Please Help (Boston, Dover, Northfield: apartments, rental, insurance)

[Luke29]

Basically, I have decided to move to Boston. My final two choices were Boston and Charlotte, and many factors have led me to choose Boston over Charlotte. However, i am still skeptical about the Boston thing; i mean there's nothing positive on these forums about the city. Sorry, but i am not into that skating, sky diving, walking at the park/outdoors thing. Anyways, here's my profile:

Age: 27
Race: AA
Employment (currently): Financial Analyst with large management consulting co.
Residence (currently): Alexandria, VA (Northern VA - about 8 miles outside downtown DC) - done with lease in Dec.
Earnings: 50K no bonus (yeah, i know, sort of underpaid - but i don't do much either)
Living situation: Renting one bedroom at $ 1200

I guess my question is, would i be able to duplicate anything similar to this? Btw, I only have three yrs of working experience in both, accounting & finance. And ever since i got out of college, my goal was to get out of VA after gaining 3 yrs of exp. Unlike Charlotte where i do not know anybody, I have two cousins in MA - one living in Marlboro and the other in Northfield and also a bunch of friends in Manchester and Dover NH. As for future employment, i am trying to look into Fed for right now. Please advise.

[kmzaxa]

Are you hoping/planning on living right in Boston? If so, you should check out craigslist for an idea of rental prices.

[lrfox]

My experiences have been that Boston can be a bit pricier than Metro Washington (I used to live in Kensington, MD). Alexandria is beautiful and vibrant (especially along King St.) and to duplicate something like that may be tough in Boston at 1200/mo. Your best bet may be to look for something around one of the "Squares" and also located along mass transit line outside of the downtown area. There are others, but Coolidge Corner, Davis Sq., Porter Sq, Washington Square, etc.

the "T" is a bit older feeling than the metro (Especially the Greenline), but the locations I've listed above are a quicker ride into town than the metro is from Alexandria to Washington. I would say check craigslist and other rental services.

I'd say Boston is a better choice than Charlotte (of course, I'm biased) if you're looking for a truly urban experience. Living in Alexandria and near D.C. (both, for the most part, pedestrian friendly), you may take walkability for granted, but if you were in Charlotte you'd surely miss being able to walk everywhere. Most any area in Boston with easy access to the "T" affords you the opportunity to live without a car, and in Boston, you don't want a car. It's colder in Boston than what you're used to, but summers are MUCH more pleasant.

[eevee]

you'll be able to get a 1 bedroom apartment for $1200 in almost any neighborhood in Boston. the only exceptions may be higher end neighborhoods like Beacon Hill and the South End, but if you look carefully, you may even be able to snag a studio for that price in these areas.

given that you're budget is pretty good, I'd suggest looking for a job before anyone starts suggesting neighborhoods, though it's possible you'll be working in the downtown area. also, it would help to know what type of things you like to do in your free time. you don't have to be a skater or sky diver to enjoy Boston (don't know many Bostonians who are both of these things!). are you into clubs? sport bars? theatre? indie movies? indie music? museums?

do you want to live in a primarily black neighborhood (I'll be truthfully honest here: Boston's majority black neighborhoods have some crime issues. most middle class blacks move to more integrated areas, though they do reside in safer pockets of majority black neighborhoods, ie, Fort Hill in Roxbury or Ashmont Hill in Dorchester). do you want to be surrounded by yuppies/buppies, college students (undergrads or grads?), or families? will you have a car or just want to rely on the T?

don't let these forums get you down, there are plenty of positive points about Boston. hopefully you'll have time to visit before making the move, especially if you'll be moving in early '09. if you're moving at this time, you may be able to find some winter bargains w/ apartments, so keep an eye on craigslist and other rental sites. be prepared for the weather, it gets cold in Boston in Jan/Feb!

[Luke29]

Much appreciated for the info - i guess i will provide much more details. I am just an average AA kid; work, TV, Playstation (madden champ), and a lot of booze during fridays and saturdays. Northern VA kinda fits the description for the night life b/c there are so many cities out here close to each other. I am literally about 8 miles outside downtown DC but i rarely step my foot there. As far as living situation when i relocate, i would perhaps squeeze a month with my cousin that lives in Marlboro for about a month (mapquest tells me it's about 28-30 miles from Boston). At my own settling, i would like to live about 10-15 miles outside downtown. I can't do anymore than that, i am not a cabbie person so i like to be able to drive home after my nights of drinking. I know it's risky but hey whatta heck! As for the neighborhood selection, prefer anything but close to all black neighborhoods. And ohh yeah, i gotta have my car. That is a must for me.

[Cantabridgienne]

You like to drive drunk? please don't move here then. I don't want to get killed by some ******* who isn't "a cabbie person". You know, like yourself.

[boston mark]

Originally Posted by jnestorr

i am not a cabbie person so i like to be able to drive home after my nights of drinking. I know it's risky but hey whatta heck!

That is by far the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I agree with Cantabridgienne. Stay in the VA.

[eevee]

I'm going to try to ignore the fact that you're even considering driving drunk through the streets of Boston (blah, I can't even get past this stupid, reckless, immature idea!!! seriously, we have enough drunken idiot undergrads endangering the population, we don't need "adults" from out of state doing the same!). fact of the matter is, Boston is not very car friendly. many of the bars and clubs I went to either don't have parking, or parking is so ridiculously expensive, it wasn't worth bothering with.

frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. the T ends really early and may not hit every single spot in Boston, but it's there, so use it if you're not a "cabbie" person. because I have zero respect for people who knowingly drive drunk through the streets and putting other people's lives in danger

[Luke29]

Man....y'all trippin. I mean damn, just b/c one had three to four beers - they necessarily have to catch metro or cab home. Too many moral values over there. Is this where some church HQ is? Of course nobody with their reasonable mind is gonna be driving after 5-6 hrs of drinking. I just don't think it hurts if it's 3-4 drinks. Beside, my whole point is i just can't live w/o a car.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by jnestorr

Man....y'all trippin. I mean damn, just b/c one had three to four beers - they necessarily have to catch metro or cab home. Too many moral values over there. Is this where some church HQ is? Of course nobody with their reasonable mind is gonna be driving after 5-6 hrs of drinking. I just don't think it hurts if it's 3-4 drinks. Beside, my whole point is i just can't live w/o a car.

you admit in your post that driving after a night of drinking is risky, then just brush off that risk with a "hey, whatta heck". obviously, people are going to be alarmed by this. if you think there is something even remotely risky in this action, why do it? it has nothing to do with religion, just basic common sense. I see nothing wrong w/ a moral value that says that drinking and driving is bad (though, again, it's less of a moral value and more of a common sense thing).

again, Boston is not a car friendly city. you may be able to find and apartment w/ off street parking in some neighborhoods, but you'll never find free parking downtown, and it will be hard as hell to find free parking in many areas where popular bars and clubs are located. you're going to be paying a heavy premium if you insist on having a car in the city (especially if you insist on driving to work and work downtown. I don't even want to calculate how much it will cost to park downtown!) and that premium will make your initial budget of $1200 for a 1 bedroom apartment much harder to fulfill. your choices for neighborhoods are much fewer now and will be further away from the downtown core. many people live in Boston w/o a car and make use of the T, cabs, and car sharing programs like ZipCar. if you're dead-set on having a car, you'll need to seriously budget in parking costs, insurance, gas, etc (I know little to nothing about these things since I never drove in Boston, but I think you'll find these things eat quite a chunk away from post tax earnings). not saying it's impossible to live in Boston w/ a car, but you'll have to make sacrifices to keep that car and deal w/ the frustrations w/ driving in a cramped, congested city like Boston

live in Boston for a while and you'll find people either give up the "I can't live without my car!" mentality many people from the South/West coast, or become miserable about how anti-car Boston can get (not as bad as NYC, but not that far off)