The smells of Boston, imagined as the Yankee Candle collection of our dreams
After all, the local company has jarred some strange scents in its time.
Boston is a city of many smells — some good, some bad — but all ultimately give the city character and culture. Yankee Candle, a company based out of South Deerfield, has been encompassing scents in wax for more than 45 years and putting them in jars. Because the company has started putting out collections, such as the Collegiate Collection or the now-defunct Man Candles, we’re pulling for a “Smells of Boston’’ collection, just in time for the holidays.
T Smell
Underground MBTA stops are one of the most distinct scents in Boston — somewhere between spilled oil, dry dusty heat, and wet old concrete. It’s an endearing odor, though, one that would send any ex-Patriot right back to the Hub in one sniff. As far as local smells go, it’s no lavender or honeysuckle, but it’s a must-have.
Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee
Not only does Dunkin Donuts scream New England, but every location smells almost exactly the same to the point where one could easily identify the restaurant using nose alone. The baked confectionery smell can even be picked up within a certain radius of every location. That, mixed with not-too-strong coffee, makes for one very Boston candle.
Opening Day on Lansdowne
It’s a smell of hope, and while you can’t expect it to last too long, it’s sweet indeed. The fresh cut grass of the field and the crisp petrichor of spring almost permeate the spicy aroma of sausages on the grill and puff of cigarette smokers outside Cask ‘n’ Flagon makes for an oddly refreshing olfactory experience.
Charles River
A musty scent that we’re not sure is safe or not, but it’s just water, right? Silty, with a hint of trash, it smells so much like home that there are songs written about it (that get played over and over and over again).
Boston Common
A unique layered candle presenting a smellscape of flowers, rich green grass, and busy city air. Catch whiffs of restaurants bordering the park, or enjoy pond-smell and envision swan boats in the dark depths of winter.
College Party
The innocent scent of not-yet-crushed dreams and stale beer, the college party candle may remind you of your first apartment in Allston or Mission Hill. Simpler days, when burritos nuking in the microwave would mask the smell of mold growing in the walls. It was the asbestos of times, it was the asworstos of times.
Snow Bank in May
There’s something so dang resilient about a snowbank caked in dirt, cigarette butts, and trash clinging on for dear life in the mid-spring sun. The slight yellowish color of this candle is what adds to the sweetness of smell.
Foliage
It’s usually the visual part of fall in Boston that makes it such a treasure, but the accompanying odors are very underrated. Decomposing leaves make for a rich organic smell—add in the hints of fireplaces christening for the winter and pumpkin spice everything, and you’ve got one rich candle.
Revere Beach
Salty, warm, and refreshing for the most part, save for the wafts of Kelly’s Roast Beef and hot metal trashcans. It’s a seasonal candle that some will sniff with pride and others will avoid at all costs.
Victory
(See above photo.)
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