Visiting, possibly transferring to Boston (Cambridge, Quincy: rental car, apartments, rental)

[bushpilotwannabe]

This isn't quite another "help me move to Boston!" threads, but it's close. I apologize in advance for the length.

Anyway, here's the situation I'm in. I'm a single twenty-something guy working for a CPA firm in Charlotte, NC. We have an office in the financial district which is fairly small, but they're offering transfers to people with my level of experience to try to grow it. I've lived in different, mostly urban and suburban areas of NC since I was six months old, but have often thought about living in other places. I figure if I'm ever going to do it, there will never be a better time than right now while I'm still young, single, and unattached. I've also always liked Boston and the rest of New England from the limited time I've spent there, so naturally I'm interested in the opportunity.

Knowing that they'd be offering transfers during the summer and fall, I've been researching such a move and reading this board for the last several months. At this point, I'm at an impasse on whether I want to move, since it sounds appealing but I don't really know anyone up there, I'd be leaving behind everything I know, and I don't really have a concrete reason for wanting to go other than to do something different. I've come to realize that research, while helpful, isn't going to give me a gut feeling on what to do. Because of that, I'll be spending a few days up there next week in hopes of getting a better idea as to whether this is something I want to pursue.

The reason I'm posting is to ask for suggestions on things to do that would help me accomplish that. I did a search, but most of what I could come up with was more touristy stuff, which I'm not planning to do unless I have time to kill (I can always do the Freedom Trail and USS Constitution some other time, especially if I go through with this). So far I've come up with some basic ideas like riding some of the different T lines at rush hour and at night, exploring some of the neighborhoods and suburbs I'd be interested in during the day and at night, maybe going for a run in one or two of them, looking at apartments, and running basic errands (not that grocery shopping is going to be very different, but I'll still need to eat while I'm there). I haven't lined up a rental car since I'm staying near MIT and planned on riding the T most places, but I might get one for a day or two to see if driving there is as crazy as it's made out to be. Beyond that, though, I'm having trouble coming up with ideas. I know this is a ridiculously open-ended question, but what else would you suggest doing?

Also, I've come up with a list of neighborhoods and suburbs to check out based on some pretty basic criteria. I have a budget of around $1500 (before utilities) for a one-bedroom apartment. I am open to having roommates, but that's a topic for another day. I would like to avoid driving to work if possible, and all of the subway lines as well as the South Station commuter rail lines look to be viable options (subway is preferable, though). I'm not ready to completely give up having a car, so parking is a consideration. Also, since I've been out of college for a couple of years and have an office job, I'd like to avoid areas that are crawling with students and are noisy until the wee hours. Of course, safety is also important. With that in mind, so far I've come up with Brookline, JP, Charlestown (maybe), Quincy, Braintree, Belmont, Arlington, Medford, Melrose, and possibly Waltham as places to check out. Of course, Somerville and Cambridge are possibilities, and I'll still explore them since they're so close to downtown, but I think other areas would fit me and my budget better. Are there any others I should consider, or any I mentioned that you’d advise against?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[lovelife11]

Hi, I went to college in NC and i currently live in SC and im moving to boston this fall as well. Going to grad school at northeastern u. I will be staying in newton, ma. Its suburban but still close enough to the city. Brookline is nice as well. If you dont want to stay in the city part, i suggest newton, brookline, medford, malden or cambridge. Ive been told that alston and brighton is too young of a crowd..undergrads. Ive also been told try to be as close to your school or job as u can. I will be learning more about boston myself. I think u should take the offer and move. It will get cold but atleast you have the option of driving your car...if u want u can just take the subway.

[lovelife11]

dont start off with a one bedroom, start with a studio. remember its colder in boston..u have no idea what you're heat bill will look like yet. The larger your space the more expenisive your heat bill will be. You can heat bills that go into the 300 range. Keep that in mind.

[chaxey]

I wouldn't worrya bout heat as many of the older buildings in Boston will include heat and hot water in your rent (make sure to include this criteria when considering housing costs and evaluating one apartment vs another).

I think the thing you should keep in mind is perhaps the social aspect of this city. Some neighborhoods are going to be better for your demographic than others. Are you single? Social? Or introverted and don't care about this? What age group specifically do you fall into? The various neighborhoods cater to certain age groups because of the impact of the colleges in the area, and affordability.

You've listed a bunch of the most common cities/neighborhoods for the typical yuppie, but maybe telling us more what you like to do would be more helpful in giving you a recomendation. Do you like to eat out? Fancy? or Simple? do you want a plac eyou can sit outside and grill in teh summer? Is parking important to you? Are you into sports (eitehr as a fan or as a participant?), go to the gym? Etc Etc etc.

You might consider renting a bike when you're in town (they just started a new bike share program downtown) and riding around southie and charlestown and then heading out to Brighton/brookline on the green line. If you want something more urban maybe the south end. You could maybe find a smaller unrenovated 1 bed in the back bay for 1500 if you time it right. One thing on the roommate idea is that you would be able to maybe kickstart your social network if you were able to tap into someone local looking to rent out a room. Its very common in boston for this type of situation because rents are so high in the city and everybody is trying to save a buck.

I'd probably say stay away fromp laces like Quincy or Melrose etc; there is nothing wrong wtih these places but if you're going to be in the area, you will be better served living closer downtwon for both the fact that your commute will be less painful, and socially it will be more agreeable.

[Cantabridgienne]

As Chaxey mentioned, most of the places you mentioned are pretty suburban and not where I'd think of a young single guy living...it's all a matter of preference, but living in the city or places like Cambridge, Somerville or Brookline would be a lot more fun and you'd definitely find more people your age there.

[NotAPrincess]

Originally Posted by Cantabridgienne

As Chaxey mentioned, most of the places you mentioned are pretty suburban and not where I'd think of a young single guy living...it's all a matter of preference, but living in the city or places like Cambridge, Somerville or Brookline would be a lot more fun and you'd definitely find more people your age there.

I agree. I'd look in Cambridge/Somerville first. Sure, it's expensive, but they're great places to live for people in your situation. Brookline would be good too, but will be at least expensive if not more so, than Camb/Som. You might also look in the Fenway area of Boston. It might be a bit student-y, but probably not too much.

Personally, I'd scratch Quincy, Braintree, Belmont, Arlington, Medford, Melrose, and Waltham off the list unless you really can't find something in Cambridge or Somerville. Although I'd normally suggest Arlington or Waltham as good second choices, if you're working downtown, you might look into South Boston as a back up. The commute to downtown from those places isn't all that fast.

[shiver]

If you're coming to Boston to "do something different" as you say (which is great because this is the time in your life to do it) and you don't know anyone here, I would think that you'd want to live in the immediate Boston/Cambridge/Somerville/Brookline area to be in a more city environment and have the big city experience. Otherwise, I don't know how much you'll like it here if you're out in the suburbs. You may feel bored and isolated.

Yes, it will be more expensive, you may need roommates, and parking is a consideration, but I think you'll enjoy living in the city more.