Wicked Good Guides / Wicked Good Guide to Boston English /

Town

Boston, at least on the South Shore. "Someone from Quincy would say, 'I'm goin' to town' instead of 'I'm goin' to Boston.' " reports Margaret Touhey. But Erin M. says: "I've lived in Braintree my whole life, and we always said 'We're going in town.' Nice gramma, huh?"

Comments

Downtown is the center of your town (i.e. Hingham Square; Hingham Center is something different); in town is Boston, and to the city is New York City.

Amanda on January 19, 2004 03:37 PM.

Am I the only one who says up town? "Whea ya goin? Up town?

Laurier on February 16, 2004 01:53 AM.

Its definitly In-town. I've lived in Quincy all my life and we've neva said to town....(e.g) "Whadda we gonna do tanight? I dunno let's go to a bah in town and get plastered!"

Nicole on November 30, 2004 05:14 PM.

We always went to town (Boston) on the South Shore. The center is the center of the town you lived in - where the stores were.

lynne on April 9, 2005 11:14 PM.

always said town for boston in brookline. For our center of brookline, we say coolidge (as in coolidge corner).

andreas on October 20, 2005 04:54 PM.

There is no "to town" or "downtown", we're not rednecks or New Yorkers. If you go to Boston you go Intown

Mark on March 17, 2006 02:37 AM.

Oh yeah and if you are going to a town center you go to a square, a common, or a particular street

Mark on March 17, 2006 02:38 AM.

Ask me where I work and immediately I say, in town. No further explaination needed!

jane on April 16, 2006 06:22 PM.

I grew up on the South Shore, Hull, and we always refered to whereever the summer people lived in the winter as "uptown." As in " I cahn't wait until Laybah Day so all of yoose will go back uptown." Maybe we just assumed they all lived in Boston.

Rosie on August 25, 2006 06:14 PM.

I grew up in Andover, north shore/ merrimack valley and we always called it going into town its not just a south shore thing.

Ryan on November 8, 2007 10:26 PM.

Proper Boston directionals:

Down the Cape
Up the State House
In Town (going to or located in Boston)

Neigbhors of mine in Houghs Neck used to say this: Going up the Stoppy (traveling "up" to the center of Quincy to go to Stop & Shop)

Michele on December 21, 2007 01:26 PM.

It's not a South Shore thing only. In Somerville, we would go "in town" even if we could walk there.

JD on May 25, 2008 10:49 PM.

Growing up in Subury, and now living in a suburb west of there, going to Boston has always been, and will always be "going in town". I agree with Jane, above: When asked where I work, I just say "in town" and everyone knows what I mean.

Alf on May 26, 2008 04:55 PM.

I grew up in Scituate and when we wanted to go to the town center it was "down the hahbah (harbor)". But that was where our town center basically was. Other people I know from other parts of Mass say to "go to the town center" as "go down town." But to go "in town" is to go to Boston.

Mary on August 3, 2008 04:06 PM.

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