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I am considering a move from Cambridge (Harvard Square) to great town of Marblehead, Mass. Since my job will stay in Harvard Square, I realize that I will have to make a daily commute. Before I start looking for houses in Mablehead, I’m hoping for some input from folks who commute to Cambridge. Any challenges? How is the winter commute like?
I commuted from Marblehead to DT Boston for a couple years. It's not easy. Traffic starts to get backed up on 129 in Swampscott, and continues all the way down the Lynnway to 1A in Revere and into town. Some days I took the 449 bus all the way in. Sometimes I took the 449 to Wonderland. Every now and then I drove all the way in to the lots by the Fed Court house. It didn't matter, it was an hour plus everyday. And you could add another 45 easy if it snowed. The guy who lived upstairs from me took the Commuter rail from Swampscott in town. I never tried that.
Marblehead maintains it's charm because it's not easy to get into, or out of.
I am somewhat concerned about the commute especially since I’m working over in Cambridge, which is another leg from DT Boston. Driving in daily would not be an option, so do you know if there might be car pool into Boston?
I don’t mind an hour plus commute as long as I’m not driving and it’s not horrendous (too many transfers between rail -> bus, bad traffic).
I love being in Marblehead, the proximity to the water, the safe neighborhoods, and the community feel.
Marblehead is a great town. Once you're there, you have everything you need at your doorstep. It's the getting into and out of town that can be difficult.
I don't know of any carpools off hand, but wouldn't be surprised if there were. It's certainly a white collar community. Hopefully someone else can chime in here for you.
You’re absolutely right. If I didn’t have to come into work, I wouldn’t even question buying a place over there. Unfortunately my employer has cut back on the flex schedules, which would have been great (working 4 days).
I imagine it would be great to be a writer or an independent investment person and live in town. With everything close by I can’t imagine leaving the place.
If there's backups or accidents or poor weather 128-93 into Cambridge would be a nightmare. probably 1 -2 hours ---depending on the situation--
normally it'd be about 50-60 min without traffic from Marblehead. -
it takes me 40 to get to Marblehead from Winchester if i'm haulin' at 75-80 mph
A better non highway route to Cambridge might be
Tadesco St. - to Vinnin St. to Loring ave. - Essex St.
R on Chestnut St in Lynn -
L on Parkland Ave by the Lynn Woods.
L on Myrtle St.
R on Boston St. which becomes Lincoln Ave.
At the Junction with Essex St. R on Essex St.
follow Essex to 1 S outh
and then jump quickly onto 99 South (broadway)
Follow 99 (broadway) south into Sullivan Square
and then Straight on Washington St. into Somerville-Cambridge at Sullivan Square
Turn R on Somerville AVe and then Quick Left onto Washington St. into Harvard Square
if you follow along Google maps -
there are many less trafficy side roads you can use too between the major streets once you learn them
do test drives and such and see which routes are less stressful and work for you
----
Another option woudl be 107 S (the Salem Turnpike)
L onto Park Ave. in Revere
Which becomes Elm St. and then R on Ferry St.
and then left on 99 South (Broadway ) to Sullivan Square to Washington St. into Cambridge
This one might actually be quicker for you
Definitely learn the side streets you can cut through and such in case you run into traffic or just dont want to go on the busier roads
there's a great map book you can buy called Arrow Map guide to Eastern Mass. from Barnes and Noble you might be able to get a deal at amazon.com
it has all the side-roads and is fairly accurate. Use a highlighter to highlight routes and such to and from work and around the area. once you find them so you'll remember them
Use different colors. One for work routes, one for local area routes etc
Correct route- Marblehead-Cambridge via 99 (Broadway)
Crap I reversed my directions up
that should be Salem Turnpike 107 South
to R on Park Ave in revere which turns into Elm St.
R on Ferry St. and
L on 99 South (broadway) through Everett. Chelsea to Boston
this way you also avoid the tolls and backups on 93 and the route 1 tobin bridge
there's a McDonalds Drive through off 99 in Everett if you need something quick for breakfast
then at Sullivan Square go straight through on Washington St.
Quick L on Somerville Ave. then Quick L on Washington int o Harvard Sq.
Again learn the shortcut roads and get the arrow map guide and highlight the routes, do test drives of the commute on Sunday first to learn it and try some shortcuts on quieter side streets. highlight the ones you like -
and then try them again in Rush hour before you move. -
that should be Salem Turnpike 107 South
to R on Park Ave in revere which turns into Elm St.
R on Ferry St. and
L on 99 South (broadway) through Everett. Chelsea to Boston
this way you also avoid the tolls and backups on 93 and the route 1 tobin bridge
there's a McDonalds Drive through off 99 in Everett if you need something quick for breakfast
then at Sullivan Square go straight through on Washington St.
Quick L on Somerville Ave. then Quick L on Washington int o Harvard Sq.
Again learn the shortcut roads and get the arrow map guide and highlight the routes, do test drives of the commute on Sunday first to learn it and try some shortcuts on quieter side streets. highlight the ones you like -
and then try them again in Rush hour before you move. -
Def check out the old burial ground and the view from the top of the hill on the gazebo.
Marblehead has a good beach too Devereaux Beach on the causeway you can get a resident sticker.
the cool thing is you are close to everything in the area. -
and Salem ..Cape Ann etc.
there's commuter rail into Boston in Beverly and Salem
Thanks DreamworksSKG. Very useful directions.
I would probably be looking at the Old Town area of Marblehead, in or near the downtown commercial district. I would like to be within walking distance of all the shops and restaurants in town.
How is Marblehead in the winter in terms of the roads? Community activities? Summer/Fall is beautiful out there but I wanted to see how winter is like.
You are asking about commuting from Marblehead to Cambridge. It is a Long commute but doable. You will be living in a beautiful town so that will make up for some of the inconvenience of commuting. Going from Marblehead to anywhere is a problem, as we are not close to any major highway . However you will have access to the bus that runs from Marblehead to Haymarket and from there I believe you can grab the red line into Cambridge. You will also have access to the commuter rail both in Salem and Swampscott which will take you into North Station, from there you will need to grab the T to get to Cambridge. or you can go to Wonderland and grab the T from there. So there are other options besides driving, however you need to figure at least an hour to an hour and a bit over in commuting time. If you will be driving the best route is the one described by op. Traffic does back up on the beach road, as well as around Bell Circle in Revere and then of course, the bridge and/ or tunnel, some people do take the Everett route to avoid the tolls, regardless it is not easy any way you go unless you go in earlier and come home later. Have you considered Swampscott? It is at least 20 minutes closer. You can get more house for the money but you will pay higher real estate taxes.
Winters can be rough, depending on the amount of snow and or ice, the roads can be difficult to drive on. On those days the best thing would be to use public transportation. Marblehead does a fairly good job in clearing the roads, they are out at night during the storm to keep up with the snowfall and to get the roads cleared. If you have to go through Swampscott, the roads there are not as cleared, rutted, bumpy and icy. Hopefully you have an all wheel drive or 4 wheel. Winters here are funny though, we miss some of the snow that falls heavily in the more western and interior areas, but if we get a storm that comes up the coast, we get it and with all the nastiness that comes with it.
As for activities, Winters here, as most places, tend to be quieter. They do have a wonderful Christmas walk celebration, there is a community theater here as well as one at Salem State College if you are inclined to see plays, there is a coffee house at one of the churches on Friday nights that has folk type music,there is also two or three coffee houses in town, one of the restaurants in town has music on the weekends, there is a movie theater close by in Salem and two large movie theaters in Danvers. A brand new state of the art YMCA has just been built and seems to be the place to go to for work outs and such. There is also a JCC that has activities and work out rooms and there are some smaller gyms and work out places in town. The town, is generally quiet in the Winter, as many peole here take off for warmer climates or North for skiing. Second homes are common. Walking through the "old town" after a snow fall and it is warm out is delightful. Depending on your interests there are plenty of things to do. If you are married with kids, alot of activity center around the sports in town, hockey, football,, soccer etc. Can give you more info if you need.
You are asking about commuting from Marblehead to Cambridge. It is a Long commute but doable. You will be living in a beautiful town so that will make up for some of the inconvenience of commuting. Going from Marblehead to anywhere is a problem, as we are not close to any major highway . However you will have access to the bus that runs from Marblehead to Haymarket and from there I believe you can grab the red line into Cambridge. You will also have access to the commuter rail both in Salem and Swampscott which will take you into North Station, from there you will need to grab the T to get to Cambridge. or you can go to Wonderland and grab the T from there. So there are other options besides driving, however you need to figure at least an hour to an hour and a bit over in commuting time. If you will be driving the best route is the one described by op. Traffic does back up on the beach road, as well as around Bell Circle in Revere and then of course, the bridge and/ or tunnel, some people do take the Everett route to avoid the tolls, regardless it is not easy any way you go unless you go in earlier and come home later. Have you considered Swampscott? It is at least 20 minutes closer. You can get more house for the money but you will pay higher real estate taxes.
Winters can be rough, depending on the amount of snow and or ice, the roads can be difficult to drive on. On those days the best thing would be to use public transportation. Marblehead does a fairly good job in clearing the roads, they are out at night during the storm to keep up with the snowfall and to get the roads cleared. If you have to go through Swampscott, the roads there are not as cleared, rutted, bumpy and icy. Hopefully you have an all wheel drive or 4 wheel. Winters here are funny though, we miss some of the snow that falls heavily in the more western and interior areas, but if we get a storm that comes up the coast, we get it and with all the nastiness that comes with it.
As for activities, Winters here, as most places, tend to be quieter. They do have a wonderful Christmas walk celebration, there is a community theater here as well as one at Salem State College if you are inclined to see plays, there is a coffee house at one of the churches on Friday nights that has folk type music,there is also two or three coffee houses in town, one of the restaurants in town has music on the weekends, there is a movie theater close by in Salem and two large movie theaters in Danvers. A brand new state of the art YMCA has just been built and seems to be the place to go to for work outs and such. There is also a JCC that has activities and work out rooms and there are some smaller gyms and work out places in town. The town, is generally quiet in the Winter, as many peole here take off for warmer climates or North for skiing. Second homes are common. Walking through the "old town" after a snow fall and it is warm out is delightful. Depending on your interests there are plenty of things to do. If you are married with kids, alot of activity center around the sports in town, hockey, football,, soccer etc. Can give you more info if you need.
Sue, terrific information. It seems like you know the town really well. I have a co-worker who commutes from Salem, so I will check with him to see how that is working out for him. I would really prefer to minimize driving in unless my commute time is significantly shorter. If I am on a bus/train, I can probably get some work/morning reading done. Same thing with Carpools or if someone already commutes to Cambridge and wouldn’t mind a passenger.
I have not considered Swampscott. One of the main reasons that Swampscott is not on my short list is: Property Values. While Swampscott is a nice town and may be a bit more convenient, Marblehead’s property values are stronger and I understand that the school district is excellent. Even though I am young, single, with no kids – living in a good school district town is very important for me because of potential resale values or if I decide to start a family. Besides Marblehead’s charm is unique.
I’m so glad to hear about the winter activities. I am definitely a coffee shop/restaurants on Friday type of a person. I’m in my late 20’s, and planning on writing a book during my spare time (It’s based on my graduate thesis) so can you talk about the library since I will be spending a good chunk of winter there? Also, being connected is very important, so I wanted to know about high speed internet access, what type of service you have?
I know that Marblehead is a great town for families but have you seen a younger professional presence? I mean I do see younger folks around town but can’t tell whether they are residents or just visiting like I am.
Living in Harvard Square is great, close to work and a lot of things to do – but I think it’s time to move out of a rental and into a home of my own.
Thanks again for answering my questions.
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Commute Idea - Non Highway - AM/PM
