want to move to boston area (Cambridge, Quincy: apartments, loft, hotel)

[bdbutler]

Me and my wife recently went to boston and we fell in love with the city. We love the people the history and the food. We are planning on moving there by next year and we had a few questions. How hard is it to find a job? we are both in the hotel industry. she a revenue manager and im a bartender i dont necessarily have to work in a hotel but i want to work in a nice restaurant either as a bartender or waiter. How affordable are apartments? We dont have to live in the city but we want to be close and be in a decent area. hopefully close to a train station. We live in orange county now and it totally is not for us. We moved here from Berlin and we miss the culture of the big city. Not to mention the fake and superficial people. The people in boston seemed real and down to earth. So if anyone could give us some information we would really appreciate it thank you.

[lrfox]

What are you looking at for an apartment budget? What size apartment? Do you prefer urban areas or suburban (Places like Cambridge, Somerville and parts of Brookline, Quincy, Arlington, etc are urban but outside the Boston city limits)? Rents in Boston are generally considered expensive, but you're coming from Orange County so you may not find that to be true. Like Berlin, you generally pay a lot for a smaller, older space. Many people coming from out West where most properties are newer take issue with that. Personally, I love the older buildings.

Hospitality jobs seem to crop up at random. My ex is a bartender in Boston and has done very well for herself despite the bad economy. However, those jobs come and go quickly. You may have to settle for something not as top-notch to begin with and work your way up. My cousin is about to open a restaurant in Cambridge next month. It's going to be pretty high end. I know they're looking for bartenders but I'm willing to bet that's too soon for you. I'd keep an eye on craigslist, but generally, those types of jobs require meeting in person (appearance and people skills are very important) and they hire quickly.

The revenue manager position may be a bit harder to come by. Again, I'd check yahoo, craigslist, boston.com, and other websites.

I think you'll hear this point reiterated, you should probably lock something up before moving out here. At least one of you. Your job (bartending) will probably be a bit easier to find once you're on the ground here, so she should probably be the one who gets something before you commit to a move. At least have a lot saved up.

Good luck!

[bdbutler]

Hello thanks for your help. Our budget for an apartment will probably be between 1100 to 1400 dollars per month. We dont have to have a huge place but probably no less than 900 sq feet and preferably 2 bedrooms or at least one bedroom and a small loft or office to have a spare bedroom for guests. as far as urban or suburban it doesnt matter to much but we want to be close to a T station to take advantage of public transportation. We dont mind an older building at all as long as it is in decent shape and in a decent neighborhood. we heard good things about summerville. What do you think?
I know you may be biast but we found the people in Boston to be great and down to earth. I know we were only there for a few days and cant judge completely off of that but what would you say about the people in general, honestly. Cause we have had a hard time relating to the people here in OC.
Thanks for your feedback and we really appreciate it and look forward to hering from you again. Bye