Where to live to commute to both MGH and Brigham? (Boston: to rent, to buy)

[psudavid]

I will be moving to Boston to take a job at MGH and my girlfriend will be working at the Brigham. We are trying to figure out the best areas to live in terms of commuting. We're willing to look at living somewhere with good public transit access to both hospitals, somewhere walkable to one with parking options that make the other person commuting by car doable, or somewhere with good public transit access to one and the other person driving.

We will have schedules that sometimes involve having to get to work at times which would make first train/bus times an issue, and being able to get to work reliably and on time is key. I'm unsure whether relying on the green line is a great plan given this.

One option that came to mind pretty quickly was living in Brookline somewhere close to Longwood and easily walkable to BWH, and I'd drive to MGH. That being said, I don't know the area well enough to be confident I'm not missing other equally good or better ideas.

Any suggestions? I'd really appreciate the help.

[jellybean23]

Will you actually have parking at your job? My husband works at the Brigham and does not. Brookline is a good choice but they have strict rules about parking at night, so you'd need to find a place to rent/buy with a parking spot, which are harder to come by. Maybe also consider the Fenway area or Beacon Hill.

[G-fused]

I'm at MGH, live in Brookline.

Do you have a budget? Do you want to buy or rent? Are schools important? Will you have parking at MGH?

Brookline is a good option if you can afford it AND there is availability. Demand is high and supply is tight here.

Green line is reliable but I work regular hrs. I usually run or bike to work (and run or bike back) - especially during Red Sox game days. We have a bike cage to store your ride and a no frills shower area.

How far are each of you willing to go by foot? By bike? Are you willing to ride/walk in the rain? The cold?

Living in Fenway or even Back Bay may be an option. If you guys are MD Residents I know MGH has a dept that helps w/housing options. Since BWH and MGH are both Partners, you can check to see if they have an area that helps with housing as well.

But if you have a parking space here at MGH, I would live as close to BWH as possible and drive here – especially if you won’t be driving at usual rush hr times.

Best of luck