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I need a bit of advice. Due to some crazy circumstances, I need to move out of my home in CT ASAP. I've lloked at cities, and it's come down to DC vs Boston, but I can't make a final decision.
I'm 22, into art and writing, and I'm a nerd, so I need a city that I can be an artsy fartsy geek in. To give a better idea of what I'm looking for:
-rent: I'm looking to have roomates, and live in a room that's not a cubby-hole for no more than $500/mo, not including utilities. I've looked on CL, and that seems doable in DC, but I already know that'll be hard to find in Boston.
-transportation: I won't have a car, so public transportation needs to be really good.
-jobs: Im sending out resumes, but I need to be able to find a job when I get there. I'm looking for a job at a hotel, or at a non-profit, or just somethign to pay the bills at above min wage.
-Japanese: I'm looking to improve my Japanese skills, so being able to take Japanese classes is very important.
-weather: I'm from CT, so I can handle snow, but nice weather is important.
-things to do: I want to be able to go to the bar and get a beer, get some comics, go to the movies, be social, etc.
-dating: lots of nice, good-looking men would be nice
Any input/tips/other city suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
consider Philly. It also has all of what you're looking for and it's cheaper than DC or Boston. Specifically, the neighborhoods of Northern Liberties/Fishtown or Passyunk Square in South Philly as well as West Philly around Clark Park. Of course, there's also center city. Center city and South Philly are the easiest to walk to everything, the other places you'll be more transit dependent.
Both of these cities are graet and can offer what you're looking for probably on a relatively equal level. Since I know more about Boston, I'll tell you about it. First off, the price is doable. A co-worker of mine just moved up here from Long Island and she's paying $525/mo plus about $65 for utilities. A great spot for you to look at would be Allston/Brighton (which is also where my co-worker lives). It's located in the western part of the city, and it's known as a hotspot for college students and recent college graduates. I think the population of people 20-30 is around 65,000-70,000 (the official population is only 70,000 but I don't believe they count college students as residents) so you won't have trouble finding hot chicks (I'm actually heading to Brighton for this reason as soon as I get out of work haha). It's also right next to Brookline, which is home to Boston College and Cleveland Circle, which is a popular bar-spot too. If you're looking for a good beer, check out Sunset Tavern in DT Brighton...it's got around 200 beers on tap, and around 300 microbrews in bottles...so it's a sin if you go there to order a Bud Light. There's plenty of other bars in the area too, so you won't have to worry about that.
Allston-Brighton has great T coverage. There should be a Green Line connection very close to where you live. Learning Japanese shouldn't be a problem either. We have a college called Harvard here which offers night classes, and they're supposed to be pretty good. If not Harvard, you can check out Boston College, Boston University, Tufts, Emerson, Suffolk, Wentworth, Emmanuel, Northeastern, UMass-Boston, or one of the many other colleges in the city too.
Allston-Brighton is also very artsy-fartsy. Both of my co-worker's roommates would be classified as "hipsters" I would say. There's tons of people like that in the area, so you shouldn't have a problem finding others who share those interests! Also, if you're into smoking certain things, marijuana has been decriminalized in Massachusetts and now if you're caught with an ounce or less it's only a $100 fine...figured I'd throw that in just in case you're into blazin it up.
The weather here sucks big-time during the winter, but it's finally starting to get nice out and it reminds me why this place is so great and why I love it so much.
DC is also a gorgeous area and I'm sure it's got a lot of the same as Boston when it comes to these areas...but I don't know enough about the city to do it justice, so I'll wait for someone from Maryland/Virginia/DC to post about that. Good luck in your search!
Edit: I just realized you said looking for men, not women haha. There's plenty of dudes around here too.
Boston seems much more artsy-fartsy-geeky to me than Washington. Especially Cambridge-Somerville or Jamaica Plain.
As to nice weather, I'd say Boston has the edge in the summer months over DC's oppressive heat and humidity but of course DC has much milder winters.
Job market is sure to be better in DC right now. Not to say Boston's is terrible but the federal govt is spending lots of money right now.
Thanks for the replies. To respond to a few things and ask a few questions:
-Sounds like there's a lot to do in Boston. Though I'm wondering, how realistic would it be to save up money in Boston? It would be nice to do a whole bunch of things, but if they're all expensive, they'll be out of reach for me. This was one of the reasons I was considering Chicago, since it's cheaper than both cities, but I don't know how the job market is around there.
-As far as jobs, Boston seems to be good for all kinds of jobs, particularly ones in the creative field, and DC seems better for government, non-profit, and corporate jobs. Is this true?
Both of those cities are great and could give you what you're looking for. I think you'd do fine in either. (although I do second the advice to look into Philly - a fabulous yet often overlooked major city).
I'm not currently living in DC, but from what I've heard their economy is currently doing better than many parts of the country. DC is better for government jobs, of course, but there are plenty of creative jobs, too. People just don't think about that aspect as much because it gets overshadowed by the government. If you're really lucky you get a job with the federal government in a creative field, or at least related; federal jobs have great benefits and pay (at least when compared to most private-sector creative jobs).
DC might be better for you from the Japanese standpoint, as one of DC's strengths is its international flavor. I don't know about Japan in particular, but a lot of the embassies seem to sponsor special events and outreach efforts, and of course with so many schools (and a strong local interest in international affairs) you'd have many course options. (Boston has the school thing going for it, too, of course).
Ultimately if I were you I'd look for the job first (although it sounds like you might not have that option) then make your decision on that. Both DC and Boston (and Philly, if you are open to that suggestion) are great places to live, and have plenty of artsy, Japanese-speaking, public-transportation-taking, young-people meeting options. Since it sounds like you might have to just move and then find the job then I think I'd go with DC, though, since even if you don't end up in the government (those jobs take forever to hire, at least in my experience) those federal dollars are keeping a lot of other jobs and DC-area businesses and nonprofits afloat.
The $500/month thing might be pretty tough in DC. I've seen a few deals in big groups homes, but that's hit and miss. I recently moved to DC. I didn't have much money to start with so I had to borrow some, but I have a stable job with the DC Fire Dept. I'm paying $650/month in the Columbia Heights neighborhood before utilities. It's in a 3-story 4BR rowhouse with 3 other people. Most deals in okay neighborhoods or better were going for about $600-$800 if you want your own bedroom in the place. If you want a studio or to live in a very nice area, you will be well over $1000.
Two room apartment available for mid-July
great location near clark park with a farmers market every saturday
heat and water included in rent
to see it call or e-mail Rashied: 215-222-1136 or rashied789@gmail.com
uptown_urbanist, yeah, I'm hoping I can find a job before I go, but if it comes to it, I'll have to just move. From what you're saying, DC sounds nice, and it may be easier to get a job there than in Boston.
ffknight, seems like you're right. There are some 500/mo places, but only few. Considering my finances, I may have to find some temp housing (sublet/hostel) before I find a more permanent place to stay. That said, If I can find a room for 600+/mo, that shouldn't be hard to do once I get a job.
While I'm keeping my options open, I don't know about Philly. That said, I may reconsider that opinion depending on what I could find employment-wise.
Philly's just as good as those two cities, perhaps better for the artsy fartsy types.
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