I like to think of Boston as a simmering melting pot -- just as diverse, but not quite as vivacious and chaotic as New York. People from all corners of the world gather here for the blooming start-ups, the numerous colleges, and the general opportunities to seize their American dreams. Since I set foot in Boston, I have glanced through parts of my heritage being incorporated to its culture, but nothing truly and astonishingly authentic. Not yet -- not until I discovered a small area packed in between two red line stations Savins Hill and Fields Corner, unnamed but rich with culture from halfway across the earth. Although admittedly, I might be a little biased, the familiar signs and scents of home are not what makes the region especially captivating; it is how simultaneously fitting and out of place the Vietnamese community seems to be that specifically piques my interest.

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As I walked down Dorchester Avenue from JFK/UMass T-station, I caught glimpse of my mother tongue -- a sight I never thought to be so elated seeing. I imagined this area to be similar to the Little Saigon’s I’ve seen in California or Louisiana, considering the many well-known authentic restaurants it holds. I imagined it being packed exclusively with Vietnamese people walking around from one bright, colored neon Vietnamese sign to another. However, what I saw was more of a dull western complex adorned with Asian accents here and there. There were more shades of grey than any other color, more cars than people, and as many African Americans as Viets. This mix of African Americans and Vietnamese culture becomes more vivid towards the south of the avenue, where “African American Braiding” lays opposite from “Phu Huong Vietnamese Supermarket.” The fusion (or separation, depending on whether one views the streets as separate entities) of races and backgrounds peaks at the intersection of Dorchester Avenue and Adams Street, around which many irregular patterns emerge.

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Regarding transportation, this region is constantly busy with car-packed lanes and curbside parking. The constant flow of heavy traffic is intriguing, considering how accessible the area is via public transportation. The region is east of Fields Corner and southwest of JFK/UMass and Savins Hill red line stations. On Dorchester Avenue, there is also MBTA bus 18 running along its length around every hour. Out of the three subway stations mentioned above, Savins Hill is most noticeable as its ramp runs right above the car lanes below. I use the term “car lanes” specifically because there are no lanes for other vehicles on the road. Not only is it not suitable for bikers, but the area is also not at all pedestrian friendly. Unlike Chinatown, where roads become walkways consistently packed with passerbys, this little “Viet-town” has little but car wheels rolling through. Not only are there very few, and very spaced out crosswalks, but the sidewalks are also rugged without any paver. The nature of these streets create a dull, monotonal, and industrial atmosphere that is atypical of an East Asian community.

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This atmosphere is further accentuated by the type of establishments in the area. None of the buildings along Dorchester Avenue and Adams Street are over 2-story tall. These constructions mainly consist of small, local businesses, out of which a significant number are either abandoned or shut-down. So localized is the area that larger chain stores such as Papa John’s, Burger King, and T-Mobile, with their easily identifiable logos, seem out of place. However, the small shops here do not bear uniformed facades: while a lot are typical New England brown and red-bricked, others are made of black granite, cement, etc. And while they all share the same obsolete air, they greatly differ in details and functionality.

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The differences are most easily observed between establishments on one of the two streets versus those on the other. While Dorchester Avenue hosts oriental shops, Adams Street is home of African-rooted establishments; for example, all of the Vietnamese food shops are on Dorchester, while Cape Verdean restaurants are found on Adams. Moreover, while the former has a much more time-worn look, the latter actually carries a much more modern and invested appearance, with some distinguishably new red-bricked residential constructions.

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This site is a mesmerizing merge of two wildly different cultures, while at the same time retaining the characteristics of an industrial Boston. It raises many questions regarding the diversity and potential in land use, infrastructure, and architectural development, since it is almost impossible to categorize the area in any of these regards.