proudly as America’s admirably average city—a place where life was good enough, and that was more than enough.