Hi everyone, and thanks for the tons of useful advice. Looks like I am going to MIT next fall, and I am looking for a studio or a 1 bedroom apartment - I would really prefer living on my own. The maximum I am willing to pay is 1000-1100$.
I am not at all a Boston expert (international student, never been there before). I have taken a tour on craigslist just to see what the prices are in the various neighborhoods. I am wondering, why doesn't anyone mention Beacon Hill ? Looking at the map it seems not that far away from MIT - especially from the Sloan building (near the Longfellow bridge) which is where my classes would be. And it is supposed to be a nice neigborhood, right? From what I've seen on craigslist you can find a studio in that area for 1000$, and those studios seem to me much nicer than the ones I have found at comparable prices in, say, East Cambridge. But this of course is just the impression I have from Google maps street view and craigslist pictures. So, what have Bostonians to say about Beacon Hill? Would that be a reasonable choice for a MIT student or not?
Also, another question: how safe is it to use a bike in Boston? If I could use the bike as a means of transportation it would be great, I don't mind about the cold, although I would not want to use a bike when there is frost on the streets...
Thanks a bunch!!