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I've been reading and posting on this forum for a while now and have a question I'm hoping people can answer.
We've been looking for places to live and I just discovered Winthrop. It seems too good to be true. Is it?
Looking at where it is, I can't help but think it would be very loud, given how close it is to Logan. Public transportation-there's a bus that goes to the T? Shopping-is there anything there or do you have to go "inland" to get everything?
Winthrop is a nice town. Somewhat blue collar, a little insular, being isolated on the peninsula like that. But nice and affordable given its proximity. Water everywhere. I do think noise from Logan is an issue, but maybe not as much as in City Point.
There is a small supermarket in the town, otherwise there's a Shaw's somwhere near Beachmont.
It's a little bit of a hassle to get in and out, and you need the tunnel to drive to Boston. There's a bus line to the Orient Heights T but that adds a decent amount of time to a trip. I remember taking that bus once and it seemed slow to me, but that's not a scientific sample.
The neighborhood around The Crystal Cove Inn (Shirley Ave.?) can get pounded with jet noise...not sure if it's takeoffs or landings, but I was bothered as I did an errand -- but plane noise is a major gripe of mine. A friend lived a few blocks from there for over 20 years, and on a few occasions during our phone calls, she had to stop the conversation as a huge plane drowned everything out.
The town has had major flooding issues in the past, as seen on local news during storms. I hope it's under control in this wild weather. Winthrop Shore Drive can attract weather enthusiasts during big storms.
I think Deer Island (recycling?/treatment? plant) now has a nice walking path.
I've never felt unsafe in my late-nite drives in the community.
Viking Taxi picks up other passengers as it drives you to your destination...kind of annoying if in a rush, or if a private person. Maybe a throwback to an earlier time?
I'm not a fan of Winthrop. It has some charm, but you have to leave town to do virtually anything as there is very little commercial zoning. I've also heard the schools have taken a bit of a tumble over the past few years.
I don't care for Winthrop. It's quite isolated and out of the way unless East Boston/Revere/Chelsea is your world. The town is very insular and is not especially friendly or welcoming, and it is rather quiet at night - very little in the way of culture/night life if that is your thing. It does have its seedy elements as well, though it seems like the town is trying to project/attract a more upscale image. It will need to work hard at this though. First and foremost, the town needs to confront its drug problem. I've seen used needles on Winthrop Beach, and the kids seem pretty out of control in general. On the positive side, the bus service is reliable there, but it doesn't tie into the MBTA Charlie Card system, so you must pay an additional fare. If you're just looking for a place to sleep, it's fine, but the sense of community is severely lacking if you're a non-native Winthropite.
The drug problem in Winthrop isn't just in that town, trust me on that one. It's everywhere. Drugs are running rampant & boy is it pretty sad for a lot of people these days especially with this heroin addiction now, yikes, it's terrible in our society now with this issue alone. A long Winthrop Shore Drive on a few of the side streets there are drug rehab 'shelters' for addicts from the New England area NOT just from Winthrop, Massachusetts scattered here and there, not a lot of them, but a few and every so often you see police cars with bars in their back windows delivering the next one to one of these shelters. They aren't just in this town believe me, they're springing up in several towns & I mean several and these days it seems within this state and out of state too. The more that you hear of on drugs, the more you'll see these type of shelters springing up. Some of them are our homeless & some others are the drug addicts trying to make a fresh start. Some times they make it, sometimes they don't. It's in a lot of families these days & I bet you each and every one of us can name one member of a family going thru this issue. Prayers are needed for a lot of people these days, families are going thru hell on earth with this one.
I'd still live in Winthrop regardless, the above issue is all over the place not just in that town like I said. It's also got the Boston Harbor walking path connection with the most stunning views of the skyline:
The Inn at Crystal Cove in Winthrop, MA is unbelievable. If you had friends visiting they could stay here, there's stunning unobstructed views of Boston Harbor for as little as $79 to $109 a night. They have a pool. It's a perfect set up as it's not far from getting in to downtown Boston, plus you'd be able to get in there in no time on public transportation from here. Here's info for you to check it out, just google it:
There's also this awesome gem of a place to check out, it's called "Cafe Rossetti's" & it's on Winthrop Shore Drive. Just ask any one where it is along the beach you can't miss it, you'll see their flag out when it's open. If you like Italian cuisine then GO here, a lot of pilots and flight attendants have this one on their agenda when they're between flights, it's that good, you'll also see a politician or two in here every so often. There's some great write ups on it on Yelp, so go there to see what I'm talking about, like I said, it's a hidden gem, so put it on your agenda, it's a good one.
It's a nice time of year to check out Winthrop where they have the beach right there. Some day soon take a ride thru the town & one thing you can do is look for the Winthrop Arms Hotel to see what I mean about it here. It's got an awesome restaurant that's another 'hidden gem' right inside their lobby. The Winthrop Arms hotel is up on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at 130 Grovers Avenue in the Highlands. It's one of the best best places to stay for visitors to Boston and also for us locals alike because it's such a 'classic' impeccable place where they have very reasonable rates a night and it's also close by to Logan airport. It's that type of convenience that people love about it:
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