Homesick Seattlite stranded in upstate NY for 2.5 years - Will I find solace in Boston??? (Cambridge: real estate, to rent)

[missingseattle]

After much prodding, I agreed to relocate to the Hudson Valley area (Beacon) with my NE born husband 2.5 years ago. After 2.5 years I still disparately miss Seattle and don't see this diminishing anytime soon. I miss my ridiculously over dramatic mountains ranges, rocky musty shorelines, GOOD coffee, wild salmon, incredible restaurants, eclectic music venues, art and more art and that nagging and permanent bohemian underbelly that lies at the core of Seattle's psyche regardless of how pretentious its gotten in recent years.

We visited Boston last weekend from NY and it was the first time that I felt that comforting sense of familiarity when you feel like your home. We ended up at the B-line (?) in Cambridge after wondering endlessly through the neighborhood after the fireworks. Eureka! I felt like I was sitting in Fremont or Ballard tavern back home. Great beer, great put food, good music, mix of ages and types and when we left I smelled the sea air! Fabulous. Too good to be true?? A visitors dumb luck?

We aren't the ubiquitous urban 30 somethings either, which makes it tough where ever we end up. We are childless, mid-40s, dog lovers, neither ultra hipster nor pedestrian suburban types. Also, we make combined $100-$130k so swankier neighborhoods are out. I love my NE man so I want to make this work but I need some suggestions y'all. Many thanks!

[WannaGoHome]

awwww you poor thing. I was in CA for 10 years and still couldn't get rid of the east coast longing. It was miserable for me so I know how you feel. Boston is fantastic. I'm not quite sure where you were as the B line only runs into east cambridge and I can't really imagine where you would've been. Hmmmm. . .

Even with that being said, I think Boston might be a better match for you than upstate. While upstate can be lovely, it tends to go closer to granola than bohemian. Boston proper is great for dog-lovers, mid-40's childless couples, but is expensive and not very bohemian. Cambridge, I feel, is a better match for you. Unfortunately I'm not too well versed on Cambridge as I live in Back Bay and only go to Cambridge to take an Italian language class at the Alighieri Institute. I do know that Cambridge is wonderful though and that it might be a good match for you. Great beer can definitely be found here as well.

Depending on what you do, Salem might be a good match for you. It's 30 minutes by commuter train to Boston (you wouldn't want to commute, but it makes coming into the city for the weekend/dinner/etc east). I saw a lot of dog-lovers in Salem. And it's quirky to boot, which is why I loved it. It's this old, water-front history-steeped place, but it has an interesting history that some people hold onto. There is a sizable Wiccan population and those that aren't Wiccan are (seemingly) tolerant of it, which shows how open people are. Everyone seemed friendly when we went. The real estate can be ridiculous sometimes though. Depends on what you're looking for.

Sorry, I wasn't really that much help. I just wanted to say that I feel for ya. There's nothing like missing home.

Cheers!

[missingseattle]

Thanks for the quick reply. Actually, its a tavern/bar/pub type of place called the b-line or bspot or something. Quirky - that is the word I was looking for to describe Seattle. Its really less bohemian these days. Distance makes the heart grow fonder I guess. Frankly, life is too short and its time to get over it! I just want to make sure I don't waste anymore time in the wrong area. Thanks again and welcome home!

[Bostonian08]

Originally Posted by missingseattle

After much prodding, I agreed to relocate to the Hudson Valley area (Beacon) with my NE born husband 2.5 years ago. After 2.5 years I still disparately miss Seattle and don't see this diminishing anytime soon. I miss my ridiculously over dramatic mountains ranges, rocky musty shorelines, GOOD coffee, wild salmon, incredible restaurants, eclectic music venues, art and more art and that nagging and permanent bohemian underbelly that lies at the core of Seattle's psyche regardless of how pretentious its gotten in recent years.

We visited Boston last weekend from NY and it was the first time that I felt that comforting sense of familiarity when you feel like your home. We ended up at the B-line (?) in Cambridge after wondering endlessly through the neighborhood after the fireworks. Eureka! I felt like I was sitting in Fremont or Ballard tavern back home. Great beer, great put food, good music, mix of ages and types and when we left I smelled the sea air! Fabulous. Too good to be true?? A visitors dumb luck?

We aren't the ubiquitous urban 30 somethings either, which makes it tough where ever we end up. We are childless, mid-40s, dog lovers, neither ultra hipster nor pedestrian suburban types. Also, we make combined $100-$130k so swankier neighborhoods are out. I love my NE man so I want to make this work but I need some suggestions y'all. Many thanks!

I feel for ya Seattlite! Beacon NY huh? Plum done got stuck in the middle of nowhere, didn't ya? Yup, I can feel your pain.

So ya had a nice trip to Bostonia, eh? B line to Cambridgeside, eh? Well let me tell you...

The only B Line stop in Cambridge is Lechmere. That part of CAM is called Kendall Sq, and frankly it is the most boring part of CAM there is. You haven't even scratched the surface of the interesting parts of Bostonia. There is plenty here. Mountain are 100 miles north but we do have the ocean. Plenty of great restaurants, rich culture, 400 years of history meticulously preserved. The MFA is fabulous, only surpassed in DC or NYC on the East Coast possibly nationwide. We have Harvard, the MFA, MIT, The North End, The Rose kennedy Greenway, The Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the Freedom Trail, The Trolley tours, The South End, JP, The Back Bay Fens, Brookline, Cambridge, beaches, seafood, The 4th of July, First Night, The Symphony, The Marathon, the Sox/Pats/Celts/Bruins. We got Castle Island and Bunker Hill, The waterfront, Boston Common and the Public garden, Newbury St, Boylston St, Mass Ave, Downtown Crossing, the Theatres, Chinatown, Copley Sq, The Top of the Hub, The hatch Shell, the charles River Embankments. We've got the T, the commuter rail, and buses to everywhere. We got Hanover St, the witches of Salem, the Cape, Nantasket, Hampton Beach, Newburyport, Marblehead, Swampscott, the Arboretum, zoos, museums and the aquarium all right on the T and if that's not all enough for you, you can get a bus to NYC for $10.

So what's not to love? Boston is very much a big college campus. The whole city is a campus, so if you come, congratulations, you are now grandparents. Bostonians do not send a welcome wagon, we are polite but harbor a bit of perennial November in us. We have the rudest & most dangerous drivers in the USA. We have the worst street grid in the USA. We have trash and filth, homeless, rats and urine everywhere. More traffic noise than NYC. All this can be yours for no less than $400K for a 2 bdrm in the grittier part of the South End where I live.

If you wanna try it, come rent first. Get a 1 bdrm in the South End or Back Bay. Pay 2k/mnth damn the expense and the storage and the car. Instead, experience the heart of the city. Eat out 4 times a week. Shop at Filenes basement. Stroll on the Charles. See some free concerts at the Hatch Shell. Seafood at Skipjacks, Italian in the northend, Thai at Brown Sugar, Pho at Pho Pasteur, shop on Newbury or Copley, stroll the Garden. Go to the Indian buffets! YUM! Take a course at Harvard's night school. Know the Freedom Trail. Visit Mary Chilton (1570) at the King's Chapel.

Boston is a sophisticated robust European style city. It has many graces, but the one thing you will not find here is the West Coast friendliness. We can provide the Queen's manners, but that also comes with a dose of royal schnobbery, typical of grumpy olde world Northern Europe.

[Cantabridgienne]

Sounds like you were at the B-Side Lounge in Inman Square. Great place. There are several more like it in Cambridge/Somerville (Green Street, Hungry Mother, Highand Kitchen, Bukowskis, for starters). Less so in Boston, it's a different vibe.


Sounds like Cambridge/Somerville might be a good fit for you. I used to live in the Back Bay, but moving to Central Square and then, Davis Square was a MUCH better move for me. I love it on "this side of the river".

[findingmesomeday]

Hello missingseattle. I also miss Seattle. I lived there for about 8 years total, with a break in between to move to Portland.

I was a college student in Boston and returned almost 20 years later. There are some great similarities to the cities and if you can't return "home" to Seattle, I think you'll like Boston. The people are different and the weather is different but Boston is a great city with a vibrant downtown core and colorful, eccentric neighborhoods--much like Seattle.

With your combined income, if you want to rent, there are some great in-city neighborhoods. Jamica Plain (JP), Roslindale (Rozzy) are two that come to mind. Even West Roxbury, though more suburban, is nice. Brookline has some great areas that are urban or "Freemont-y" in feel.

Good luck.

[missingseattle]

thank you everyone for your two cents. I'll make a few trips north and see where it leads me.

Best

[missingseattle]

I don't know what or when or if you still live(d) in Boston but just spent 4 days there and it is far cleaner and much less noisy than NYC. By far! There are more homeless I will agree. Maybe you haven't spent much time in NYC.

[caphillsea77]

I'm a native Bostonian and I lived out in Seattle for 5 years. I moved out there because I felt a strong compatability in Seattle to where I come from. Unfortunately it is hard to remedy what you are missing in Seattle as its stunning location with the hills, mountain views, water, and evergreen tress along with good coffee, the best produce , and salmon are really elements only to be found in the Pacific Northwest. I never really wanted to leave Seattle but my family ties brought me back here and I was disgusted to see all the Dunkin Donuts around here and putrid coffee when I came back.

Boston and Seattle do have similarities as they are both up north, fairly liberal, on the coast and oddly enough both cities have reserved people. But Boston moves at a much faster pace, Seattle is definitely more laid back. There are similarities but I think most of what your missing can only be found back in Seattle.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by caphillsea77

along with good coffee

I was disgusted to see all the Dunkin Donuts around here and putrid coffee when I came back.

It's funny, my girlfriend is also from the Boston area and spent two weeks in Seattle complaining about not liking Starbucks coffee and asking where the h*** the Dunkin Donuts was!