Looking to live in Downtown Boston... (Kingston, Orange: apartments, leasing, crime)

[sdell415]

Hey,
I'm moving to Boston at the end of August beginning of September for work. I will be working in the Financial District and would really like to live close to where I work - Preferably walking distance

Does anyone know of any cool/nice neighborhoods near the financial district or even better specific buildings that would be good to look at?

I'm looking for a 1BR rental and my budget is around $3,000/month.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Cliff Clavin]

The Leather District is nice. A friend of mine just rented a beautiful 2br for $3200 on Kingston St. There are a couple new apt towers in Chinatown where you could prob a get a 1br for 3k. There are a few rentals scatered around Downtown Crossing too. North End or Beacon Hill would be an easy walk, and doable with your budget. If you don't mind a 30 min walk, South End, Charlestown and South Boston would also be options.

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Cliff Calvin recommended the exact same areas I would. When we first moved to Boston we lived in one of the towers in Chinatown (Archstone) and you can get a 1 bed for around $3k there.

Archstone Boston Common: Archstone Boston Common Apartments in Downtown Boston - 660 Washington Street - Archstone Apartments in Boston

Here is the other tower opening up across the street: - The Kensington | Boston Luxury Apartments

Also in the Financial District is the Devonshire: Devonshire : Boston : Downtown Luxury Rentals

[sdell415]

Thanks so much! the archstone, kensington and devonshire sound like they're right up my alley. Just curious..How did you like living in archstone? Is Chinatown/Financial District a nice area to live? What type of stuff is there to do?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by sdell415

Is Chinatown/Financial District a nice area to live? What type of stuff is there to do?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'll add my $.02 since I've work in Downtown Crossing (DTX) for almost 15 years now, and wasted much of my teenage years in the penny arcade on Washington St.

The area is A LOT nicer than it was 20-30 years ago. Three theaters were recently renovated and reopened along Washington St. Suffolk U and Emerson College have opened dorms, which have brought in a lot of life. New luxury highrise residences open every couple years now it seems. New bars and restauraunts are opening all the time.

With that said, it can still get quiet late at night and on weekends. It's not Boston's entertainment district, and prob never will be. Because of this, there is a small homeless population that camp out in various doorways, and petty street crimes that occur here and there. IMO...typical inner city stuff. I've never had an issue in all my years, and you shouldn't either if you have an oz. of street smarts, but it's something to keep an out for if your walking alone late at night.

[edwardsyzzurphands]

Originally Posted by sdell415

Thanks so much! the archstone, kensington and devonshire sound like they're right up my alley. Just curious..How did you like living in archstone? Is Chinatown/Financial District a nice area to live? What type of stuff is there to do?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I echo what CC said about DT-Xing, it is progressively getting more lively by the month it seems, but there are pockets of emptiness that still need to be filled in. The FiDi in general is more lively during the day than at night.

Chinatown on the other hand is definitely more vibrant and lively. It offers some of the best late night dining in the city, so I loved having that option right in my backyard. The Archstone building is right on the border of Chinatown and the Theatre district. The Theatre district around the corner has quite a few nightclubs and bars, so you will see people on the streets on the weekend up until a little after last call.

Otherwise, the Boston Common is about a 3 minute walk, Newbury Street is about a 10 minute walk, Charles Street in Beacon Hill even less. Its also a great jumping off point since you are within easy walking distance of all of Boston's subway lines, especially the Red, Orange, Green and Blue.

It has its city problems obviously, since there is a day shelter around the corner, but its basically some folks looking for a meal that may have some substance abuse issues, but they are harmless. My wife and I could walk around at any time and no one even looked at us funny. Otherwise the neighborhood is a mixture of all types of folks, from top to bottom, which gives it a nice vibe.

The building itself is quite nice. The leasing and concierge staff are awesome as well and really go out of their way to take care of you.

[maggiekate]

as a poster did say if you don't mind a walk check out Charlestown and South Boston.
Downtown crossing would never be my choice for 3000 in rent
This is not on your list to walk however if I could afford 3000 for rent I would pick
JP near the pond, City living gets boring after awhile I also did think neat and lived almost a year not paid
by me at the Boston Harbor Hotel. At first it was fun however, I had a job to go to and only so much of
the same stores etc. til I got bored with the city life and where do you shop for food and at the Boston Harbor
super nice but soon I got bored with all this wait on me stuff also.

The City gets hot and boring in the summer so B4 you do decide think of what you enjoy and like to do on
the week end. Boston also has a great T so no car will never be a problem either

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by sdell415

Thanks so much! the archstone, kensington and devonshire sound like they're right up my alley. Just curious..How did you like living in archstone? Is Chinatown/Financial District a nice area to live? What type of stuff is there to do?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Chinatown has become quite safe and upscale in recent years and is near nothing like the crime ridden wasteland it used to be 20-30 years ago. Several highrises are already built with more to come. I think you'll like it there. All of that area is within walking distance to parks, greenways, bars, nightclubs, and shopping (yes Boston is blessed to be one of the few major cities in the US that still has downtown shopping). Financial District describes itself -the center of financial activity in Boston. A few streets such as Devonshire Street can become very quiet after the evening rush hour and are quite boring to look at but again within walking distance you will find busy streets and activity. I'm sure every other major city's financial district is similar though.