MIT1985

Could someone please tell me how much it would take from Porter Square to Kendall? I need to go to MIT econ, which is on Memorial drive near Kendall, and I was considering Porter square for housing. It's strange that I hear very different stories about the subway commute: some people have told me it's really quick, like 10 mins, others told me that the total commute usually takes 35 mins... Also, could someone please elaborate on the issue Central square / safety?

Well I already have a temporary accomodation for the last 2 weeeks of august, the probem is whether that time will be sufficient for finding a place...

I'm exactly in the same situation, I share your concerns! I am going to MIT as well (econ), I am arriving on august 15 and I have a temporary accomodation in Cambridge until the end of august, which means I have 15 days to find a place! Perhaps the best way to find a place if you are time constrained is through a realtor...

Interesting!What neighborhoods do you refer to? Any other idea for finding cheap furniture (Ikea, other recommended stores..?) Oh and one more question: I heard some people say that Central Square is not that safe...do you mean Central square itslef or all of the surrounding neighborhood? Are there any specific streets in that area which I should avoid?

I have a question concerning student renting habits in the Boston area. I have a friend who went to Boston College for a semester as an exchange student and this is waht she told me: most rooms for rent come unfurnished and apparently during the last week of august / first week of september students moving out get rid of their furniture by bringing everything on the streets; and students moving in and needing furniture can basically pick what they like from the streets and put it in their rooms. I have never heard of anything like that before! My friend told me that she got all of her furniture for free, she would just stop random people on the street and ask them if they could help her carry stuff into her apartment!And by "stuff" she meant a futon, a couch, armchairs, and even kitchen supplies! I was wondering whether this is common only in Chestnut Hill or also in Cambridge (I'm moving to MIT next fall). My friend said that she heard similar stories for BU as well... Also, do rooms in Cambridge come unfurnished? The roomsI have seen on craigslist so far were mostly furnished, but perhaps this is because the rooms that are posted now are those available for summer sublets...

Hi everyone. I will be attending MIT in the fall and I have a few questions for you... 1) Ok I'm really not good at reading maps and I am having trouble figuring out how much it takes on foot from one place to the other...what do you think is walking distance (i.e. max 20 mins) from MIT (actually I should be more specific: the building where I will need to go is the Sloan building, near the Kendall subway stop). A friend of mine lives near the Holy Ghost Hospital in Cambridge and says it's "20 mins from MIT"...does it really it take 20 minutes?? 2) Subway. Everyone keeps saying the red one is fast, but I saw on the MBTA pages that it runs every 9 minutes on rush hour and every 15 minutes on "normal" hours...not exactly often as I expected! Do you still think the commute is easy? What about the buses? 3) Is the Kendeall area really sad and empty as it looks in Google earth? That would be the ideal neighborhood for me but it looks kind of desolate, is it just my impression? And what about east Cambridge then? 4) How to look for apartments: I keep an eye on craigslist, obviously, and I am waiting to get my MIT id so I can access their system, rentmonkey I think it's called...any other good sources? Also, how early do you think I should look? I have temporary accomodation for august, so there will be time to look for a place while I'm there. Thanks!!!