10 Reasons I Wish I Grew Up Literally Anywhere BUT Lynn

Lynn, a city about 30 minutes north of Boston, Massachusetts, is one of those places where you instantly know you don’t want to live forever. No matter how much I have tried to like Lynn, it has just never grown on me. I can’t say that I hate it, it has its few charms, but they are certainly outweighed by its unpleasant traits. Here are ten reasons I wish I grew up literally anywhere BUT Lynn.

1. “City of Sin”

One of the first descriptions of Lynn I heard of before moving here was the chant, “Lynn, Lynn, city of sin. You never come out the way you come in.” Maybe this is something the school kids said to creep out the newcomers, to show them this is not a city for the soft-edged. Still, it conjures up pretty eerie images to the listening ear.

2. The restaurant options are plenty, but not necessarily great

While Lynn is a city of great diversity and there are ample restaurants to go to, I found that I’ve always been more willing to take a 15-minute drive to get something good to eat rather than go to a local sit-in. I will say the one exception is Tacos Lupita on Munroe St, which serves decent Mexican food and never disappoints when I don’t feel like traveling far.

3. The parks could be a lot cleaner

I enjoy a nice walk in the park every now and then, but if you grew up in Lynn you might be used to walking through parks littered with trash, fast food wrappers, soda cans, and all other kinds of debris. But it’s not like they don’t put trash cans in every corner (insert sarcasm here).

4. The beaches are also not the cleanest

This one doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but I would much rather travel a decent amount of time to have a relaxing day at the beach than to sit at the edge of Lynn beach. Though the view from afar is actually kind of nice, one dip into the waters is enough to cover you and seaweed and bits of trash.

5. Traffic, lots of it

I guess this one is a given for any busy city, but being a ways away from Boston should make the traffic a little less hectic right? Nope. If you’re from Lynn, plan on hitting a school zone at every corner and delaying your morning commute.

6. There’s always construction going on in some part of the city

Growing up in Lynn, the buildings and roads under construction was a nearly endless affair.  New signs were constantly being put up that warned: “construction ahead, seek alternate route.” While it was nice to see so many worn down roads being fixed or a school’s yard repaved, I could have done without the repetitive roadblocks and all that noise.

7. The noisy nights

Speaking of noise, another reason I wish I had grown up literally anywhere but Lynn is the noisy neighborhood I grew up in. Though it’s quite common to hear sirens wailing at all hours of the night in most big cities, it’s a whole other problem when you have neighbors who love to party throughout the week, blare music until past midnight, and then get mad at people calling the police on them.

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8. The slippery hills in the winter

Lynn is a pretty big city, big enough to have several zip codes. It definitely helps to get around by vehicle but many stores are within walking distance too. One thing that becomes an obstacle in the winter though is the hills that get extremely icy. And Lynn has so many hills, you almost can’t avoid encountering one at some point.

9. Parking is seriously the worst

Okay, maybe not as bad as in Boston on the night of a great event, but still. You could go around in circles until you found a free spot where you thought you would be safe and still come out of the store after only five minutes to find a bright orange ticket on your windshield.

10. There are not enough artistic cafes

There are plenty of spots in Lynn to get a nice cup of coffee, but not a lot of cafes that can put on a good literary or musical event. The Walnut Street Cafe is probably the only one that does weekly open mic nights and is a hot spot for artistic people. Not to mention, they serve some irresistibly unique beverages like their original hot chocolate recipe. This is perhaps one gem that makes living in Lynn worth it.

Are you from Lynn? What was your experience growing up in this city?

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