Easy Commutes to Boston U? (Cambridge, Brookline: broker, apartments, trip)

[septimus]

i disagree that c-port is too expensive. We were paying $1300 for a 3 bd/2bath back at the end of 2004

[HowGoesIt]

Originally Posted by septimus

i disagree that c-port is too expensive. We were paying $1300 for a 3 bd/2bath back at the end of 2004

The seaport district is probably one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Boston. I would be shocked if you could find a 3 bedroom place for under $2500 there now.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by septimus

you don't want to waste your time in law school commuting. Anything in Allston/Brighton will be an easy commute but not necessarily the nicest accomodations (it is basically a student ghetto btwn BU and BC).

This is true in Allston and along Comm Av. by the B line in Brighton, but there are some great apartments in houses off of Washington St. in Brighton Center. That area is not a student ghetto at all, it's much nicer and quieter but still has stores, restaurants, etc. within walking distance. There is very easy on-street parking, often without a resident permit, and you may find something very nice at about $1200. Check out the area near Oakland St and down by Oak Sq. My friends live off Oakland St. and have a large 2-bedroom with parking, washer and dryer, and a nice yard for $1150.

Originally Posted by septimus

If you go off Brighton Ave rents shold be a little cheaper than right off Comm. Ave and the 57 bus is pretty regular vs. the green line on Comm Ave (which I always found painfully slow and crowded).

The rents are cheaper and the places nicer along the 57 bus than along the B line. I am generally not a bus person at all since I think they are too slow and don't come often enough, but I would take the 57 over the B line. The 57 bus replaced the A line of the Green Line and therefore runs more frequently than many other buses. It will get you from Brighton Center to Kenmore in about 25 minutes, under 20 minutes most of the time to BU Law.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by HowGoesIt

The seaport district is probably one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Boston. I would be shocked if you could find a 3 bedroom place for under $2500 there now.

are you punning?

[mj103]

You guys are great. Thanks for your help! I can't wait to have a real public transit system.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by mj103

You guys are great. Thanks for your help! I can't wait to have a real public transit system.

Don't get too pumped up over the T. You'll almost certainly be cursing it at some point but it is among the top 5 or so systems in the U.S., not that there's much competition.

From Brighton Center, it can take an hour to get downtown for work on the 57 bus and the T, but there is an express bus ($89 monthly pass gets you the express bus, all local buses, and the T) that goes from Brighton Center to downtown (501) and another that goes to Copley Sq. (503). Those are the two general areas where most office building-type jobs within the city of Boston tend to be. The express bus ride is 30 minutes or less. They don't run all the time (regular buses downtown from 6:20 to 9:30 AM, then none until after 2 PM, last bus from downtown back to Brighton is at 7:30) but for typical 9-5 commuting they're the best option from Brighton Center.

[mj103]

Let me tell you a story about Nebraska, as I'm sure no one that lives outside of the midwest can probably even imagine.

There is one city bus that runs from downtown Lincoln to a stop that's about a mile from my apartment. It runs every 45 minutes or so, and not after 6 p.m. I don't know what people without cars do in this town.

Point being that I know I'll probably get super angry from time to time, but compared what I'm used to, it will be great.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by mj103

Point being that I know I'll probably get super angry from time to time, but compared what I'm used to, it will be great.

Oh, absolutely. The vast majority of the US is a zone where I don't know how anyone could function without a car. The T has its moments but for the most part it gets you where you need to go pretty efficiently.

[mj103]

Sort of along the same topic, are Boston drivers as crazy as I've heard? I've driven in some pretty rough traffic (Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Phoenix, etc.) but I'm absolutely terrified by what I've heard about Boston.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by mj103

Sort of along the same topic, are Boston drivers as crazy as I've heard? I've driven in some pretty rough traffic (Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Phoenix, etc.) but I'm absolutely terrified by what I've heard about Boston.

I guess this is a better question for those who came here from elsewhere. Personally I don't think the drivers are all that bad, but I've spent my whole life in the northeast and I'm used to Boston and NYC. With that comparison Boston seems pretty easy. I would say it's clearly more intense than Denver, St. Louis, or Phoenix. Not sure about Chicago.

The bigger issue, it seems to me, is that the roads within Boston itself are very confusing to the newcomer and there are a lot of narrow streets and one-ways. But unlike a lot of other cities, there's less need to drive in Boston itself if you're living outside it. You can easily just come on the train.