Potential move from NYC to Boston (Springfield, Cambridge: house, job market, neighborhoods)

[psycstudent]

Hi all -

I was recently offered a position outside of Boston and am considering moving from NYC this fall, as the job market down here is much more saturated in my field. Has anyone done the move and have any thoughts or advice? The truth is I'm very anxious about moving as I've heard mixed things and have lived in NYC for the past 4 years. Also, does anybody have any suggestions with regards to a neighborhood that would remind me of NYC? Something with a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and just a lively social scene.

Thanks

[silverbelles]

I'm making the move soon, but did travel to Boston recently. I will say that Back Bay/Beacon Hill is pretty lively and sounds like what you're looking for, but it's pricey to live there (but you're from NYC, which is the very definition of "expensive").

Really, the neighborhoods I visited (JP, Fenway, Back Bay/Beacon Hill, Agassiz, and around Harvard & MIT) had what you're looking for, but they all have a different vibe. If I were you, I'd try to at least take a weekend trip down since you're not too far away and encourage you to walk around feel out the neighborhoods for yourself. I know there are bus rides between Boston and NYC all the time, and they're inexpensive (look up: Megabus). And then you can visit Cambridge, too, and maybe you might like it up there even more.

[vfrex]

Where do you live in NY? And where outside Boston is the job?

I did the reverse...went Boston to NY.

[HenryAlan]

There are lots of places that generically fit your description -- Boston is one of the few regions in the country with more bars than grocery stores. That said, you definitely need to visit. The character of each neighborhood differs and although I could give you a list of several that superficially meet your need, whether or not they have the right feel for you is subjective.

[Cantabridgienne]

You need to let go of the idea that there will be a direct equivalent in Boston to a neighborhood in NYC. There are ones similar in vibe/demographics, but it's a much, much smaller scale. There are pluses to that, but it can take some getting used to. Boston is really nothing like NYC; if the two weren't so geographically close they would never be compared so often.

Where do you live in NYC, or what neighborhoods do you like?

[goyguy]

A college friend who grew up in Washington Heights told me that whenever he felt homesick he'd run over to Central Square in Cambridge. The numbers of Dominicans, medical students, and Jews aren't as large, but his point was that the communities were similar in their lively/diverse/unpretentious feel. Here in Boston there's no Upper East Side in the sense of there being block upon block of high-rises (unless you factor in the waterfront.) However, the same "privileged" vibe is all over the Back Bay, South End, and Beacon Hill. Harlem's Sugar Hill has its counterpart in Roxbury, near Franklin Park. If you long for the tract house sprawl of Staten Island you can be reminded of that by Hyde Park. And so on.
"Outside of Boston" and "NYC" are similarly vague. Not all of the 'burbs here go to sleep at 9 PM. Quincy to the south, Waltham to the west, and Melrose to the north - to name but three towns - all have a "restaurant row" of sorts along with some nightspots. And New York of course has all sorts of enclaves in the vast swath between Riverdale and Springfield Gardens. When we know more we can tell more.

[psycstudent]

Hi all -

Thanks for the help. I'm current living in the west village in NYC and I am planning a visit to Boston next Welles. I'm definitely going to scope out the areas suggested!

Thanks again :-)

[theSUBlime]

Originally Posted by psycstudent

Hi all -

Thanks for the help. I'm current living in the west village in NYC and I am planning a visit to Boston next Welles. I'm definitely going to scope out the areas suggested!

Thanks again :-)

Honestly, in this case I think only the Back Bay/South End areas will do. Maybe Harvard Square.

[HenryAlan]

I'd vote for South End being the most similar.

[sirk98]

I am also considering a move from NYC to the greater Boston area... New office would be near South Station...

I used to live in the UES but have been living in south west Brooklyn for a while now. Any towns around Boston similar to those areas? I am thinking that Melrose sounds similar to my current nabe....