Relocating from FL to Boston in the fall - Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[orangetravelerJP]

You may want to make sure that any apartments you look at will take a dog of your size. We, too, have a golden retriever and I scoured ads looking for ones that were "pet-friendly". Unfortunately that does often mean a small dog and you don't want to waste your valuable time going somewhere only to find out that your dog couldn't live there. Double check before you go to see any apartment.

It can be discouraging to find that larger pets aren't always welcome but it can be done. You may have to look a bit harder but don't give up!

[DreamworksSKG]

You might try Winthrop. They have a bus service to the "T" Station Orient Heights Station and "T" busses as well.

You might also check out Quincy,...you could take the red line in to South Station and get the silver line into the airport

There's also a commuter boat express shuttle that goes to the airport I think its like $12 or something you pay on the boat, and they might have commuter passes you can purchase. The last boat back is like 9pm 9:30 ish or something like that.

there's a Logan Express from Braintree, (South Shore) , Woburn (North Shore), Peabody (North Shore) and Framingham (metro West) so you could essentially live anywhere in the metro, drive to one of the commuter lots, park there, and they usually have logan express passes for employees to use.. you can purchase...a book of tickets for use. (sometimes employers @ the airport offer them as part of the job) (So you could ask about taking the logan express into work). That way you'd have more option on where to live.

You could live in Swampscott, and drive to Wonderland "T" station on the Blue line and take the Blue line to the airport.

then again you could live in Medford or Malden and take the orange line into State, change at state and take the Blue line or take orange line to State, and walk over to the waterfront, and catch the Mbta "T" boat to the airport.



The city point area by Southie isn't bad. Its right across from the airport and you could get the silver line into the airport and there's a nice fort out there , you can walk around and watch the planes land.

[DreamworksSKG]

The City point area in Southie also has a walking path around a lagoon by the harbor and the fort where you can walk your dog if you have one

There's a dog park in the South End too

[ogre]

Originally Posted by Emily_W

After looking around for awhile these are the areas that I plan to check out when I come to Boston: Brookline, Back Bay, Fenway, Somerville/Davis Square, Cambridge, Beacon Hill, Charlestown, and Quincy. Are there any other places that I definitely should check out when I am there next week? We have 4 days to work with, so we'll have plenty of time. I've checked Rent.com a bit and it looks like there are a lot of rentals in our price range in Quincy - is Quincy a decent place to live??

Quincy was the first place I thought of when reading your original post. Enough people have suggested Quincy for you to get the message that it's a place you should check out. It's a small city that is urban in some areas and more suburban in others, so there's the possibility of finding some space for the dog.

As for a couple of other places people have suggested:

I agree that South Boston could be a good possibility, though I'm not sure about Dreamworks' suggestion to watch the planes land from the shorefront in Southie. (Just maybe, your husband will have his fill of watching planes land at work.) One point to keep in mind in Southie is that the area has a largely residential character (though there are commercial and industrial areas as well), but it's urban residential. Lots of detached houses, but little yard space around them. Something to keep in mind, depending on your preferences for local chararacter.

Speaking of watching the planes land, the earlier suggestion of Winthrop could be really good for a short commute for your husband, because Winthrop is very close to the airport. It's not as great a location for your commute, though the commute to UMass should be reasonable. But back to Winthrop's location. Notice that I said it's near the airport. In fact one of the main flight paths goes right over Winthrop. I've never heard much about how much of a problem with airplane noise there is there, but that's something I'd really want to learn about before moving there.

Now here's an overview of the other areas you've listed yourself, besides Qunicy, which has been discussed:

Back Bay and Beacon Hill: They are expensive, and you may have trouble finding an apartment in your price range. Be aware too that both areas are right in the heart of the city. It's all townhouse/rowhouse kinds of buildings, even on streets that are primarily residential. You might be fine with that, but just letting you know. If those areas interest you now that you now about their urban character, you might also want to check out the South End (not the same district as South Boston, despite the similarity in the names), though the South End is another expensive area where the pickin's may be slim budget-wise.

Fenway: You probably want to avoid the Fenway. Big student area. Noisy college parties and such. I've heard there are quiet streets in the area, but you'd probably be better off avoiding the Fenway altogether since you don't know the area, and wouldn't have inside knowledge of where any quiet spots might be.

Brookline: another expensive area, and they don't allow parking on the street at night, so with two cars it could get very expensive to either pay a higher rent for a place with onsite parking or rent two parking spaces. Nice town, though, if you could work out the issues of parking and cost. It's a nice upscale old tree-shaded inner suburb with well maintained older houses. If you were to consider Brookline, you might especially want to focus on the Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village neighborhoods, where you'd be within walking distance of some local shopping and dining, and where you'd be close to public transit.

If the general look and feel of Brookline sounds appealing, you might also want to check out Newton, which is a similar nice old inner suburb, where the rents are probably lower on average than they are in Brookline, and where they don't ban overnight parking. The first neighborhood that comes to mind is Newton Centre, for being close enough to the city to keep commuting times reasonable, for public transit access, and for local shopping.

Somerville/Davis Sq.: young professionals kind of area, so there's shopping and dining locally, and it's on the red line of the T, which would give you a convenient way to reach UMass by public transit (UMass is also near the red line) if you wished to do so. That area, like most of Somerville, is another very densely built urban kind of residential area, with a lot of detached houses, but little or no yard space around most of them.

Cambridge: The character of the neighborhood depends on the neighborhood. For the possibility of finding a little bit of space, yet still having some local shopping nearby, you might focus on Porter Square, and maybe Harvard Square. Both of those neighborhoods are on the red line.

Charlestown: mix of blue-collar and gentrified population. Urban residential in some parts, again we're talking detached houses that stand very close together, and townhouse/rowhouse streets in other areas. Generally a nice solid, safe by city standards area, and it is conveniently located for the airport. It's a better location for a driving commute to UMass than a commute by public transit. A commute to UMass by public transit would be manageable, but could be a bit of a pain, since it's not a long distance but would involve a couple of transfers.

[gilwood]

Summertime is a bad time to relocate to Boston. The summers here are drastically different than the rest of the year. Much less traffic (you get an inaccurate view of your commute), apartments are more expensive, and weather is nice. So you really have no idea how the other 9 months are. Last year it snowed right after X-mas and really didn't melt until Late March. If you would have coming in Feb, then you'd have a realistic view of what Boston is like!

Traffic here is really rough, so don't equate 30 mins of commute with a 30 mile radius. That equation usually works with other cities, but definitely not here! It's more like 3 miles = 30 mins.

In winter, parking is ridiculous. So when Feb rolls around 1/2 the street parking is now giant snow piles. Another reason why summer time is an unrealistic view.

Beware that there are 20 Boston Fanbois to every 1 person who will tell you the reality of the place. And now that the Bruins have won, forget it, if you ever say anything bad about Boston, you'll get a beer bottle broken over your head!

[Cantabridgienne]

It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter? The nerve of this place!!

[chaxey]

Everyone's responses here have been pretty reasonable.

I currently live in South Boston, and based on your age and employment/school geographics, Southie is the perfect location for you. It's safe, fun, and still relatively reasonably priced as far as rent goes.

However, parking limitations may make it less attractive for you. For your commute, you'll be able to walk to UMass Boston in the summer if you're feeling ambitious, but most days, it's going to make the most sense to drive. Also, Southie does have several out doorsy options/parks and a dog specific park, but you won't find a place that has a private back yard to let Fido out to do his business. That's assuming you can find someone that will rent to you.

That said, the outflux and influx of yuppies that own dogs renting out their condos that they cant' sell due to the poor economy... you might find a place to rent that would allow for Fido.

As for Quincy, this would work as well and be much more affordable. It's just not going to be as 'fun'. My wife and I enjoy that in southie we can go out for a drink and eat downtown or locally without driving around. YOu won't be able to do that in Quincy.

Another option that might split the difference is Savin Hill (over the bridge). Yes, this is a part of Dorchester, and that stigma is a lot for people unfamiliar to overcome, but this is one of the safest parts of Boston, and one of the most attractive. Rentals are tough to find here, but if you could find one, you could walk to school and the ride to logan (or train to logan) would not be bad at all. It would also be great for the dog, and parking would not be a concern.

[xS☺B☺s]

Nobody has really emphasized how convenient the T is to the airport. The Blue Line goes to the airport. My suggestion is lose one car and let hubby take the T to work. It will cost 10 times as much to park at the airport for a day than it would to take the T. Also note insurance could run you 3K per car. On street parking is hell in Boston - most forgiving neighborhoods would be Jamaica plain, Roslindale etc. JP is a reasonable switch from the Orange Line to the Blue. Large dogs in BOS are hard to house, but Golden retrievers are popular dogs in Southie. You might have better luck with that from some old Irish landlady in Southie.

[unit731]

You got a dog?

Well good luck with that. If you can find any landlord that will take pets you will be lucky.

But beyond the pet. Parking is the greatest issue you will face. Don't expect to park on the street. There are snow bans - street parking bans for snow storms in most cities.

Best to find a rental near the T (subway) or the train. Yes, there are two ways to communte without a car - subway and train.

Somerville is fine but parking is an issue. And in Somerville and many areas you will be competing with college students.

Revere is out. So don't think about Revere. Everett and Chelsea can be tough also. Possibly look further out to Malden or Melrose. And on the South Shore - the Quincy areas.

I drove from Somerville to UMass Columbia Point for 4 years so it can be done. Not knowing the "back" ways in case of traffic jams could be an issue. Commuting on the subway or train is your best bet.

Southie is probably a good try as others have mentioned but parking there is a serious issue. Again, do not attempt to park on the street. It just ain't gonna happen for any newbie.

You don't need any 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive but you do need good tires. Most tires that come with new cars today are not good in snow. When and if it becomes time to trade look at the Subaru.

And as others have stated view area during day and evening.