East Arlington, is this an okay place? (Boston, Cambridge: apartment complex, houses)

[CaseyCase]

I was wondering if anyone has experience with Arlington, I'm interested in the section that borders Cambridge, because it is close to the Alewife station. Is anyone familiar with the area between Mass Ave/Lake Rd and Concord Tpk? Would appreciate any advice since it's very hard to narrow down my house-hunting list from California. Thanks a bunch!

[MovingForward]

Yes, absolutely okay.

[goyguy]

It's a very nice area, but forget about finding a place with much land. Many of the houses in the section nearest Alewife are 2 1/2 story duplexes, spacious ones at that, but with barely enough room in between them for a driveway. Around Lake St is where you'll see some appealing bungalow-style homes from the early 20th Century, though, along with a few colonials. The streets between Mass. Ave and Broadway hold a mixture of multi-unit and single-family houses, and are quiet and well-shaded. Your best chance for finding a free-standing house lies in the Sunnyside Ave vicinity beyond Broadway (farthest from Alewife.) There's a Foodmaster supermarket at Broadway and Alewife Brook Pkwy, which means you'd be in the least convenient area for accessing the Red Line but the best for food shopping. During the day on weekdays - until about 8 PM - the MBTA's 87 bus runs from Arlington Center to Lechmere along Broadway, stopping right at the door to the Red Line's Davis Station (in Somerville, only a short ride from East Arlington.) Later at night, the route terminates at the Clarendon Hill Towers apartment complex across from the Foodmaster and you'd be only a short walk from home. Routes 79 and 350 service Mass. Ave and go directly to Alewife.

There's a handful of restaurants and convenience stores along Broadway, but most of the dining out and non-grocery shopping in Arlington happens on Mass. Ave. And one of Arlington's local treasures, the Capitol Theater ("plexed" old movie house showing second-run, some first-run, and kids' films) is at Lake St and Mass. Ave. A library branch is situated on Mass. Ave about midway between Lake St and the Cambridge border. The whole area is walkable and essentially crime-free, with a pretty visible police presence to help make it so.

If you find a place that works for you around there, take it!

[holden125]

Originally Posted by CaseyCase

I was wondering if anyone has experience with Arlington, I'm interested in the section that borders Cambridge, because it is close to the Alewife station. Is anyone familiar with the area between Mass Ave/Lake Rd and Concord Tpk? Would appreciate any advice since it's very hard to narrow down my house-hunting list from California. Thanks a bunch!

I lived in Arlington Center as a kid and had this area on my shortlist when I was supposed to return to Boston two years ago, because of the Alewife access. The area is fine, the houses are mostly two-family, some older and not renovated, others older and renovated nicely. The yards are not huge, it's fairly dense and urban, but offers a good compromise between living in the cheap suburbs and having access to an actual T line rather than the commuter rail.

To walk to Alewife, as opposed to taking the bus, you'd be better looking closer to the station or the bike path. Egerton and Mass Av, for example, is already getting to be over 15 mins walk to the station, which adds time to the commute and is no fun in the cold or rain/snow. The bike path end of Varnum, for example, cuts this in half. My plan was to buy a crappy old bike and ride it to the station, not worrying if someone happened to steal it, and take the 79 bus or try to park at Alewife on those days that were really no good for walking/biking along the path.

It is a pretty quiet area. Very safe, but not much activity either. It's a shifting blend of longtime (often older) residents and young people/young families priced out of Cambridge or looking for better schools. There are some stores and restaurants on Mass. Av there but not a ton, and there are no bars in Arlington, so it's not like some places where everything you need is a walk to the corner. But Davis and Harvard Sqs are not that far at all so you're not totally isolated either. Compared to Harvard or Central, the rents are much lower, so it's worth a look, but there is not the nightlife options those places or a place like Brighton Center would have either. West of the bike path (Mary St side) there are perhaps some nicer houses, but it's much farther from the stores and bus on Mass. Av. so you're really stuck with the bike path.