Marblehead commute

[capecodcathy]

I commuted from Salem for several years. Commuter rail was the best bet. Get on the train, read, nap, whatever. Wonderland is fine (I lived near there and commuted daily) but why drive that far, deal with traffic on 1A, just to get to a train? Save the gas and aggravation.

[DreamworksSKG]

There are a few commute options you could do.

1.) There is a morning and evening express bus from downtown boston to Marblehead via MBTA

it doesnt run frequently tho is mostly for AM and PM commuting

INBOUND SCHEDULE
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Bus > 449 - Marblehead - Downtown Crossing via Paradise Rd. or Humphrey St., Lynnway, & Airport

OUTBOUND SCHEDULE
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Bus > 449 - Marblehead - Downtown Crossing via Paradise Rd. or Humphrey St., Lynnway, & Airport

ROUTE MAP - MARBLEHEAD - DOWNTOWN CROSSING COMMUTING ROUTE BUS
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Do...441-449map.pdf

There's a more frequent MBTA Bus #441 that goes from Marblehead to the Haymarket (Downtown) bus depot
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Bus > 441 - Marblehead - Haymarket, Downtown Crossing or Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn & Lynnway
(Connections to Orange-Green lines)
(or walk)

ROUTE 442 also goes to Wonderland - and Haymarket (Downtown Boston) from Marblehead
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Bus > 442 - Marblehead - Haymarket, Downtown Crossing or Wonderland via Central Square, Lynn & Lynnway

RUOTE 442 Bus map
http://www.mbta.com/uploadedFiles/Do...441-449map.pdf

ROUTE 448 - marblehead - Downtown Crossing
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Bus > 448 - Marblehead - Downtown Crossing via Paradise Rd.or Humphrey St., Lynnway, & Airport
AM-PM EXPRESS ROUTE

Salem T station into North Station Boston has 340 parking spaces but they most likely fill up quickly and you'd have to arrive early or have someone drop you off at the T in the morning! But it'd be doable.
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Commuter Rail > Salem

There are several trips a day through Salem from north Station with connections to Green and orange lines.

Location on map in relation to Marblehead
42.523927,-70.898903 - Google Maps

Also if you purchase a boat or a sailboat in good weather you could rent a marina space downtown somewhere near a "T" station or within walking distance to downtown and "boat' to work!!!! I bet a lot of people in marblhead do that. =)

If you dont mind paying $22 round trip there is also a high speed catamaran from Salem -Boston
for a change of pace on a nice day might be fun!
the boats operate from Spring to Fall
The Salem Ferry
Might be fun for a change of pace once in awhile

The only other options if you don't mind driving a bit, would be to
drive down Humphry St. 129 South to 1A South
along Lynn Shore Drive, then go 1A to the Wonderland T Station (BLue Line)

Would be about 20-30 minute drive to Wonderland +/- traffic light cycle delays. Sometimes there's a lot of traffic sometimes not, it depends on the day, weather, etc.

Also get the Arrow Map Guide to Eastern Mass. available at Barnes and Noble and Borders, it offers great shortcuts and you can use a highlighter and highlight any you find great to navigate around traffic tie ups :0

LYNN MBTA Station Commuter rail has 985 parking spaces and might be another option
MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Commuter Rail > Lynn

129 South Humphry St. to Lynn Shore Drive to Market St. and you're there.

Anyway these are your options for living in Marblehead and commuting to Boston. I would not recommending driving farther than Wonderland T Station.

------------------------------

The Town of Marblehead is beautiful and close to the tourist area of Salem.
Also short drive to Cape Ann - Gloucester, Rockport and the NH/MA Seacoast, Ipswich/Newburyport, Salisbury Beach etc. Hampton BEach NH etc.

there are some great areas to walk and jog like the Marblehead Neck and some great town beaches like Devereaux Beach

The Cove is quite beautiful especially at sunset and there's a beautiful
park with a lighthouse at the tip of marblehead neck great to bring dogs to and for photographs. or to watch boats and such.
(Chandler Hovey park)
Marblehead MA - Official Website - Parks, Playgrounds, Beaches and Trails

Crocker park is another hidden gem as is the Old Burial Hill/ground and fountain park all have great hidden views of the ocean and marblehead

Marblehead Lighthouse
Marblehead Lighthouse Guide

Also Marblehead has one of the best Firework displays at the Fourth of July
Marblehead Fireworks 2007

The Landing is a popular seafood restaurant. Its great (I've been there)
The Landing Restaurant
Right on the water. on Front St.

There is an old Fort Fort Sewall just down the street from The Landing on Front St.
Its a historic landmark and old Civil war fort.

The Town is quite beautiful and great for photographs. it looks like an old sea captain town downtown you feel like you're transported back in time. And hard to believe you're only about 15 miles from Boston.

Old Burial Hill Marblehead MA
Old Burial Hill

Crocker Park Review
Crocker Park - Marblehead, MA

There's also a nice bed and breakfast your family can stay in when they visit
You can stay in an old castle house
Herreshoff Castle bed and breakfast - Marblehead, Massachusetts. Marblehead Bed and Breakfast Inns.

All in all its a great place!

Fort Sewall
Front St. Marblehead
Fort Sewall, Marblehead, MA : Reviews of Fort Sewall - Yahoo! Travel

[brookliner1]

DreamworksSKG thanks very much for the detailed review - much appreciated!

[SurfersLife]

thanks for all the info, i just hopped on this forum and am in the same boat as Brookliner1, trying to move to a great area like Marblehead, but commuting to Back Bay! We took the drive today (Sunday open house trip) and it was about 35 mins. I am familiar with the lights / lanes to be in, so I can cut it down by a couple of mins by knowing where to be etc. There was little to choose from under 500 - 550k for homes and most don't have a lot of yard space, but we have already been swooned by the town, so we might bite the bullet. "carpool anyone?"

[sue629]

Suggested neighborhoods for you Brookliner- BTW have you considered staying in Brookline? There are some great homes and neighborhoods there and by your name it seems that is where you are located? Good school system and prices are not much higher then Marblehead. What we have here is the beach, and a small town quaint feel but for the money I think you can do as well in Brookline and Newton. If you look at real estate on the web, you will see that anything in Marblehead costing in the 400-500,000 range buys you a small house and more then likely one that needs work. You have to get over and above 550,000 to get any decent sq footage, you still may have to do some work on it to get it up to your liking, but maybe not. You buy in Marblehead for the town, the scenic beauty of it and the amount of family activities it offers, but you don't get a ton for the money. Not to discourage you or anything, just trying to give you the whole picture. You will see that when you start looking.
As for neighborhoods close to Old Town, the areas around and streets leading to Devreux Beach are nice, and further up on Atlantic Ave Greystone area is also nice. Other side of town, there is an area called Peaches Point, which is very beautiful, expensive. The neck in Marblehead beautiful, huge homes quite expensive. Clifton area is not close to old town, but also has some nice areas close to the other beach Preston. the town in general is very nice, you need to come out, drive around and get to see the different areas, unlike what people may think there are some old areas that are not so great, and some homes that need major over hauls. HTH

[brookliner1]

Thanks Sue629. $400-$500k *might* buy you a 900sqft 2BR condo that needs a lot of work in Brookline these days - not a chance to get a home for this kind of money; Newton is only slightly better, but not much. You'd need to be $800k+ for something reasonable with a 5,000 sqft lot.

Not that we are moving purely because of this, but we do like the seaside atmosphere and size/mix Marblehead seems to offer. The only issue is the daily commute into the city, which seems manageable.

[jpnicosia]

I am in the same situation, having to commute into Back Bay. Family with young kids, looking for good family-oriented New England experience. Relocating to the area this Spring / Summer. I would like to live by the water and have spent most of my time considering Marblehead, but also Hingham.

Re: commute from Marblehead....
- Is it difficult to get to the Swampscott station in the morning 730-8am (and back in the evening 6pm ish)? The commute from there looks fine...half hour on the train, then T to back bay. But is getting to the Swampscott station a stress point? Does parking run out? About how long to drive to/from there?
- Would the Lynn station be an option? Is it safe enough?
- It was difficult to tell if 20-30 min to Wonderland was a best case scenario, worse case scenario, or just pretty normal. Any comments there?

Other questions.....
- Any comments on Hingham? I love what I see of both towns but Marblehead seems to offer a bit more home for the money, or maybe that is just based on current inventory.
- The best and yet somewhat affordable commute to Back Bay that has been suggested to me is Melrose b/c of the Orange line being in town. Jump on, and you are there. Not too far from the coast and the access to the city can't be denied. Any thoughts on that town?

[love2driveinct]

Seems like there are some folks on here that know a lot about Marblehead, so I thought I'd ask my question here...

It seems like commuting from Marblehead to just about anywhere can be a little tricky (not that it isn't worth it, lol), but what would you say about commuting from Marblehead to Stoneham?

Thanks.

[Bostonian08]

Originally Posted by jpnicosia

Other questions.....
- Any comments on Hingham? I love what I see of both towns but Marblehead seems to offer a bit more home for the money, or maybe that is just based on current inventory.
- The best and yet somewhat affordable commute to Back Bay that has been suggested to me is Melrose b/c of the Orange line being in town. Jump on, and you are there. Not too far from the coast and the access to the city can't be denied. Any thoughts on that town?

Hingham could be a much easier commute because it has the water ferry. No congestion there. But if you're gonna live in Hingham, why not Hull or Nantasket? They are nicer and Hull has a ferry too.

The other factor is where in Back Bay are you going? If you're talking Copley, then great. If by Back bay you mean Longwood, well the O line doesn't go there - you have to also take the green line.