Houston to Boston Move (Cambridge, Quincy: lawyer, new home, rooftop)

[bigfatdude]

Originally Posted by Dm84

It's far from the safest neighborhood in the city and frankly I wouldn't move halfway across the country to live there.

Oh nice, turns out our ardent social justice crusader is a limousine liberal who can talk the talk but definitely does not walk the walk.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

Oh nice, turns out our ardent social justice crusader is a limousine liberal who can talk the talk but definitely does not walk the walk.

I love it, you think someone encouraging people to follow the freaking law is a "social justice warrior".


Tell me, what is illegal about liking a place to live more than another place? Anything?

[mwj119]

Alright.

I'll break it down with generalizations, but I think everyone on this thread will agree they're fairly accurate.

Seaport- Huge development area on the Boston harbor with loads of upscale restaurants and bars. Studios start around $2300, with 1 BR going for $3000+. This area has a ton of young, affluent, single folks between 27-40. If you want waterfront drinks, check out Envoy rooftop or Legals Harborside rooftop. A good steak? Check out Ocean Prime. A good beer? Check out city tap. Waterfront eats? The Barking Crab. A Boston sports bar? Check out Tony C's. Head in a few blocks from the water, and Fort Point offers some additional options like Row 34, Drink, etc. If you can swing it, and don't necessarily want to go too far from the norm, this is your best bet. It's a biopharama hub, but also hosts the likea of GE (headquarters being built now), Redhat, and other tech driven companies.

Southie- Huge party area with young professionals everywhere. Stick close to broadway, where all of the bars and restaraunts are. Southie is a bit younger than Seaport, but you'll find plenty of folks between 30-35. Aesthetically, it's more of a traditional Boston neighborhood, with a mix of old and new homes. There are a fair amount of folks from out of state, but it's a very specific group. You'll see a lot of vineyard vines and drugs.

Back Bay- Mix of young professionals, foreign money, the occasional single lawyer and doctor. It's a fabulous area, but it's not going to provide a lot of night life.. Plenty of great eats, dive bars, and you can always rely on Newbury st. and Boylston st. It's definitely more active, so if you like to bike/run/sail, you have great access to the Charles river.

South End- Similar to back bay, but a bit less commercial. Great food, some good bars, and the brownstone neighborhoods are beautiful. You'll notice a larger gay population in the area, which in my experience often offers some perks. The Beehive does an excellent jazz music brunch, the butcher shop is an excellent charcuterie and wine joint, B&G oysters has a great raw bar with a nice back patio.. It's that kind of feel.

North End- Old Italian neighborhoods with 100+ Italian restaurants still standing around the Hanover st. area. Towards the Rose Fitzgerald park, there are some cool places to check out, and that area has been built up quite a bit with newer waterfront apartments. It's quite compact, and for the money, i'd look the other parts of Boston. That said, there's not a better place to explore and get a glass of wine or a cannoli.

Cambridge- There are a lot of neighborhoods within Cambridge, but it's generally a bit more outside the bell curve. Huge intellectual/artist population, a lot of foreign students, and it's largely driven by MIT/Harvard/and the Kendall Square tech parks. Outside of the bay area, you won't find a place more densely populated with tech companies. It's a fantastic city, and I've never met anyone who doesn't love it, but coming from Houston..Might be a bit of a culture shock. I'd also mention that the food scene is arguably better than Boston. Poke around Harvard Square, Central Square, the Charles River front. I'd also mention that, if you like craft beer, you can't go wrong with bars like Lord Hobo and Meadhall.

Allston- A lot of the same qualities as Cambridge + live music, but it's not nearly as nice. Actually, it's a dump. Great place to mix in some drinks and see some garage bands. It's very similar to deep ellum in Dallas, but again, not as nice.

I'm missing a bunch more, but the aforementioned neighborhoods are likey where you will end up if you want to live in the city. Coming from Midtown Houston, where i've spent a lot of time, everything is going to be a bit more hectic. More bars, more restaurants, more people in a much tighter space. That said, I'd recommend Seaport over the others for sure.

[bigfatdude]

Originally Posted by timberline742

I love it, you think someone encouraging people to follow the freaking law is a "social justice warrior".


Tell me, what is illegal about liking a place to live more than another place? Anything?

It's just really ironic seeing someone screaming about discrimination suddenly showing their "OMG DON'T GO THERE, THERE'S BLACK PEOPLE" true colors.

[turf3]

OP, please reconsider your opinion about public transit. Boston public transit is quite effective and safe, if not quite up to Tokyo, Munich, or S. Korean standards. Your best bet if you want to live and work in the city (in which I include Braintree and Cambridge) is to do most of your daily travel by T and/or commuter rail. Finding parking is totally different than in Texas. The first thing people ask here if they are planning to go somewhere in the city by car, is "where can I park, how much will parking cost?", etc. Most of the time a car is more of a hassle than a convenience.

You want to live in a Northern, dense, old-style city, so accept it for what it is and live like the locals do.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by turf3

OP, please reconsider your opinion about public transit. Boston public transit is quite effective and safe, if not quite up to Tokyo, Munich, or S. Korean standards. Your best bet if you want to live and work in the city (in which I include Braintree and Cambridge) is to do most of your daily travel by T and/or commuter rail. Finding parking is totally different than in Texas. The first thing people ask here if they are planning to go somewhere in the city by car, is "where can I park, how much will parking cost?", etc. Most of the time a car is more of a hassle than a convenience.

You want to live in a Northern, dense, old-style city, so accept it for what it is and live like the locals do.

YES X 1000
driving around here is not enjoyable and keeps getting worse. Save your car for weekend trips.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by bigfatdude

It's just really ironic seeing someone screaming about discrimination suddenly showing their "OMG DON'T GO THERE, THERE'S BLACK PEOPLE" true colors.

I didn't see anyone say or imply any such thing. Because, no one said or implied any such thing.

Originally Posted by turf3

OP, please reconsider your opinion about public transit. Boston public transit is quite effective and safe, if not quite up to Tokyo, Munich, or S. Korean standards. Your best bet if you want to live and work in the city (in which I include Braintree and Cambridge) is to do most of your daily travel by T and/or commuter rail. Finding parking is totally different than in Texas. The first thing people ask here if they are planning to go somewhere in the city by car, is "where can I park, how much will parking cost?", etc. Most of the time a car is more of a hassle than a convenience.

You want to live in a Northern, dense, old-style city, so accept it for what it is and live like the locals do.

Originally Posted by GeePee

YES X 1000
driving around here is not enjoyable and keeps getting worse. Save your car for weekend trips.

That's great, but the Braintree T stop isn't really near their work in Braintree. Not much help.

[Cantabridgienne]

You'd need to factor in parking costs for the Seaport, North End, and Back Bay. Not having dedicated parking in those neighborhoods would be tough, especially in the snow.


OP, what is the maximum commute you're thinking? Are you required in the office every day? Do you work "traditional" hours or are they flexible?

[Whatsnext75]

If you're making 120k a year and you're single I would think you'd just want to be as close to your job as you can get. Not sure why places like Quincy Braintree and dorchester are being thrown at him unless he wants to save money.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Whatsnext75

If you're making 120k a year and you're single I would think you'd just want to be as close to your job as you can get. Not sure why places like Quincy Braintree and dorchester are being thrown at him unless he wants to save money.

His job is in Braintree I thought he said. That would be closest to the job.