The city
is still breathing

❝ Four in the morning. For most Bostonians it’s a time when nothing happens, but the city is full of activity if you know where to look. Bus drivers are getting ready to pick up passengers while runners put miles on treadmills at the gym. A donut store worker hands bags full of fresh-baked pastries to truckers and an all-night restaurant is filled with diners taking refuge from the cold. ❞

❝ Laura Michel is busy with orders behind the counter of Doughboy Donuts & Deli in South Boston. Outside, the parking lot is full of big trucks, tall and bulky fellows are talking and laughing in the store. After picking up their food, they shout, “Goodbye Laura!”

“Actually a lot of customers come in at four,” explained Michel. “It’s a busy time for people who are going to work. We get a lot of Uber drivers, a lot of policemen even though they come more often around midnight. We call it the cop rush.”

"Coffee is what everyone needs to keep you going in this time,” Michel said. “Our other most popular items are glazed donuts,” Michel said proudly. “Our donuts are better than other stores because we make them by hand every night.” “Most customers are tiring, hungry and anxious, but they are in the right place,” Michel laughs.

Michel thinks the fun thing during the work is to see these people scratch lottery, it can be exciting even though the computer does not work until 5. “There’s a lot of losers so we are happy to see when people win, right?” ❞

❝ Xavier Green, a staffer at the 24-hour Planet Fitness in Downtown Crossing, said there are always people working out despite the early hour, although on a recent night the the trim rows of treadmills mostly stand empty.

“Most of them are men who do construction,” Green said. “They want to work out and prepare for their jobs.”

"I work from midnight to 6 or 7,” Green said, “This job is tiring, but easy.”

A man dressed entirely in black rushes into the gym, shows his member card quickly to Green and runs down to the workout area without a word. ❞

❝ It’s freezing cold on Sunday and a big snow has just swept through Boston. Most stores are closed, but the street lights are on illuminating the darkness. For tired travelers who have just arrived in Boston by bus or train looking for a place to fill their starving stomach, there is a small diner with a warm yellow light on waiting for them, with a cute locomotive standing aside.

“We have been here since 1943,” says Trisha proudly as she stands at the door of the South Street Diner, where she is a security guard. “We are the only restaurant in Boston that opens 24 hours a day.”

Trisha, her face red from the five-degree temperature, wears an orange bomber jacket. She’s been there from 11:00 p.m. standing outside at her post. Though it’s a late at night, or more specifically, early morning, the diner still has a lot of customers. People are sitting nearby the window and having fun with their friends.

The cheering and laughter can be heard whenever the diner’s door opens. Comparing to the cold street, the small restaurant is a warm and happy place. ❞