Easy commute + parking for 2 cars = where? (Cambridge, Quincy: apartment, rent, how much)

[maslude]

So, I've got a new job in seaport area. I'm currently living in Woburn and have two cars (that I'm not willing to give up, I'm a car guy, this is a must have for me). I'm commuting via train from Woburn/Anderson and it's not horrible but I'd like to move a bit closer and cut down on commute time, plus maybe experience city life a bit. It currently takes me 10 minutes to get to Anderson station and park, get on the train and 20 minutes later I'm at north station, from there the shuttle gets me to seaport area in another 15-20 minutes. So, total time is around 50 minutes or so.

I'm not familiar with towns east of 128/95 so I need some help. Looking at the subway/bus maps is not helpful, I need to know how long it actually take people to commute. I've tried google maps "depart at" feature but not sure how accurate it is?

I also have parents in Lexington (near Burlington line) that I like to visit few time a week after work, so the new place should be within 15 minutes or less drive (post rush hour) from there.

To summarize: I'm looking for a place with easy access to public commuting options to north or south stations, have parking space for 2 cars (not tandem), that is also within 10-15 minutes drive to Lexington (maple st). Where should I look for such a place. I would like to keep the rent under 2k but could do up to 2.5K. It would also help if you could only rule out certain towns for me - e.g. Could I not even bother looking at Cambridge?

Thanks!

[porterhouse]

2 parking spaces alone in Cambridge would eat up half your budget.

[alidmc]

It sounds like you actually like your cars, so I take it you don't want on-street parking? Cambridge does allow overnight street parking, so if you could find a place in your budget you can get a parking permit for both cars. Good luck with the dents and dings, though.
A two-car, non-tandem driveway would be extremely rare close in to the city. You could look at Malden and Medford, maybe Melrose. I would imagine you would have better luck in a complex where you can probably pay for an extra space.

[bjimmy24]

Man I can't imagine how keeping two cars in town, no matter how much I like them, could possibly be worth it.

[maslude]

@porterhouse: Thanks, so I'll cross Cambridge off my list, no big deal. What about Arlington and commuting from there, any idea?

@alidmc: I like one of my cars, the other is a winter/rain car that I don't mind parking on the street but I don't want to worry about street parking in snow. I could probably do tandem parking if the street is not one of those narrow streets with cars parked on both sides so swapping cars is easy. Melrose/Medford/Malden would be too far from Lexington, perhaps west Medford, I'll look into that. Thanks.

@bjimmy24: You're not the only one, I'm sure many here won't understand. It's one of you those things... ;-)

Arlington looks good on the map, I'm just not sure about commuting options from there...

[BostonMike7]

That's a good one.


I don't know where else you can go and be 15 mins from Lexington other than Medford/Arlington. Might get lucky and find an apartment that offers off-street parking for one car and then on street for the other. Would suck in the wintertime though, especially if it's a main drag and they enforce parking bans on that road.


When I was juggling two cars and only had one available parking spot, I stuck one in a storage unit. Not cheap, but no other option. Especially when the white stuff flew and I was stressing out over parking 1 cars...let alone two. But cars were more than transportation to me...so I spent the money, and glad I did.




I own a house now, so all that stress is over thankfully. Time for another hobby car.

[gf2020]

You might find an apartment in a house in Malden or Medford that has driveway space for 2 cars, otherwise I would have suggested Woburn as a good choice already.

A 50 minute commute to the Seaport is pretty good, maybe you could shorten it if you came directly in to South Station but that would mean a town like Quincy or Braintree which would put you further from your parents.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by maslude

So, I've got a new job in seaport area. I'm currently living in Woburn and have two cars (that I'm not willing to give up, I'm a car guy, this is a must have for me). I'm commuting via train from Woburn/Anderson and it's not horrible but I'd like to move a bit closer and cut down on commute time, plus maybe experience city life a bit. It currently takes me 10 minutes to get to Anderson station and park, get on the train and 20 minutes later I'm at north station, from there the shuttle gets me to seaport area in another 15-20 minutes. So, total time is around 50 minutes or so.

Just moved to Woburn, and so curious. What's the parking situation at Anderson like on weekday mornings? I currently commute in the opposite direction (towards 495), but just curious in case I look at job switches in the future. Thanks

[robr2]

Plenty of parking available at Anderson.

[maslude]

Yes, no parking issues at Anderson/Woburn station at all, no matter what time. At 8 AM when I get there it's not even half full.

Back to my question...

So, I'm going to try Arlington and Medford. Let you know what I find.

Another thought... What if I were to spend a bit more (maybe 3.5 K - which would technically still be in my budget per financial guidelines) to get a bigger place and then share with someone In this case where should I look.