Boston on a Budget (Cambridge, Quincy: sublets, apartment, leases)

[WheresTrot Nixon?]

I'm moving to Boston and looking for a kind of specific neighborhood. I don't have much money and don't expect to have an income more than 4-500/week. I will be looking for a bartending job that I can walk to so it needs to be an area that has bars. At the same time I have had friends that have lived in Mission Hill and bad Dorchester and had issues with break-ins and such (trying to avoid that).

I know I can't afford to be right in Boston (Cambridge, Back Bay) and ideally I would like to be to the West or South of Boston proper for my roommates' commuting. I am really hoping for a $1200/mo. or less 2-bedroom (I know that's really low). And the other thing is I need a place that has at least one off-street parking spot - is that more common to one neighborhood or another or is it just hit or miss from one apartment to another?

I've read a lot of the other posts about people moving to Boston, but it's hard to get a real idea without asking exactly what I'm thinking and I've been around Boston for years, but I don't know a lot about the neighborhoods so I wanted to ask you experts! Thanks.

[Urban Peasant]

I suggest looking at the good parts of Dorchester such as Savin Hill, Shawmut, Ashmont, and Neponset areas. I have passed by a good number of pubs in those parts. These neighborhoods are predominantly Irish if you don't mind that.

[holden125]

Not sure what you mean by west or south of Boston proper (1. Not Back Bay, but a neighborhood within the city, or 2. open to western or southern suburbs).

Within option 1, in addition to the Dorchester areas already named you might want to check out Brighton by Oak Square and Brighton Center and Roslindale Square. If you cast a wider net, downtown Waltham (Main St) or Moody St might work, and parts of Somerville away from the Red Line, like Winter Hill or Union Square, as well.

Off-street parking is hit or miss but kind of rare, especially in the city neighborhoods.

[Cantabridgienne]

I would find a sublet for the time being until you get a job. Just because an area has bars doesn't mean those bars will necessarily hire you and/or give you good shifts.

[WheresTrot Nixon?]

Thanks guys those seem like good places to start. I already have a job I would just be looking for a bar job to supplement my less than ideal income.

And I was thinking West or South of the city as in Brighton, Allston, or Watertown for easy access to rte. 90 because I'll be working in Wellesley. Or Quincy because of its proximity to rte. 93 because I'm pretty sure my roommate will be working in the Braintree area, but like I said I don't really know anything about those places and maybe it's just as easy to commute from areas closer to the center of the city?

But either way I'm going to start checking out those areas of Dorchester and Somerville and see what I can find.

[clevedark]

Oh god I tried tending bar to supplement my day job and I was so exhausted I had to quit (the bartending job). It was an old man bar, but still, yikes, I needed more than four hours of sleep.

Good luck to you, I wish you more energy than I had!

[Cantabridgienne]

Will either of you be taking public transportation to work or will you both be driving? And how long a commute are you both willing to have?

Quincy would be convenient for your roommate, but not at all for you, for example.

[BostonJad]

You should consider the Allston/Brighton neighborhoods for sublets in the Summer.

College students are desperate as they are finished with school and are stuck with leases that last until September, so expect to find good deals...

As for bars, there's no shortage, to give some names...

Kells
White Horse
Wonderbar
Last Drop
Joe's bar
Brighton Beer Garden
Green Briar
The Last Drop
Silhouette
The Draft

Here's the listings


classifieds - craigslist

[WheresTrot Nixon?]

I would prefer to use public transportation but I have a car as a plan B. And public transportation seems to get expensive once you're going farther than the T lines (although between, registrations, inspections, insurance and tolls, perhaps it's negligible).

Also I hadn't considered subletting for the summer to buy some time to find a more permanent place. Is that a good idea from those who have done this? It seems somewhat logical but also seems like it could be a large hassle.

Thanks for all the great advice so far!

[shiver]

Actually, Quincy might work out well for you. The Wollaston and Quincy Center areas of Quincy both have T stops and both have bars nearby. Quincy Center might be a better bet because there are a bunch of bars in a 2-3 block stretch around Hancock Street in that area. (But the T is more expensive once you get to Quincy Center)

You can probably sublet pretty cheap in Allston/Brighton and Mission Hill, but parking may be an issue. Other than that, the main hassle is moving twice and making sure all the utilities are turned on. If you sublet, bring only the essentials. If the tenant is coming back in the Fall though, they may leave you some of their furniture to use. I had a friend who lived in a sublet for the summer and he slept on an aerobed because he didn't want to deal with moving his mattress and bed frame for the short term.