Work at Natick, should I live in Boston? (Cambridge, Newton: apartment, rental)

[Tiramisiu]

Thanks in advance for everyone's help !!

I'm considering getting a job at Natick. Work is 2 miles from the Commuter Rail station at Natick. I'm looking to rent a place (share with roommates) somewhere between Natick and Boston. I would like my place to situate at a neighborhood that is relatively safe, young demographic, lots of social events/chances to meet new friends, lots coffee bars, with climbing gym and salsa dancing places.

I'm 29 and currently living in Los Angeles. My questions are:
- Should I live around Natick? Is it an easy place to make friends?
- If I live around Newton, Allston, Brookline, do I need a car to go to work and to go out at night (for gym, or dancing?)
- Is the commuter rail reliable?

I have lived in S.F. where public transportation is semi efficient. If I can, I rather take the commuter rail to work at Natick and leave my car in L.A.

Thanks so much for you help. Looking forward to hear from you all

[nate14ri]

your going to walk 2 miles each way to work from the commuterail? i'd bring your car. Also living in boston and driving to natick is not fun during rush hour. Maybe consider Waltham, Watertown area?

[holden125]

Originally Posted by nate14ri

your going to walk 2 miles each way to work from the commuterail? i'd bring your car. Also living in boston and driving to natick is not fun during rush hour. Maybe consider Waltham, Watertown area?

I wouldn't look in Natick itself. It's a fairly sleepy suburban town and more oriented to families than 20-somethings.

I don't think the commuter rail would work since it's 2 miles away and there's no easy or quick way to get from the Natick station to your workplace. Unless you pick up the train in Newton, you also have to be near Back Bay or South Stations or you'll lose too much time just getting to the train and then it's 40 mins to Natick plus the time from the Natick station to work. The outbound trains are not that frequent in the morning either.

Fortunately, I don't think it's that bad getting from Boston to Natick by car in the morning but it depends largely on where in Boston. You have to get on the Mass Pike, so I'd suggest Brighton Center or Oak Square in Brighton. Easy access to the Mass Pike in Allston or, preferably, Newton Corner, some relatively reasonable rents, easy parking in most places, and decent nightlife (not sure about salsa but it's not that far away). A good number of grad students and young professionals.

A place like Jamaica Plain or parts of Dorchester, on the other hand, would double the commute time since you'd have to navigate the streets for a while before getting to the Pike.

If you live in Brookline along Beacon St or the D line it's pretty easy to get to Boston without a car. But you'd still need one to get to work, and Brookline doesn't allow parking on the street overnight, so you'd have to pay $200 or so for a private spot. They are not always easy to get all that close to your apartment. There are places in Newton that have Green line (D) access to Boston and are very nice, but Newton is generally quiet and you'd mostly have to go elsewhere to go out.

I'd suggest looking for a place with a relatively easy drive to Natick for work and decent access to downtown for going out, plus a good range of immediate nightlife options, and that leads me to Brighton Center and Oak Square.

I know Watertown and Waltham well and I'd say they're great for locals but probably too townie and quiet for a transplant from California.

Good luck

[xS☺B☺s]

I agree with Holden. Natick is no night life, car dependent, bedroom community. Walking 2 miles is not such a great idea in January particularly when it's below zero. Driving from Boston to Natick should be reasonable since you would be going against the flow of traffic. I did that for 15 years living in Fenway & the South End.

I recommend Back Bay, Fenway, Brookline, Allston, Brighton, Beacon Hill. Any one of those communities could get you on the Pike easily right to work. They are all full of city life, very very nice. Just don't expect a whole lot of living space in Boston. Studio 700 Sq feet for $900 would be considered a good deal.

One last thing to mention. If you workplace happens to be on an easy connecting bus in Natick, you might be able to go car free. check mbta.com to see if it's doable. You can call them too.

Photo Thread: Back Bay, Beacon, Downtown, Chinatown

http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/11f5694562174c7fa41e069ab43b75575g.jpg (broken link)
Newbury St, Back Bay

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

One last thing to mention. If you workplace happens to be on an easy connecting bus in Natick, you might be able to go car free. check mbta.com to see if it's doable. You can call them too.

Given the time it takes to get from Boston out to Natick on the train and then waiting for the bus, etc. I think it would take too long and would get old quick. From Brighton I made it out to Natick in about 25 mins. by car. I'd put it at at least double that going out on the T, even if there's a bus that goes right there.

[xS☺B☺s]

Originally Posted by holden125

Given the time it takes to get from Boston out to Natick on the train and then waiting for the bus, etc. I think it would take too long and would get old quick. From Brighton I made it out to Natick in about 25 mins. by car. I'd put it at at least double that going out on the T, even if there's a bus that goes right there.

Agreed. The OP may however really want to not deal with the car. That said, I would also probably advise to use the car to go from downtown to Natick. Especially during the deep freeze or the wet raw seasons. And chances are high in Natick there will be no bus service convenient to where the OP will work.

[Tiramisiu]

There is a bus from the commuter rail from the station to work, but will take up too much too.
Thank you so much for all the inputs.

I'll look into Brighton Center and Oak square per your suggestion, Holden. Can you tell me more about Watertown and Waltham just so I'll have more options? Thanks

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Tiramisiu

There is a bus from the commuter rail from the station to work, but will take up too much too.
Thank you so much for all the inputs.

I'll look into Brighton Center and Oak square per your suggestion, Holden. Can you tell me more about Watertown and Waltham just so I'll have more options? Thanks

Sure. Waltham is closer to Natick but between the two I'd take Watertown. Watertown is just west of Cambridge on the north side of the Charles River from Brighton and northeastern Newton. There are a couple of bus lines that get to Harvard Square pretty quickly. A lot of Watertown is 2- or 3-family houses. Particularly by Watertown Sq. (Mt. Auburn meets Main St and Arsenal), it's pretty easy to get to the Mass. Pike.

It's cheaper, and the places will be more spacious, than in the Boston proper areas such as Beacon Hill/the Back Bay/the South End/Fenway-Kenmore, and cheaper than Brookline. A bit cheaper than Brighton. There are some areas that are nice in a quiet residential sort of way, and others that are a little uglier. Typical Watertown rental houses:





I think if you're a grad student at Harvard or MIT looking for a less crowded and cheaper alternative to Cambridge, or a young family type of person who doesn't go out as much (what's happened to me in the past 5 years or so), it has a lot of positives. But the small number of bars and restaurants you'll find in Watertown itself tend to be filled with longtime locals and do not afford much social interaction. It is, however, close to Cambridge and Brighton and not so far from Boston proper.

Waltham is just west of Watertown and north of Newton. It's a mixed bag. Parts are very suburban and nice in a suburban way, but don't seem to match what you're looking for. Downtown Waltham (Main St and Moody St) is not bad. It's somewhat densely populated, much more so than the part of Waltham near Lexington. There are bars and restaurants there but, again, a very longtime local vibe in many of them (though some Moody St places may be exceptions). Waltham is in general a very tight-knit blue-collar town with a large Italian population and a growing Latino population. I don't think it's so scary myself, but people have said some areas of Waltham are a little sketchy with crime, including some of the side streets near Moody.

Moody St. and random Waltham houses:

[Tiramisiu]

Thank you very much for all the inputs.