[Edwood]

My favorite part of Boston has to do with cars.

The "plentiful" parking is excellent.

And if it's paved, it's a road to drive on.

-Ed

 

[tim_the_gamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austin_J I wouldn't recommend living in Natick. Austin

But... but... Kelly's famous roastbeef!!

 

[Serow]

Thanks for the suggestions. I got the job and will be moving to Boston in a few months.

I won't have a car, at least for the first few years. I'd like to get a place that's close to the Framingham commuter rail line, since that's what I'll be taking to work.

What's Fenway like as far as neighborhoods go? It seems to fit well with what I'm looking for, and is somewhat cheaper than Back Bay.

Cheers.

 

[Davie]

Congratulations on the job!

Fenway would probably be a good place for you -- especially if you like baseball!! Actually, I'm not sure what the official boundary line is between Fenway and Kenmore Square, the adjacent neighborhood. Boston University is located there so there will be lots of students as well as the shops, restaurants, etc. to serve them. You would be in walking distance to most of the major attractions of Boston and Cambridge, and well served by public transportation. It's a neighborhood of century old row houses and apartment buildings. When I lived in Back Bay over a decade ago, parts of it were a little seedy but not too bad (I had friends who lived there) and most likely it's all gotten more gentrified in the mean time. One disadvantage that I can think of is that, if I remember correctly, there are a bunch of sports bars near Fenway stadium so you might want to steer clear of those if you value peace and quiet! Also, a major freeway cuts through the neighborhood.

Good luck.

 

[viator122]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davie I eventually got tired of Boston and moved back to New York City. For a big, cosmpolitan city it's very tribal -- people tend to cluster together by neighborhood, and it will probably take you awhile to get a feel for things.

Ha! People here in New York sometimes feel like it's a big project to go from the UES to UWS.

 

[wallijonn]

Serow,

Do you have a map of MA. in front of you? Natick is a long way from Boston. I'd try going south where there's more countryside, like Morseville and Sherborn. Heck, even Ashland.

What you want to do is get in your car at work and drive for 30 minutes in any direction. Remember, once the snow starts falling your commute will become an hour long. Think "blizzards".

Even though I lived in MA. for over 10 years, my memories of MA. are all sunny Summer days... Ever see snow in late May? You just might. I remember the Blzzard of '78 - 55" inches fell in under 24 hours, took me over 8 hours to get home that day...

Framingham might be a good place to start looking. (I hated both cities. I was a Westminster / Leominster / Worcester / Boxborough / Holden type of guy). Just make sure you find a place with a lot of trees. Natick is too city like - few trees in between.

I have too many old memories of MA. Just thinking about those happy times is getting me depressed. I miss the Hilltop Restaurant, and today being St. Paddy's day, Corn Beef & Cabbage & Pa-rae-as (Potatos)...

And yes, I saw Bobby Orr play.

-wistful wal

 

[MetalManCPA]

Natick - mall town, expensive. Nothing too exciting.

Going East on Rte 9
Wellesley - if you're feeling uppity and have tons of money
Needham - where I was born and my parents still live (I live 25 miles south), nice town but very expensive
Newton - next to Needham, again expensive

Going West on Rte 9
Framingham - I personally think your best bet. Close to the Mass Pike which will zip you into Boston, and close to Rte 495 which will take you north/south around Boston

I've lived in the area for my entire 44 years. I like it. I'm not a city person, so I just don't like Boston as a place to live. There are towns north/south of Natick, like Sherborn. I see no reason to set yourself up for a long commute when there are options close to, if not in, Natick. Even though I may think a town is expensive, not every last corner if the town is so. There are really no "problem areas" in any of these towns, other than what happens in all of suvurbia USA.

 

[Jmmmmm]

Natick is about 13 or so miles outside boston. I went to college in waltham, which is 9 miles outside, on the framingham commuter line. I will say, recognize the difference between the T and teh commuter rail. The commuter rail comes every hour and a half, which wasn't all that convenient for me. Then, you will probably have to take the T from north station to where you want to go. We usually ended up driving into the city, which is annoying. It was probably a 20 minute drive. The good thing about waltham is that it's on the crossroads of i95 and the mass pike, so it's very easy to get around. Depending on your situation, you might want somewhere quieter and farther outside. It was nice because we had the town feel and safety, but the advantages of boston. However, if you are in the younger/single group, then definitely live in the city. If you are sticking around for a while, you can eventually move outside when you've done the city thing.

Boston is a huge college town (50 colleges in 50 sq miles), so there are lots of kids there. Lots of fun stuff to do, too, and lots of history. My biggest complaint is that the city shuts down very early. The latest T leaves at 12:30 (another reason we often drove), though they now have the 'night owl' bus until 3 or something, and bars close at like 2.

I really like boston, I would consider living there again. I got sick of the cold senior year, but the snow was nice.

Oh, I know a lot of people who live in somervile. It's pretty nice and not that expensive. Brookline is nice, but steep. Same with newton.

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by viator122 Ha! People here in New York sometimes feel like it's a big project to go from the UES to UWS.

Now that *is* a deep cultural difference -- or was before the yuppies started buying up the Upper West Side ($5,000 a month for a 2-bedroom rental, anyone?) I'm not sure I'd describe the difference as tribal, though. The Upper West Side was traditionally a very diverse place.

Regarding Wellesley/Needham/Framingham/Sherborne, etc....

Didn't he say he wouldn't have a car for, like, several years??? Are any of these really good places to live without a car? My impression from my four years in the Boston area is that if you've got a car (and a decent salary) there are lots of nice, reasonably convenient places to live out of town. But without a car it's better to stick close to the T -- unless you're really averse to city living.

 

[Dimitris]

Boston is one of the few cities in the states i could live for some years. Too bad i cant say the same for Ithaca NY that i went for postgraduate studies.

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimitris Boston is one of the few cities in the states i could live for some years. Too bad i cant say the same for Ithaca NY that i went for postgraduate studies.

Well, they call Boston the "Athens" of America, whereas Ithaca is just the, errr, "Ithaca"...

I've never been to Ithaca, New York, but I hear it's small, remote and snowy and that an unusual number of people leap to their deaths in the local gorges. Apart from that sounded like a nice enough place.

 

[Dimitris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davie Well, they call Boston the "Athens" of America, whereas Ithaca is just the, errr, "Ithaca"... I've never been to Ithaca, New York, but I hear it's small, remote and snowy and that an unusual number of people leap to their deaths in the local gorges. Apart from that sounded like a nice enough place.

Well that might explains it! Boston definitely did it for me! Its very nice and has a nice atmosphere with all the universities and students walking around. Ithaca was ok during the summer but i can see why Cornell students have the highest suicide rate in the states. The weather is depressing depressing depressing. It was snowing for 6 months in a row. As one of my best friends once told me "This is hell. If you die you are going to come back here".

Nothing to do with original Ithaca, a sunny island with great beaches in the mediterranean.

Serow sorry to highjack the thread. Hope you have the best time in Boston. Enjoy!

 

[Serow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davie Regarding Wellesley/Needham/Framingham/Sherborne, etc.... Didn't he say he wouldn't have a car for, like, several years??? Are any of these really good places to live without a car? My impression from my four years in the Boston area is that if you've got a car (and a decent salary) there are lots of nice, reasonably convenient places to live out of town. But without a car it's better to stick close to the T -- unless you're really averse to city living.

That's what I'm trying to decide... I'm not sure if I want to a) Buy a car, live in one of the towns and drive to work or b) Live in the city proper without a car, and take the train to work(~30min between South station and Natick).

It seems like by the time you factor in the costs of owning a vehicle, like insuring, parking, and toll fees, the two options are roughly the same cost. I guess right now I'm leaning towards the 'excitement' of living in a bigger city, at least 'til I hit my thirties

.

I think wal and MetalMan are more small-town oriented than I am, from the sounds of it. I love outdoor activities like biking and skiing, but would like to live in a place where there are cool concerts and other urban activities. BTW I currently live in a smaller city of 200,000 people, and the winters here are worse than those in MA so I'm not worried about that. It's snowed in every month except July here in the past 100 years!

Thanks for the ideas guys!

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serow That's what I'm trying to decide... I'm not sure if I want to a) Buy a car, live in one of the towns and drive to work or b) Live in the city proper without a car, and take the train to work(~30min between South station and Natick). It seems like by the time you factor in the costs of owning a vehicle, like insuring, parking, and toll fees, the two options are roughly the same cost. I guess right now I'm leaning towards the 'excitement' of living in a bigger city, at least 'til I hit my thirties . I think wal and MetalMan are more small-town oriented than I am, from the sounds of it. I love outdoor activities like biking and skiing, but would like to live in a place where there are cool concerts and other urban activities. BTW I currently live in a smaller city of 200,000 people, and the winters here are worse than those in MA so I'm not worried about that. It's snowed in every month except July here in the past 100 years! Thanks for the ideas guys!

Can you get to your new office easily from the train in Natick? That might be an important factor.

 

[wallijonn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm Natick is about 13 or so miles outside boston.

More like 21 - 25 miles.

Guys from the West are scratching their 'noggins saying "ONLY" 20 miles?

Try going 20 miles in NYC.

Ah, the Tobin Bridge at 5pm...

Natick and Framingham were two cities that I tried to go through as fast as possible. I absolutely hated those two towns. (I do miss Spag's, though).

Quote:

Originally Posted by serow BTW I currently live in a smaller city of 200,000 people, and the winters here are worse than those in MA so I'm not worried about that.

I like very small towns. If it's got more than 2000 people in it I won't like it. (I'm forced to live in Phoenix, unfortuantely). I would probably like Morseville. It looks to be about the size of Sudbury, Concord, Lexington.

Yeah, you'll need a car in MA. I couldn't live without one. You have to be able to take a 200 mile round trip diversion on week ends - like to Laconia, NH or Sturbridge or Westminster or ...