Boston & Cambridge, MA

[t_ruth]

Hi everyone. I am considering going to Boston for graduate school. Can anyone offer any advice about where to look for apartments (other that Craigslist)? Which neighborhoods are the best? Is it possible to find a two bedroom for 1200-1350 a month in the area? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I've had the most success w/using an agent. There are tons of rental agents who will work hard to find you someplace to live (and you don't pay them, the home/apartment owner does).

[SLPtoBe]

my boyfriend and I are most likely moving to the Boston/Cambridge area. He applied to Brandeis and I applied to Harvard. Any suggestions on how to make our commute easy for the both of us?

Try looking at Watertown. It's not the hippest place, but it's pretty much in between Cambridge and Waltham. He will likely need a car to commute and you could take a bus to Harvard. You could also try Belmont (though the parts I'm familiar with are very suburban) and Arlington. If you want a more urban area with lots going on, then you want to live in Cambridge around Harvard/Central/Inman Squares - though that would put him in for a longer commute. I am friends with a couple who live in Brookline. One can walk to school at BU and the other drives out to Brandeis simply because they both wanted to be as close to Boston as possible.

[miratrix]

If you lived near Porter Square in Cambridge, you'd be quite close to Harvard (walkable in nice weather, or a very quick bus or subway ride), and he could take the commuter rail into Brandeis for a 15-20 minute trip. (That is not bad - I spend 30-45 minutes commuting from near Cambridge to downtown Boston, and I think it's reasonable.) It's better to rely on trains than buses due to shorter waiting times and the fact that you wait indoors for trains, and if you lived near Porter you'd be by the T to get to Harvard and the commuter rail for Waltham.

[feisty]

If you lived near Porter Square in Cambridge, you'd be quite close to Harvard (walkable in nice weather, or a very quick bus or subway ride), and he could take the commuter rail into Brandeis for a 15-20 minute trip. (That is not bad - I spend 30-45 minutes commuting from near Cambridge to downtown Boston, and I think it's reasonable.) It's better to rely on trains than buses due to shorter waiting times and the fact that you wait indoors for trains, and if you lived near Porter you'd be by the T to get to Harvard and the commuter rail for Waltham.

Without a car, this is probably the best solution.

Porter Square is kind of boring, but Cambridge at large is wonderful (and walkable, bike-able, busable--you wouldn't be far from the action). Also, if I recall my days in Boston correctly, Porter Square is on the border of Somerville, one of my favorite towns in the area.

[miratrix]

And if you live in Somerville, you may have to walk all the way to Porter for the supermarket anyway Porter may not be exciting but it is incredibly convenient.

[thedaydreamer]

I am thinking about going to Boston University. Which place is best to live there?

Plus I am going to buy a car the next week, is it preferable to not have a car in Boston? What if the car is from a different state? How about parking at BU and off-campus?

[pizzatime]

Living around BU depends on your budget. To my knowledge there isn't a whole lot right next to the campus, most people live in surrounding neighborhoods.

On the high end is the adjacent Back Bay which is Boston's most exclusive(and most expensive) neighborhood, probably north of $1300 for a 1br, and parking is really, really difficult. I think the most popular places for BU grad students to live are Brookline, Allston, and Brighton. All are serviced by branches of the light rail and generally reliable MBTA green line of the "T." Brookline is slightly more expensive than Allston or Brighton, and all are great for 20 somethings with numerous squares, bars, restaurants, etc.

For reference, I've lived in Brighton for 2 years with a roomate and my rent expenses come out to about $700 a month. BU is about a 15 minute T ride away for me, which would be nice if I went there.

In general parking in Boston sucks. I have a car but I only drive it on the weekend and to the supermarket. I certainly don't need it, but its old and paid off. I take the T to work as do most people who work in the city. Street parking is bad because some streets require a resident sticker, while others don't. Its really hit or miss. To get a resident sticker you would have to transfer your registration to Boston, but the sticker is free. I do know Brookline does not allow overnight parking on the street so if you were there you would have to rent a spot for ~$150 a month. You can park on the Street overnight in Boston. If I were you and had to have my car, I would try to rent a spot, because it will save you a lot of headaches, especially since you will be new to the vagaries of Boston parking.

[feisty]

I don't have anything to add to this other than to say Brookline is totally adorable.

I went to school in the Boston area, and I couldn't get out of there fast enough, but I would return for Brookline.

[miratrix]

Having a car in Boston is soooo not worth it, especially if you live somewhere central, which I assume you would going to BU. I don't know the neighborhoods around there too well, but in terms of easy transport, try to live near one of the stops on the Green Line, between Lechmere and the B train branch to Boston College (map: http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/).

[8in2009]

Does anyone have advice about Waltham, Massachusetts, where Brandeis is located? I used to live a few towns over from Waltham, but that was before I had to get an apartment, and I've never actually been to Waltham.

[lycoris]

I went to Brandeis for undergrad.

It's a neat school. Very self-contained campus. Campus housing for undergrads was OK but you could find a better deal on a less cinder-block-y place by living off campus. There are some places to be had south of campus (across the railroad tracks) but the majority of student-like housing I'm aware of is north on South Street and the streets that come off of it - Dartmouth St., Highland St., Bedford St., etc. Also some good places across the river on Crescent St. You should be able to find good things on Craigslist and on the Brandeis Classifieds: http://my.brandeis.edu/classifieds/

Having a car is a great help. The commuter rail (to South Station) has a stop right by campus, and there are shuttles that run into downtown Waltham from campus every day after 4 (double-check this, it may have changed since I was there) and busses to Harvard Sq and somewhere in Boston every weekend. They run later than the T, I think, which is great. Still, it's good to be able to get about on your own easily, since Waltham isn't exactly urban. Parking is easy and cheap in town and on campus, it's also useful that Brandeis is right at the I-90/1-95 interchange.

What else? Downtown Waltham, Main & Moody streets, is small but has a bunch of good stuff, including affordable restaurants and a cool coffee shop (Cafe on the Common - if you go, say hi to the owner, Fred). Also the best Thai food I've ever had, Tree Top Thai, on Prospect St. just south of Main St.

Waltham's not so bad if you don't mind New England to start with. And Brandeis has some very cool history profs.

Hope that helps!

[8in2009]

Thanks. That's all very helpful, especially the link to the Brandeis Classifieds.

[Yellow#5]

There's a lot of good advice on this thread. The only word of caution I have is for NORTHEASTERN (NEU) students.

You may find cheap housing near your school near the Longwood Medical center, on River drive or on the E line (green line). You should avoid this area, and anything on the E line past Northeastern, as it is quite dodgy. You are better off with a cramped shared apartment in Back Bay (the cheaper, run down student housing can be found just west of Mass. Ave around Hemenway street/ Westland Ave, Huntington Ave near the Boston Symphony, which is also on the good end of the E line.

[brinswan]

Could anyone tell me how easy (not too expensive, easy commute) it would be for someone to live in Davis Square while attending Brandeis? I would have a car but would want to use public transport too, probably. I like the idea of living in an area slightly more interesting than Waltham seems to be. Any thoughts/suggestions?

[Yellow#5]

Could anyone tell me how easy (not too expensive, easy commute) it would be for someone to live in Davis Square while attending Brandeis? I would have a car but would want to use public transport too, probably. I like the idea of living in an area slightly more interesting than Waltham seems to be. Any thoughts/suggestions?

The commuter rail to Brandeis leaves from Porter Square, which is about a 10 minute walk or less from Davis, or 1 T stop. From Porter, I think it is a 3 or 4 stop ride on the Commuter Rail. Very easy commute (approx 20 minutes).

Here's a copy of the Weekday commuter rail schedule between Porter and Brandeis from http://www.mbta.com

FITCHBURG/ SO. ACTON LINE TO NORTH STATION : Weekday Effective 10/29/07

OUTBOUND (Porter Square ---> Brandeis)

North Station 07:27 08:17 08:55 09:40 11:20 01:20 03:00 04:00 04:40 04:50 05:20 05:40 06:20 07:35 08:45 10:40 12:10

Porter Square 07:37 08:27 09:05 09:50 11:30 01:30 03:10 04:10 04:50 05:00 05:30 05:50 06:30 07:45 08:55 10:50 12:20

Belmont 07:42F 08:32F 09:55F 01:35F 03:15F 04:15 05:05 05:55 06:35 07:50F 08:59F 10:55F 12:25F

Waverley 07:44F 08:34F 09:57F 03:17F 04:17 05:07 05:57 06:37 07:52F 09:02F 10:57F 12:27F

Waltham 07:50 08:40 09:15 10:03 11:40 01:42 03:23 04:23 05:13 05:41 06:03 06:43 07:58 09:07 11:03 12:33

Brandeis/ Roberts 07:54F 08:44 09:19 10:07 11:44 01:46 03:27 04:27 05:17 06:08 06:48 08:03 09:11 11:07 12:37

INBOUND (Brandeis ---> Porter Square)

Brandeis/ Roberts 06:47 07:16 08:26 09:05 09:51 11:28 12:24 02:08 04:08 04:43 05:38 07:36 08:26 09:23 11:25

Waltham 06:52 07:20 08:05 08:30 09:09 09:55 11:32 12:29 02:12 04:12 04:47 05:42 07:40 08:30 09:27 11:28

Waverley 06:57 07:25 08:35 09:14 10:00F 11:37F 04:51F 05:46F 09:32F

Belmont 07:00 07:27 08:37 09:16 10:02F 11:39F 12:34F 02:17F 04:16F 04:54F 05:49F 07:46 09:34F

Porter Square 07:06 07:33 07:50 08:14 08:43 09:21 10:07 11:44 12:39 02:22 04:22 04:59 05:54 07:51 08:39 09:39 11:37

North Station 07:17 07:44 08:00 08:25 08:54 09:32 10:18 11:55 12:50 02:33 04:33 05:10 06:05 08:02 08:50 09:50 11:48

*Note that North Station is close to downtown Boston, right near the TD BankNorth Garden Concert/Sports arena.

[brinswan]

wow, thanks! in that case (proximity to rail) do you think it would make more sense to live in porter square?

[Yellow#5]

Davis and Porter are very close to each other. Depending on where you live (Highland or Elm Street, for example) you might be equidistant between the two stops.

The largest grocery market in the area is at Porter Square, that might make a difference to you too, since 10 minutes is a long way to walk with 20 pounds of spaghetti sauce and laundry detergent.

[miratrix]

It generally takes me about 20 minutes to get to Porter, whether by T (due to waiting time/time on escalators) or walking, and I live around 5 minutes away from Davis. So getting on the commuter rail and going to Waltham would take more than 20 minutes total. It still probably wouldn't be longer than any commute to central Boston that involves switching train lines...it's doable, I just wanted to give another estimate based on my experience. And yeah, it's a long way to walk with heavy groceries...maybe trying to live near Porter would be best.

[Yellow#5]

Miratrix, Good point.

I meant walking above ground, LOL! Yes, actually taking the red line one stop can take alot longer than just walking to Porter.

(But then, I lived a few blocks toward Porter, though closer to Davis, so Davis was the better choice for me on a snowy day)

And then the commute from Porter to Brandeis is an additional 20 minutes.

sdklos,

Should you live near Porter? Idealy, it sounds like it, but you might find a nicer apartment or a better deal closer to Davis, you never know. I would not avoid living near Davis, it's still fairly convenient to get to Brandeis and/or Harvard.

Beacon street in Cambridge (not to be confused with Beacon street in Alston or Back Bay) has a lot of pretty spacious triple decker houses that serve as student rentals and it's quite convenient to Porter. There are also a couple of apartment buildings on Mass ave across from Shaw's market and a few rental houses on nearby Beach or Elm street. There's a bunch of other side streets around there too, but those might be good key word searches for the Craigslist

Miratrix might be able to list a few more streets or nearby apartment complexes for your search.

[inactive_since_inf]

How 'really' bad is the weather? (I'm hoping against hope someone has something positive to tell :? )

[t_ruth]

How 'really' bad is the weather? (I'm hoping against hope someone has something positive to tell :? )

I found it was very easy to deal w/in the city w/out a car to have to shovel out. It was a novelty for the first seven years, but now I'm ready to get the heck out of here and on to someplace warmer.

Oh, and to all the comments above re: having to get groceries. It isn't a big deal - you just get them delivered if it is something you don't want to carry a distance

[Yellow#5]

How 'really' bad is the weather? (I'm hoping against hope someone has something positive to tell )

This year was particularly icy with unusually heavy snow fall. Every year is different and the one saving grace of New England winter is that sometimes you get a 50 degree day in the middle of a miserable month. It breaks things up. That, and a spring break trip somewhere South or West makes it bearable.

I've been here 9 years. The first year was hard, because I didn't have the proper shoes and coats, but I tell ya, I've got plenty of great boots now

[feisty]

It's not terrible, weather-wise.

Compared to the Midwest, I would say Boston is warmer, but gets more snow.

[slawkenbergius]

How is the T compared to the New York subway? How long would it take to get, say, from one end of the Red Line to the other? How painful is it to have to transfer from, say, the Green Line to the Red?

(Might be going to Harvard next year, so I'm trying to figure out where to find affordable housing. Is there a Brooklyn-like area, where you can trade "reasonable" rent for a more seedy or dangerous neighborhood?)

[feisty]

How is the T compared to the New York subway? How long would it take to get, say, from one end of the Red Line to the other? How painful is it to have to transfer from, say, the Green Line to the Red?

(Might be going to Harvard next year, so I'm trying to figure out where to find affordable housing. Is there a Brooklyn-like area, where you can trade "reasonable" rent for a more seedy or dangerous neighborhood?)

Try Allston-Brighton