Found a Place in Boston/Newton! (Cambridge, Waltham: apartments, rentals, house)

[Stockholmaren]

So my wife and I went to Boston this past Wednesday to do our in-person apartment hunt. I believe we looked at close to 20 different apartments in Brookline, Brighton, Allston, Cambridge, and Newton. We found a few good ones that were available for August, and we decided on a spacious 1-bedroom apartment in Newton. It's the first floor of a three-story multi-family house, but it seemed to be a quite safe and quiet neighborhood close to the Charles River, so it didn't worry us too much.

It's a big relief to finally know where we will be moving to so we can start our moving plans. Newton is a bit further out and not that much is happening there, but there are good bus lines to where I need to go (BU) and the apartment has the room needed for my wife to set up her office and everything.

We're really excited about the move, and we look forward to coming to MA in August. If anybody has any tips/insight on what there is to do in Newton as far as recreation such as parks, bike trails, libraries, etc., we would love to hear it.

Massachusetts here we come!!!

[ChunkyMonkey]

Sorry not to familiar with Metro West. However, when you get a chance, you should canoe on the Ipswich River and get to Crane's beach. As for places near you, you should search at these sites:
Welcome! - The Trustees of Reservations
Welcome to Mass Audubon!

Välkomna till Boston. Jag hoppas ni ska har en roligt tid.

[baystater]

Welcome to newton and welcome to Massachusetts.

Here's a link to an area park I have visited before. The link also has other parks in Newton.

Newton Conservators - Cold Spring Park

P.S. Newton is one of the safest towns in the U.S.

[maggiekate]

you did pick a great place. I do hope it works. Boston etc., is Great

[Stockholmaren]

Thank you for the warm welcome! We certainly are very excited about the move even though we have to work through the logistics of a long-distance move, pets, and timing.

I appreciate the links, and if you have any more, feel free to post. I found that there is a bike path at the Charles River that runs all the way from Newton to downtown Boston, so we'll be sure to utilize that. We also heard about the safety of Newton, so that's good news.

[Parsec]

If you're on the Newton side of the Charles, you probably live less than a mile from me and very close to the bus terminal in Watertown. The only problem w/the 1st floor of a house in this area is, if the 2nd floor has hardwoods, you'll hear every step your neighbors make. It drove us nuts the first few months, but we're starting to get used to all the noise both in the house and outside. I guess you're from a pretty big metro area if you think Newton has nothing to do. This place is very urban in my suburban-opinion. That trail you talked about which takes you into Boston -- you can also take it west all the way out to I-495. There's a lot of trails like that criss-crossing all over the Boston area -- a real biker's dream.

There are several libraries in Newton, but the main branch in Newton Centre is the only one open 7 days a week -- it's very nice and has everything you could want. Besides the regular books and magazines, they also have a large collection of CDs, DVDs, comic books, etc.. (A free Blockbuster!) Less than a mile from the library is Cold Spring Park, which has some walking trails and sports fields. For all your dining needs, Newton Centre has a lot of ethnic restaurants -- American, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Mexican (and probably more which I haven't tried yet). Around your area (Nonantum, right?) there are a lot of good Italian restaurants.

For shopping, you're pretty close to the Watertown Mall and Arsenal Mall which are right across the street from each other. If they seem a little run down for your tastes, you can go to the Mall at Chestnut Hill or The Atrium which are on the Newton/Brookline border and also across the street from each other on Rt-9.

[Stockholmaren]

Yes, we'll be about a half mile from the Watertown bus terminal so pretty close indeed. I know our floor had carpet except for the kitchen, so hopefully the noise from upstairs won't be that bad, but something we'll have to get adjusted to in case it is loud. I guess what I meant to say is that Newton doesn't really have a lot of student activites/night clubs like the more central part of the Boston area, but I'm positive that there are a lot of things to do. We like the fact that it's more quiet, especially since my wife will be working from home.
I'll have to try and find some bike maps to see all the places you can go by bike, so we're excited about that. Newton Centre isn't too far from we are either so that will be nice!

[Parsec]

Originally Posted by Stockholmaren

Yes, we'll be about a half mile from the Watertown bus terminal so pretty close indeed. I know our floor had carpet except for the kitchen, so hopefully the noise from upstairs won't be that bad, but something we'll have to get adjusted to in case it is loud. I guess what I meant to say is that Newton doesn't really have a lot of student activites/night clubs like the more central part of the Boston area, but I'm positive that there are a lot of things to do. We like the fact that it's more quiet, especially since my wife will be working from home.
I'll have to try and find some bike maps to see all the places you can go by bike, so we're excited about that. Newton Centre isn't too far from we are either so that will be nice!

The Newton Library (main branch) has bike maps on the 1st floor at the end of the reference section.

[brightdoglover]

Newton is a fantastic town, lots of culture and education, and supremely safe. There is the West Newton Cinema, a sort of art cinema, and also runs quality films for kids, if that's of interest. Newton Center has several excellent restaurants. It's a very urbane area, and not a student mecca, like Allston-Brighton (I didn't want to live there when I was 20!) There is a strong Jewish presence, schools, temples, theater, lectures, if that's of interest. It's a great town and you'll likely be a lot happier riding the green line to BU and living in an urbane environment. Good luck!

[NY'er lost in MA]

check out Newton Center and Waltham for nightlife. Besides that, Newton can actually be pretty sleepy. I'm from NY, so naturally I was dumbfounded trying to get some food or gas for the car at night- the town shuts down! But living in a quiet area isn't really a bad thing.

For a great activity, try kayaking near the Marriott in Auburndale- they have rentals there.

Good luck and welcome.