Living alone as a woman (Boston, Newton: apartment, house, safest area)

[ubebe]

Have you ever felt unsafe just becuase youare woman? If yes, in what situation do you feel dangerous or unsafe, just because you are women and alone??

And do you often have strangers who visit your home? (Except delivery man)

[xS☺B☺s]

I've never been a woman so I couldn't say with certainty. But sometimes I think you women are kinda brave. I have often thought living in a world where you are physically smaller than most people would be a bit more intimidating. I wonder how you do it.

On the other hand, I remember walking down 42st in the 80's when it was pure evil and seeing a little old 80 year old lady walking through the crowds by herself. I thought to myself, well if she's not afraid to be here, why should I be?

[MagicTouch]

I live alone, moved here alone and I feel very safe. I go out on my own all of the time and I have never had any issues, nor have I felt unsafe or scared. I live on the third floor and I leave my windows open all of the time. It's no issue for me!! Now when I move to NY....hmmmmm....we shall see then.

[canyontothesky]

I go out all the time alone and I love being home alone, but I don't like the idea of not having a male resident in the household (my boyfriend). I feel a certain security in that. When I lived in Newton (most of my life), before I graduated high school, I would live in my mom's apartment alone for weeks on end and I was never bothered.
I worry of someone unexpectedly taking advantage of me. I try to be prepared and I feel that living with a guy wards off people who might try to target women who live alone, but you never know.

[Ron.]

I'm a very tough guy. Do you need company?

I'll protect you.............

Originally Posted by ubebe

Have you ever felt unsafe just becuase youare woman? If yes, in what situation do you feel dangerous or unsafe, just because you are women and alone??

And do you often have strangers who visit your home? (Except delivery man)

[CityGirl52]

When I first moved to South Boston I got an apartment by myself. It was weird at first I have to admit! I felt extremely safe here though. The only thing that happened? When I first moved there I was selling my car, I mistakenly put it in one of those local ad magazines to sell it. Well all these guys came to the door when I first moved there. I was a complete & total wreck every time the door bell rang! One time it was about 5 Puerto Rican guys and they were right out front checking out the car, under the hood, under the engine, they were all over the car like a new suit! So when they finally left, after I wouldn't come down in the price? A bunch of guys again knocked on my door, so I wouldn't open it! They yelled through the door that if those guys were bothering me to just let them know, that they were standing around the corner if they came back & they told me not to worry about it again! Well, talk about feeling safe? I never ever had any issues again in all the years living in that neighborhood! Also...I never ever again put an ad in a magazine to sell a car or anything for that matter! That's the only thing that I had happen while I was living alone! Another time I was walking home late at night & a raccoon was scurrying along up the street at the same time as me! Yes, it was a raccoon in the middle of South Boston! That's the only OTHER thing that happened to me in all the years living alone & living in the city!

You just have to be much more careful & be aware of your surroundings now than ever ever before, that's all, walk with your friends and try not to be alone too much, especially late at night. I don't think I'd catch myself walking alone late at night, in the North End of the City these days! There was another woman that was sexually attacked again over there, according to the news last night! It's really getting pretty creepy now because the North End was always and I mean always always the safest neighborhood in the City to live in for years and years. It doesn't seem to be any more, that's for sure, there's some weirdo out there in his late 20's that has some serious issues! Hopefully the Boston Police get him & lock him up for a long time, he's certainly in hot water now!

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by CityGirl52

Another time I was walking home late at night & a raccoon was scurrying along up the street at the same time as me! Yes, it was a raccoon in the middle of South Boston!

That's funny CG. I saw the biggest raccoon ever on Columbus Ave! At a distance I thought it was a cat so I took a peek cuz you don't usually see many critters in the SE. So he turns around and stands up - it was a HUGE raccoon! He must have been three feet tall and 40 pounds! I said "Hi!" in a real friendly way and then just kept goin'! I would have liked to talked to him but since they are definitely rabies carriers, I just decided to leave him be to his scrounging business.

We have a skunk around here too. It's weird to see a skunk walking down a city sidewalk like any other urbanite. I also saw one walking down the sidewalk through a crowd at Castle Island, so watch out!

But the weirdest thing ever was just a few weeks ago. There were TWO WILD TURKEYs walking down Mass Ave by Tremont St! Everybody was just slowing down in their cars to look! Geese, falcons, skunks, raccoons, but wild turkeys! Now that was silly!

[CityGirl52]

Wild Turkeys in the city??? Unbelievable!!! That IS pretty funny! We have them a lot on the north shore & southern NH., I didn't think they were down through Boston too, what a riot! I can just see all the people stopping their cars!!! Now that must have been a "kodak moment!"

I was trying to think of this other critter we saw in Southie one night. It was the weirdest looking thing. As we were driving down in back of the house along the side in the driveway, the lights of the car shone on this thing. OMG, it was SO SO ugly looking, we didn't know WHAT the heck it was!
So I just went online to see if I could find it. It took me a while to google it for a picture. Finally bingo, I saw it. It was called an "opossum". Usually they're in gardens and back yards in rural areas, well they're getting closer, because I saw one right in the heart of Southie a while ago and we could NOT believe this ugly looking thing was there, afterwards we realized it was probably there because of my friends fathers little tomato garden that he always has! They're called possum's but you spell it opossum I guess? They're also known as "Nature's little sanitation engineer's" because they evidently eat all the bugs & mice etc...(yuck....whatever!) SO if you ever see one of these things, they're light gray with a long snout & long tail. They're not little things either, this one was a big sucker; it looked like a cat or a little dog!

[HowGoesIt]

Here is a Wild Turkey in Brookline (near Washington Sq.)

Turkeys, once unseen in Massachusetts, are showing up in big numbers in cities and towns - The Boston Globe

My brother came up for a visit a few months ago and I took his picture with the turkey. Not sure if it wild or if someone on Beacon St. takes care of.

[monicad]

Originally Posted by CityGirl52

don't think I'd catch myself walking alone late at night, in the North End of the City these days!

Isn't the north end one of the safest areas of the city? I have this fantasy of leaving San Diego and moving to the North End where nothing bad ever happens. Please don't burst my bubble!
but do you think it's ok for a young woman to live in the North End by herself?