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05/15/2012 12:03:55 PM · #1 |
Howdy DPCers,
With broken hearts we're leaving our tiny German town in the vineyards and moving to Boston. I'm 99% against it and my wife is 90% for it, and she, being a math teacher, has informed me that the numbers work out in her favor and that we will be moving to Boston.
It's all come together extremely quickly and unfortunately due to too many reasons to list we're unable to even visit Boston before the move (July). I was wondering if anyone familiar with the city would be willing to provide a bit of feedback on the neighborhoods so we can do a better job of targeting a place to live. Our priorities are easy public transit access to the city (she'll be working in Back Bay), proximity to green spaces and parks, and trying to manage the cost of rent. We want a walkable neighborhood with at least some culture/dining/entertainment options, and of course a safe location is a given requirement (we have a seven-month-old who can barely grip a pistol).
Based on this, and what we've read, we've been looking at Jamaica Plain, Allston/Brighton, Cleveland Circle area, Somerville, and even North Quincy/Wollaston. But without walking the streets it's really tough to get a feel.
Any and all info or guidance is greatly appreciated. It may be an odd request on a photography site, but with DPC's strong community and propensity to help others, I figured I'd give it a try. At the very least I'm looking forward to meeting any local DPCers. |
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05/15/2012 12:09:47 PM · #2 |
| I'm sure you'll get a good response from DPC'ers with more Boston experience than me. If not, PM me and I can probably connect you with one of my friends who has lived there for years and has never owned a car (she may not even have a license). That was the thing I loved about Boston, you really don't need a car to go just about anywhere. |
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05/15/2012 12:16:22 PM · #3 |
moving from Germany to boston..I loved living in Germany. I have been to Boston a few times and it is a nice place but horrible streets for driving...lol. I was mainly in the area of Boston U...There are several dpc members up that way
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05/15/2012 12:31:20 PM · #4 |
PM  bear_music -- he's not in Boston proper, but I assume he knows the area pretty well -- if not, he probably knows someone who knows the area pretty well. :) |
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05/15/2012 12:33:30 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
PM bear_music -- he's not in Boston proper, but I assume he knows the area pretty well -- if not, he probably knows someone who knows the area pretty well. :) |
Not a bad idea, but I would PM  Denise since she lives in Boston |
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05/15/2012 12:35:28 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by bassbone:
Originally posted by vawendy:
PM bear_music -- he's not in Boston proper, but I assume he knows the area pretty well -- if not, he probably knows someone who knows the area pretty well. :) |
Not a bad idea, but I would PM Denise since she lives in Boston |
ooh -- cool! I didn't know she lived in Boston.
It's great being able to get multiple points of view. |
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05/15/2012 12:38:15 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by bassbone:
Originally posted by vawendy:
PM bear_music -- he's not in Boston proper, but I assume he knows the area pretty well -- if not, he probably knows someone who knows the area pretty well. :) |
Not a bad idea, but I would PM Denise since she lives in Boston |
Also try Catherine i.e. noraneko - she isn't around here much but she moved to Boston a while ago and may be able to provide some insight. |
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05/15/2012 12:46:01 PM · #8 |
I stayed there for a few months back in the early 80's ... as I remember, Back Bay is the upscale neighborhood, so if you can find an affordable place there it should be pretty nice. The subway system is pretty good, the drivers are crazy ...
As a native Californian the thing which stood out for me is how SMALL everything back East seems -- you can pretty much walk across town in a couple of hours. You'll find many interesting historical sites, lots of hospitals and universities and museums, and a great baseball park. |
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05/15/2012 12:51:14 PM · #9 |
I've never lived in Boston proper. I lived in Cambridge for a little while around 2000... I liked living in Cambridge, anywhere on that side of the river, a LOT.
As American cities go, Boston has a relatively European feel to it. The traffic snarls won't be a surprise to you if you're used to driving in German cities. Public transportation is excellent, for an American city, though Germany might have been better. It's an expensive place to live; I hope the wife's job is paying bunbdles :-)
Welcome to the neighborhood! You';ll have to be sure to get down to the Cape!
R.
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05/15/2012 01:01:28 PM · #10 |
| I'm in Boston now (moved from Oz a decade or so back now)..... Will construct a better response tonight when I can think more.... In the meantime - google street view is a great way to walk down some of the places to get an idea instead of visiting. |
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05/15/2012 01:01:55 PM · #11 |
Thanks a lot for the responses. One of the reasons we're excited about the move (and we are excited... my wife's mad at me about how I previously worded it) is the Cape, and other points along the coast and throughout New England.
Cambridge seems to be priced a bit out of our league at the moment, so that's why we were looking at Somerville, just north of Cambridge. Mostly searching through Craigslist at the moment, but my wife's brother may run a reconnaissance mission from NYC in the coming weeks. |
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05/15/2012 03:50:58 PM · #12 |
I live in South Quincy. North Quincy and Wollaston have a mix of single family houses and apartment buildings. The city has bus service that connects to the Red line.
There are two other stations in Quincy; Quincy Center and Quincy Adams. All four stations have plenty of places to live within walking distance, but I'd avoid Wollaston station, it tends to have more crime right outside the station, targeted at T riders.
The city itself is fairly expensive, but not as much as living Boston, but then again, everywhere is expensive here.
Since she'll be working in Back Bay, she'd need to make a connection from the Red Line to one of the Green Line trolleys. Not a huge deal, but it adds time to her commute.
Driving in Boston really isn't that difficult once you get used to driving on the streets. Locals aren't very helpful because most of them couldn't tell you what the street name changes to the next block down, they'll tell you landmarks. And if they do know the street names, it won't help much. :) That said, it's a great town to walk in, with most of the core easily accessible by foot.
As for green space, you have the Boston Common and Public Garden. If you google the Emerald Necklace, it's a string of parks and free space that circles through the city and some of the surrounding suburbs.
There's lots to do here, and it's a great place to live. |
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05/15/2012 04:17:53 PM · #13 |
As you probably know, there is a quite large student population in Boston so there is a lot of turnover of apartments over the summer. At least you will be looking at the right time of year.
Look forward to meeting up with you when you get to the Cape. |
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05/15/2012 04:43:29 PM · #14 |
I love how DPC helps people out
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05/15/2012 10:12:59 PM · #15 |
Welcome to Boston :)
-- I can't be much help about neighborhoods and living spaces.. |
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05/15/2012 10:20:20 PM · #16 |
| Close to public transportation, lots of green space, walkable, safe... the neighborhood I would suggest is Chicago? Sorry, no help. Congratulate your wife on the new job. I look forward to seeing pictures of rolling vineyards replaced by images of the "hahbuh." Good luck on the transition, Scott. |
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05/15/2012 11:33:00 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by bohemka:
Based on this, and what we've read, we've been looking at Jamaica Plain, Allston/Brighton, Cleveland Circle area, Somerville, and even North Quincy/Wollaston. But without walking the streets it's really tough to get a feel. |
Dave covered south and I cannot add much there and this is all really subjective...... Like everything there are great and less great streets :-) but Allston is a nice area with lots to do and is a young area and fairly easy to get to the back bay although it's green line trams which are not ideal or buses. Some street have great green space. There are some nice places in Somerville but less so and you would want to look closer. cc is reasonably convient and I would personally put it in the middle of the others you mention. The back bay is a great area to work - far better then the main city IMO.....
Good luck with the decision - it's a big step moving countries. |
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05/15/2012 11:33:00 PM · #18 |
**Double Post??**
Message edited by author 2012-05-15 23:33:21. |
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05/15/2012 11:54:43 PM · #19 |
| Glad you'll be moving to our side of the world (or should I say pond)...I know Denise would be a great help. She has lived just outside of the city for quite sometime now... |
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05/16/2012 08:43:56 AM · #20 |
 .. .. .. ..
Welcome to the Hub. Not sure I can help you too much that close to the City. If you want any info on the Northern Suburbs let me know. |
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05/16/2012 10:00:10 AM · #21 |
Hi  bohemka,
Welcome to Boston. I'll send you a PM with some info.
I think you'll come to love our city. |
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