(Getty Images/Prasit photo)
BROOKLINE (WBZ-AM) -- If the city's highways and cafes seem a little more open this week, there's a reason--graduations have come and gone, and soon, too, will the quarter-million students who make the region their home each academic year.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bill Marcus went to Cleveland Circle in Brookline Monday to measure the impact of the exodus.
"It's wonderful they're gone," one woman said. "It's pleasant, it's cleaner, it's quieter, and I love it."
In the Cleveland Circle Starbucks, where Boston University and Boston College students can usually be found, you can now find a seat.
"A lot of the restaurants and cafes are more empty," another woman said. "Parking's a little easier."
"I personally like it better, because like, when I go running at the lake, it's a lot quieter, not a lot of students there," Max from Chestnut Hill said. "Just peaceful."
But not everybody was happy to see them go.
"I love the students being around," one woman said. "I love the energy, I love the noise."
One man noted that business was a lot slower without the students in town.
"They like to buy cheap beer," he said. "Quantity over quality!"
Jonathan Sims teaches business at Babson College.
"I miss them, they're great," Sims said. "They keep Boston young."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bill Marcus reports