Best Place for temporary living for work south of Cambridge Reservoir (Sylvan Rd, Waltham, MA( (Boston: apartment complexes, rentals)

[thomasedgar]

I'm starting an IT contract position just south of the Cambridge Reservoir (Sylvan Rd, Waltham). I (50-something male/grandpa) will be coming from out of state, so I am trying to get the lay of the land. Some soft requirements include:

- reasonable commute
- reasonable to economical rent/lodging
- ability to ride either hybrid or mountain bike (OK to drive to park/trail system)
- reasonable access to decent/good food (not fast food, please)

Bonus requirements (or don't look a gift horse in the mouth)
- ability to commute to work via bicycle (trail system would be way cool)
- ability to hook up with biking/hiking people (probably via meetup groups/sites)

Your suggestions are much appreciated.

[kingeorge]

I would think that Waltham would be best. Reasonable cost? I am not sure what would be deemed reasonable. This is very expensive area. There are plenty of bike trails and green spaces to enjoy. Riding bike to work will depend on how close by and if one can use back roads, although with winter approaching it is not always easy to use bike all the time.

This is smack in the one of the most expensive, but also more beautiful areas in Boston Metro with plenty to do, and many biking/hiking opportunities and people, including some great restaurants and farmers markets. I am just not sure of the budget, and where is the best to look for an apartment.

Rule of the thumb: private rentals in two or three family homes are less expensive than corporate, big type of apartment complexes which are present in Waltham as well.

Downtown Waltham has couple of nice places to eat. Lexington downtown is very nice and upscale. Lincoln and Weston are two of the most expensive leafy and sleepy residential towns in MA.

Good luck!

[SoFresh99]

Is the contract long enough to sign a lease? I also vote Waltham however something always seems off to me when I see these types of posts because I know that there is plenty of local talent to contract with over someone relocating from out of state. That says to me that you are probably working for wages below local market rates and may have a hard time paying rent without 3 roommates in this expensive area. Or I'm completely wrong and you have a rareified skill set and you are travelling in to make buckets of money. Either way I vote Waltham.

[thomasedgar]

Thank you Kingeorge! I appreciate the prompt reply.

[thomasedgar]

@SofFresh99, I'm struggling on how to reply to your mixed message. Of course I appreciate your vote for Waltham. On the other hand, I am conflicted about the insinuation that I may be coming in below market labor rates. I'm not sure why you chose to interject that into your response. Really, it doesn't have to be 'a rareified skill' - but I do tend to do well in the consulting/contracting world with 30 years in the business. Regardless, thanks for the vote.

[dravogadro]

Originally Posted by thomasedgar

I'm starting an IT contract position just south of the Cambridge Reservoir (Sylvan Rd, Waltham). I (50-something male/grandpa) will be coming from out of state, so I am trying to get the lay of the land. Some soft requirements include:

- reasonable commute
- reasonable to economical rent/lodging
- ability to ride either hybrid or mountain bike (OK to drive to park/trail system)
- reasonable access to decent/good food (not fast food, please)

Bonus requirements (or don't look a gift horse in the mouth)
- ability to commute to work via bicycle (trail system would be way cool)
- ability to hook up with biking/hiking people (probably via meetup groups/sites)

Your suggestions are much appreciated.

Hi Thomas --

I think the suggestion of Waltham is great. I think there is a local meetup group that is pretty causal about MTB riding; I haven't checked them out yet. You will have multiple choices for trail riding including paved trails in Prospect Hill Park, the Charles River path that leads to Boston and dirt trails in Beaver Brook and surrounding Western Greenway. You can check out Waltham Land Trust for maps.

The food is great. There are some great choices in town.

That area of 128 around Totten Pond Rd is very hilly. There might be long-term hotel housing in that immediate area but am otherwise unsure. While not impossible, it is difficult to bike in that area because the roads are 4 lanes wide. I think there is a sidewalk on the south side of Winter Street but you need to be cautious of drivers not looking for you.

I think it would be ideal to live on the south side and ride north in the AM (you can cut through Prospect Hill Park) if it worked out.

[thomasedgar]

@dravogrado, Thanks a million. I am starting to get a good picture from these responses. It is very helpful. I am from Rochester, Michigan area where we have many trail systems. In my last gig, I rode 12 miles each way via a converted trail-to-rail system. Clearly, setting up camp as close to work is ideal, when it is located in a desirable area. In another position in Sarasota, Florida, I first stayed at a beach resort (Helmsley Sandcastle - so, so - but great pool for laps), then picked up a vacation rental across the street. I'll pay a premium for a positive experience. Time permitting, I want to try to locate a couple of long-lost friends from my stint as a medical corpsman in the Panama Canal.

Again, this is much appreciated and is helping me feel more comfortable about the transition. Maybe once I settle in, I will post a 'coffee on me' meetup at one of the local roasters/coffee shops nearby as a small token of my appreciation (I don't see any icon for directly mailing respondents - maybe 'grayed out').

[495neighbor]

Have you checked out the AirNB site?

[thomasedgar]

@ 495neighbor, I just took a quick look - plenty of rentals in Waltham. I recall coming across the site in the past, but hadn't taken a look. It looks promising. It looks better than what craigslist may have for similar places.

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Waltham--MA ... and ... Airbnb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'll comb the site, but I may wait to until I get there to further check out some of these. I will probably stay at a local hotel (e.g., Marriott), then check out the longer-term places in person.

Thanks again!

[johngolf]

Look at a map of Waltham. Draw a line up Bacon St from Main St and a line up Lexington St from Main St. They will join at Piety Corner. Continue the line up Lexington St to the Lexington town line. If you live within 1/2 mile of those lines, the commute to Sylvan St will be easily doable. Via car even with bad traffic no more then then 30 minutes and with light traffic maybe only 15 minutes. I am not a bicycler, but the commute could be done on a bicycle if the weather permits.

The area I outlined ranges from blue collar to upmarket and is a very safe area.