Commuting from Lexington or Concord

[brightdoglover]

I haven't looked around lately, but would hope you could get a small house in Brookline. It wouldn't be the suburban 4/2.5, but it would be a great location.
I hear you about the kids and dog- I left the city just to have a house so I could have dogs, and a beagle will trump kid noise every time.

[ogre]

If Brookline sounds appealing except for housing costs, you might take a closer look at Newton. Newton is expensive, but not quite to the degree that Brookline is. While not quite on the fringe of city living that parts of Brookline are, Newton still has several good-sized commercial districts with some eclectic shopping and dining venues. The schools there are generally regarded as excellent, and there is public transit access to Boston. Here are maps of the subway/light rail and commuter rail systems, both of which serve Newton:

Subway/light rail: MBTA Subway 'The 'T' > Maps, Schedules, and Fare Information for the Boston Area Subway System
Commuter rail: MBTA.com > Commuter Rail Maps and Schedules.

For the subway/light rail, the green line's D branch and the very end of the B branch serve Newton. The maps above should help give you an idea which areas within Newton have service from either of these modes of transit.

The question of which mode of transit from Newton is better can involve a bit of a tradeoff, depending on the time of the commute. The commuter trains inbound toward Boston don't stop anywhere in Newton through most of the afternoon and evening, so living in a neighborhood served by commuter rail would not work if the commute would involve going into Boston during those times. Even during those times when the trains stop in Newton, there are gaps of as much as a couple of hours outside of peak commuting times. If we're talking about a typical morning commute, then back out in the late afternoon or early evening, commuter rail would work fine as far as the schedule, and would be a convenient ride, as the trains go directly to South Station. The green line can be kind of slow, and the commute is a little inconvenient because it would involve a transfer to reach your husband's work, but trains on the green line run much more often than commuter trains.

[RC1981]

Just FYI, as far as cost goes, Lexington will be a much cheaper commute. A link pass for the T is $60 per month and includes unlimited bus and subway rides, as opposed to a monthly pass for the Concord commuter rail, which will be a Zone 5 pass that goes for $210/month. Food for thought.

[VTLiving]

Thanks all! I actually grew up in West Roxbury so I am very familiar (as much as someone who lived there till age 18 can be) with parts of Brookline, Newton and Chestnut Hill. I am less familiar with the farther out suburbs, like Concord and Lexington. But my dad, who drives around alot for his job, has said if he was going to move he would pick Newton. So I am definitely looking there too. I guess its a matter of where we can find a suitable house in our budget.

[Cato the Elder]

Originally Posted by RC1981

Just FYI, as far as cost goes, Lexington will be a much cheaper commute. A link pass for the T is $60 per month and includes unlimited bus and subway rides, as opposed to a monthly pass for the Concord commuter rail, which will be a Zone 5 pass that goes for $210/month. Food for thought.

Either way, know that many businesses offer pre-tax payroll deduction purchases of passes. Something to consider if you move to Newton and take commuter rail or the Slow, er, I mean Green Line.

[RC1981]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

Either way, know that many businesses offer pre-tax payroll deduction purchases of passes. Something to consider if you move to Newton and take commuter rail or the Slow, er, I mean Green Line.

Also they have the express buses in Newton and Waltham that are big convenience. They zip right down the mass pike and go (literally) to the dead center of the Financial District, and there's lots of them so the schedule isn't so crazy rigid in the morning like it is with commuter rail. If you miss the commuter rail in the morning you're pretty much screwed, but if you miss the express bus it doesn't matter because there'll probably be another one in 5 minutes.

[mephie]

Originally Posted by VTLiving

We are relocating to Boston in a year or so and I am just looking at different suburbs and trying to get a feel for places.

I've heard good things about Lexington and Concord. My husband would be commuting into downtown Boston. So it looks like Concord has a commuter rail going right to N. Station. So that seems easy enough. I googled a little about Lexington and there it seems like you would take a bus to Alewife and then the red line into downtown...can anyone tell me about that commute? Lexington is inside of 128 so closer to Boston. Is the bus/redline commute pretty quick?

Bus service in Lexington may be radically different by the time you are here (look into the MBTA restructuring efforts).

The red line is very quick. The bus is variable.

Where in Boston is he working? Will he have access to parking in Boston?

[VTLiving]

I dont know if he will have access to parking. But the office is in the financial district (post office sq) and I dont think he wants to bother with driving into downtown Boston on a daily basis. So we are planning on using public transportation for his commute.

I like the idea of the express buses!