Is Boston Anything Like Philly? I hope not . . . (Cambridge, Somerville: rent, neighborhoods)

[bellaboone]

I live in Philadelphia and I absolutely DETEST it. I feel very trapped here - everyone walks around with a huge Rocky-sized chip on their shoulders ready to punch anyone out for the tiniest thing, and it's so unbelievably filthy here - no one cares anything about the environment they live in.

I want to move to a city that is very liberal, clean, and the people are basically friendly, the environment is respected, etc. I've lived on the West Coast in Seattle and Portland, and while there are a lot of great things about those places, I think they are generally difficult places to live for a variety of reasons. Boston has been suggested to me as a good, liberal alternative. (For some reason, Philly is always described as being a liberal city, but I don't find that at all, and I don't want to fall for it again.)

Can anyone tell me more about Boston - are people friendlier/generally nicer there? Pushy/nasty? Is it the kind of city where you'd see a car slow down and toss a bag of garbage onto the sidewalk? (Yes, actually witnessed this.) Are there certain sections of the city that are more liberal or more conservative?

Thanks.

[MikePRU]

I can tell you the people of Boston have never thrown batteries at Santa Claus. We don't have holding cells in our sports stadiums. Also, our cheese steaks are terrible. Otherwise, I don't really know a enough about Philly to be more helpful.

I'm sure someone who knows more will chime in soon. The people of this forum are a helpful bunch.

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by bellaboone

Is it the kind of city where you'd see a car slow down and toss a bag of garbage onto the sidewalk? (Yes, actually witnessed this.)

I've heard of self-driving cars, but not that!

But seriously, folks. "Portlandia" can be found most cities, though it's easier to turn up - and more extensive - in some than in others, of course. Here where I live it pervades. An example is the incident I pretended to want to create one Sunday at a place where I'd met friends (who drive a car plastered with left-wing/PC stickers) after their UU church service. The restaurant was one of many in the area that tout "sustainable/local" menu selections and strive to hire hipsters. So laughs were guaranteed when I noticed that the napkins at the table were made from bleached paper instead of material that was "recycled with at least 70% post-consumer content." I feigned righteous indignation and an intent to give the server a piece of my mind, before agreeing to "use only one square, like Sheryl Crow does with toilet paper."
Then there's the vegan meal place in my neighborhood where you "go to goof on the clientele, stay for the guilt-free food." Take away the smartphones, the yoga mats, and the conversations littered with the word "like" and very few patrons (or employees) would be left.

If "pushy/nasty" is to be avoided, don't even think about having wheels anyplace in Eastern Massachusetts. In 1998 I decided to not replace my last car after it died - what a smart and sanity-helping move that was! People here treat traffic lights as scenery enhancements and turn signals as optional, cut off fellow drivers at will, lean on their horns at the tiniest provocation, flash their high-beams on the expressway if you're "crawling" at less than 20 over the speed limit in front of them, etc etc etc ad nauseum.
Don't even get me started on the bicyclists...or the joggers "sporting" (haha) their trendy-logo'ed shirts/shorts/shoes in this year's required colors of black and tennis ball green as they charge through throngs of pedestrians on the main streets to show the world how athletic they are. (See also the earlier reference to yoga mats.)

The tens of thousands of post-high-school students who have always helped shape the character and vibe of Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville - and the post-college hipsters who now also do so - are neither friendly nor hostile as a rule. They're oblivious to you. Their ear buds stay firmly in place as they tap away on laptops at Starbucks or whichever coffee shop, or as they mosey down the street with their eyes affixed to their phones. So no worries there. Just try (though it may be a fool's errand) to find a place to live which is removed from their noisy late-night parties.
Old-school Bostonians were clannish and hostile within their clearly-defined ethnic pockets until they got to know you - and if you weren't Caucasian those italicized words weren't a possibility. Starting in the '90s these sorts of people have dropped off in numbers significantly. Whether pushed out by gentrification, voluntarily relocated to a warmer climate or to suburbia, or dead, there are fewer persons who instinctively hate you for being an "outsider" all the time. But some rules still hold true. As in NYC, one does not so much as say hello to a stranger who passes by on the sidewalk. Showing up on a friend's doorstep or in the lobby of their building without calling, preferably days in advance, is a major no-no. Don't expect to be welcomed into a new acquaintance's life during your first conversation because it ain't gonna happen. Some folks take months before they warm to you, if ever. But the important flip side to this is the end result of sincere friendship and caring instead of Southern-style "super niceness" that's phonier than Verizon.

Clean streets? OMG that's a riot!!! You're killin' me!!! LMAO!!!!!

"Are the people in some areas more conservative or liberal than in others?" Uh...isn't that a natural fact?

For mass transit, I'd score "inept-a" and Boston's MBTA about evenly. Most weeks don't end without at least three delayed subways, and buses running off schedule (followed by clusters of as many as four) are par for the course. However, the system is pretty remarkably extensive and "our" commuter rail lines can get you to all kinds of neat places.

To be honest, the saturation level of hipsters and pseudo-jock(ette)s and students (now that the numbers of spoiled "internationals," who uncannily earn admission to all sorts of prestigious schools despite not knowing a word of English, has skyrocketed) is getting to be, you know, un-"sustainable." Ditto for all the gentrification and consequent displacement. Minneapolis is starting to look pretty good. It's said to be a very friendly city with progressive citizens & politicians, CLEAN streets, an affordable cost of living, and....nah. Gotta be a pipe dream. I think the OP was looking at Boston in the same way. Nowhere is heaven except heaven.

[sparklingforest]

You will not like any city in the Northeast. Try Minneapolis. People are polite, well educated, and generally keep their opinions to themselves. As a native Philadelphian and Italian-American I found them emotionally constipated and passive aggressive. You will find them refreshing and down to earth.

[semiurbanite]

According to friends that moved from Minneapolis to Boston this year, Minneapolis has gentrified as much or more than any other city in the last 10 years. I would expect the same hipster takeover and displacement of natives as you find here, possibly even more.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by semiurbanite

According to friends that moved from Minneapolis to Boston this year, Minneapolis has gentrified as much or more than any other city in the last 10 years. I would expect the same hipster takeover and displacement of natives as you find here, possibly even more.

I have an acquaintance that was from that area and moved back to Minneapolis a few years ago. MAJOR hipster.

I can only base my experience with Philly citizens on my trip to the Super Bowl when we played the Eagles and based on that I can say they're a nasty bunch. Bostonians are much friendlier.

[jellybean23]

I am biased, as I am from Boston and think of it as home, but I vastly prefer it over Philly (I lived there for over 4 years). I lived in some of the nicer sections (University City and Center City) and I found those areas to be dirtier/grittier than the nicer parts of Boston. When I lived there, I got used to: scammers coming up to you with a sob story to try to get money, men cat calling, seeing someone steal a bike or literally breaking into a car in front of you, and even occasionally someone peeing on the sidewalk in broad daylight. I never experience this type of thing in Boston (I've lived here far longer than I ever lived in Philly).

The one thing I can give Philly is that cost of living is much lower there. After I moved to Boston, I was immediately paying double in rent for basically the same thing. You can live in Rittenhouse for a fraction of the cost of living in the Back Bay here. You could move up here for nicer people and cleaner streets but if you end up in a less desirable area, you may find yourself missing Philly. Honestly I'd come up and take a visit and see what you think. I do think Boston is both similar and superior to Philly, but that's just one person's opinion.

Btw, yes you can absolutely see someone throw garbage out a car here, but it's less likely to happen in certain neighborhoods. That's true in Philly too though.

[Guineas]

If you don't like Philly, odds are good you won't like Boston either. People in Boston are just as pushy and angry all the time. Just look at our drivers. Boston is also a lot more expensive than Philly, so for the same budget, you're going to live in much more meager housing. There's something about living in close quarters, paying over $2000/mo in rent for mediocre housing, sitting in traffic on 93 or waiting for the T that brings out the jackass in everyone.

[missionhill]

Yeah, I doubt Boston would seem all that different from Philadelphia, at least to you. Consider moving to another part of the city. Everybody with a chip and ready to throw a punch? Where the heck are you anyway? What about Old City, Northern Liberties-- cool, young, hip, no chip. Or Chestnut Hill-Germantown-- green, beautiful, integrated in some parts. Manayunk? Or out to Ardmore or Haverford with the swells!

[scratchie]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Also, our cheese steaks are terrible.

Bite your tongue. They're "steak and cheese" and they're awesome.