I’ve missed traveling.

I used to travel quite often when I was younger, playing travel sports and visiting places like Florida, Colorado, Myrtle Beach, and more.

Last weekend, I spent a few days in Boston with my mom and sister-in-law, and it was refreshing to travel and see new things again.

None of us had ever visited the city before, so we left with plenty of unknowns, but came back happy and with new experiences.

It was a last-minute trip, but I loved every minute of it.

I’d never been to Boston before, so I was happy to just take it all in. I could’ve walked through the city for hours, even in frigid temperatures, which we certainly saw last weekend.

You should’ve seen me. I had an ear-to-ear smile on my face wherever we went, whether we were walking through the park or taking in all the architecture. When we got to the hotel, I stared out the window for a while until my mom finally questioned what I was looking at.

I simply said, “Everything.”

I was looking at the buildings, watching people walk through the streets. I was looking at the river blanketed by fog. I was enjoying being just a speck in a place so large, filled with people each on their own paths.

I’ve always been a fan of cities. There’s so much to see and do, and, despite limited time, I wanted to see it all.

We did the best we could to make it to all the attractions we planned to see.

We walked over to Fenway Park, strolled through Harvard, spent hours at the Museum of Fine Arts, walked Newbury Street, visited Quincy Market, ate downtown, viewed the city from 52 stories up at View Boston, wandered through Boston Public Gardens and Boston Commons, visited the “Cheers” bar, and more.

We truly had a great time, and I hope to go back someday, perhaps in the summer so bitter-cold walks aren’t necessary.

What I really enjoyed was the variety the city offered.

However, maybe it was that variety that still leaves our question unanswered.

In each Uber ride we took — which was two to three times a day — we asked our drivers, “What is Boston known for?”

We gave them examples, explaining how Detroit is known for being the Motor City and Florida is known to be the Sunshine State.

Each response was different, none of them knowing the best way to explain the city.

One said seasons — a fair answer, but unoriginal. We also have seasons in Michigan, as do several other states. They mentioned that the weather can change on the dime, but that’s something I’ve known Michiganders to say about our state, too.

Another said history. That one had more substance to it. Seeing that Boston is located in New England and is one of the first states founded in America, Boston has plenty of history to see. The buildings were designed with older architectural styles, with beautiful accents and designs.

To go along with that, another driver simply said, “New England.” Yep, that’s where it’s located, but I doubt that’s what it’s known for.

Speaking of New England, sports was another answer we received, one I found to be kind of odd considering the New England Patriots play quite far outside of Boston, at least in comparison to Lions playing in downtown Detroit. They do, however, have the Boston Bruins and the Red Sox — but, again, many other cities have sports teams.

Seafood was another hot topic, mentioned by a couple of our drivers. Personally, I’m not a fan of seafood, but, if you were to ask my sister-in-law, whose meals largely consisted of lobster, she’d probably agree that seafood could be a defining feature.

One of the more original answers was that the city is clean and safe. To that, I’d say I’d agree.

Before even going there, my best friend’s brother, a Boston resident, told us that the city is the cleanest and safest big city in the country. That, of course, was his opinion, and I’m not sure it’s a fact, but,when comparing Boston to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Detroit, Chicago, etc., I’d consider it true.

Keeping all of that in mind, I would agree with many of the points they made, but I’m still eager to have a more concrete answer.

If you asked me, I’d say Boston is known for being a clean, beautiful city with a rich history and lots to see.

Maybe that’s simple, and maybe that’s how you could describe lots of cities or states, but it’s what I’ve taken away from that trip, and that’s what I’ll say when recommending it to others as a travel destination.

Torianna Marasco can be reached at 989-358-5686 or tmarasco@TheAlpenaNews.com.