Danish student moving to Boston - but WHERE?? (Cambridge, Brockton: rentals, affordable house)

[DreamworksSKG]

Check out the Davis Square area around Somerville. Its a hip area. with lots to do ...and right on the "T" close to Harvard Square and downtown.
Davis Square is also the beginning to the minuteman Bike path that goes for 10 miles to Bedford MA
(where you can hook up with other trails too) that are being developed

[DreamworksSKG]

You might also look into Teele Square, which is just up a bit from Davis Square, closer to Arlington - a nice quieter section on the bus routes to Davis Square and Arlington etc.

Also some houses in the Tufts University section of Davis Square - around Medford (are within walking distance of Davis Square/College Avenue area)
and a quieter neighborhood overall. -

you could find good deals if you room with students in an apartment
housing in Medford is reasonable anyway
and Davis Square/Teele Square area

[Cliff Clavin]

A 2br would include 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bath. And to answer your question from yesterday, any of the 4 subway lines will get you within easy walking distance to Beacon Hill. It's essentially adjacent to downtown.

[Nille]

Ahh. That made it so much easier to look at apartments; in Denmark we'd say that a 2br apartment was with to rooms, besides kitchen and bathroom.

So, Beacon Hill is very central in Boston? Is that where you shop and such or is there an area "dedicated" to that. What about historiy/natural history museums? Are there any of those in Boston? And how easy is it to go to the states around Mass?

[brightdoglover]

Beacon Hill is the original colonial heart of Boston. It's lovely. I assume there's shopping (like grocery, and so on) as it's a residential neighborhood and many people don't own cars. The whole area is history! But you are on the Freedom Trail- a brick trail that goes to the major historical spots from the American Revolution. Easy public access to all museums. I think the major nat. hist. museum is in Harvard Sq. (hop on the red line to Cambridge). The Museum of Science is walking distance from Beacon Hill. All of the colonial/revolutionary/pre-revolutionary buildings and historical places are right there, you couldn't be closer!
You can take Amtrak (major train) from South Station on the red line down the coast to Providence, New York City (about four hours) Philadelphia (six hours) and then Washington, D.C. (about eight hours). It's the only way to go, driving is a drag. Amtrak goes to central stations in those major cities.
You can also take a commuter train from North Station ( a couple of train stops from Beacon Hill) north to Portland, Maine, about two hours, which has a beautiful waterfront/restaurant/shops district, and several exceptional art museums.
You can take commuter rail from North Station to several lovely North Shore seaside towns within, say, an hour.
Beacon Hill couldn't be better located! You will have a fantastic time, I promise.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Beacon Hill is the original colonial heart of Boston. It's lovely. I assume there's shopping (like grocery, and so on) as it's a residential neighborhood and many people don't own cars. The whole area is history!

Just to be clear, Beacon Hill is not the main shopping or office district in Boston. It's a quiet residential area that is right next to the central downtown area. You can look up "Beacon Hill" on flickr or something to get a sense of what the area looks like. All of the streets other than Beacon Street, Charles Street, and Cambridge Street are quiet.

Within Beacon Hill, there are small stores on Charles Street, which is a very lovely street and also some stores on Cambridge Street (a less lovely street) as well. There is grocery shopping on the periphery of Beacon Hill.

It's easier to get to other states from Boston than from a lot of other places in the U.S. San Francisco, for example, is surrounded by California for several hundred km in every direction. It takes hours to get out of California. Happily, there's a lot of beauty in California.

Amtrak is not the only way to go; many people take buses to other cities in the Northeast. The bus from Boston to New York is very popular with young people since it's much more affordable than the train, even if it's not as nice. Intercity trains in the northeastern U.S. are far too expensive.

You can easily get by train or bus to a number of smaller towns worth seeing in Massachusetts, as well as cities in the other New England states (Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine), or to cities farther afield such as New York, Philadelphia, or Washington DC.

[Cliff Clavin]

Originally Posted by holden125

Amtrak is not the only way to go; many people take buses to other cities in the Northeast. The bus from Boston to New York is very popular with young people since it's much more affordable than the train, even if it's not as nice. Intercity trains in the northeastern U.S. are far too expensive.

$10 each way. Can't beat that.

[Nille]

OMG, you all make Boston sound even better than I'd hoped. Everything you describe is just what I'm looking for. And I love proximity to other states - after all, it would be down right stupid of me not to see as much as possible when I'm there. You guys have been more than helpful. Now I'm sure I have chosen the right city for me. If you have anything else to add about the city and it's possiblities, please post them! And you can post pictures of must-sees too.

I'll keep updated in here and write as soon as more questions pop up or there's more posting going on

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Nille

If you have anything else to add about the city and it's possiblities, please post them! And you can post pictures of must-sees too.

Not must sees but you can look at Bostonian's photos (top of the Boston forum) or paste these links to see lots of photos of what the general area looks like:


Downtown: downtown boston - Flickr: Search

North End: boston north end - Flickr: Search

Public Garden and Common:boston public garden - Flickr: Search boston common - Flickr: Search

Beacon Hill: boston beacon hill - Flickr: Search

Back Bay: boston back bay - Flickr: Search

Boston's Back Bay on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Back Bay Brownstones | Boston, MA on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Boston - Back Bay: Prudential Building and 111 Huntington Avenue on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Back Bay, Boston on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

South End: boston south end - Flickr: Search

Harvard Square: harvard square - Flickr: Search

Central Square: cambridge central square - Flickr: Search

Brookline: North Brookline Photo Gallery by Mike at pbase.com longwood Photo Gallery by Mike at pbase.com

[brightdoglover]

I forgot about buses. But I think the $10 bus is the Fung Wah bus (meant for Chinese immigrants to make a *daily* commute to and from work in NYC) and it has quite the poor safety record. On the other hand, it's probably quite a colorful ride.