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Old 07-01-2019, 01:57 PM
 
1,296 posts, read 1,321,940 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Theswami View Post
Great contributions everyone! My housing search has gone from dread to mild excitement. It feels like we should be able to find a town/city and accommodations we like.

Chicagoliz you are sort of correct. The problem with choosing the “city” is cost for what we want and the commute. Getting back to the “city” from the western burbs is a nightmare....1 hour in traffic. Additionally, we’ve lived in a major city before and as an older couple (not too old but not young) we’ve realized that most of the time we are not going to need ALL that Boston/Cambridge offers ALL the time.

Bosyuppie, the idea of economic diversity sounds great. We like fine dining but sometimes we just want a burger or food from that Indian “joint” without feeling like we need to make a reservation or need to be dressed up.

I really did like the vibe of Davis. We will need to explore it and the other areas to figure out what we want.

Thanks again. Keep the ideas coming.

What is the thinking about Somerville? I hear that may be an area to consider. I spent a few hours in Assembly Square (which I don’t think is what people meant when they mentioned Somerville). It felt a little too commercial and seems like a place where I might be annoyed as a resident given all the visitors looking to eat/shop.
Davis is in Somerville and is a great choice. We moved here as a young couple thinking we would leave after a few years and we are still here 15 years later raising a family. Arlington and Belmont are much quieter and if your idea of going our includes having a drink I would drop both of those from your list. They were both actually dry towns until recently.
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Old 07-01-2019, 02:15 PM
 
1,897 posts, read 1,379,670 times
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Originally Posted by semiurbanite View Post
if your idea of going our includes having a drink I would drop both of those from your list. They were both actually dry towns until recently.
While parts of Arlington and Belmont may be more suburban than the OP seeks; Belmont hasn't been dry for over 10 years and there are plenty of places in (both towns) to get a drink or buy alcohol.
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Old 07-01-2019, 02:29 PM
 
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Originally Posted by iAMtheVVALRUS View Post
The one thing I'll say is that the OP requested an "urban-like feel" and Kendall Square is very urban. The hustle and bustle might be more than the OP is bargaining for.
Kendall gets pretty quiet at night actually...
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Old 07-02-2019, 07:22 AM
 
Location: The Moon
1,717 posts, read 1,787,191 times
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Originally Posted by porterhouse View Post
While parts of Arlington and Belmont may be more suburban than the OP seeks; Belmont hasn't been dry for over 10 years and there are plenty of places in (both towns) to get a drink or buy alcohol.
Not only that but there are parts of E. Arlington that are even closer to restaurants/bars than parts of W. Somerville where they border each other. I don't think I'd be ruling out Arlington or Belmont based on that either but some people really like to drink I guess.
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Old 07-02-2019, 08:24 AM
 
Location: Providence, RI
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Quote:
Originally Posted by semiurbanite View Post
Kendall gets pretty quiet at night actually...
This. In terms of density Kendall is certainly urban. In terms of location, it's excellent. But I don't think it's there yet in terms of having a ton of urban vibrancy outside of the normal work day. It's gotten better over the years and continues to do so, but you'll still find activity on the street outside of 9-5/M-F in further flung neighborhoods like Inman, Union, Central, Harvard, Davis, etc.
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Old 07-02-2019, 10:22 AM
 
4,998 posts, read 3,849,960 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by semiurbanite View Post
Davis is in Somerville and is a great choice. We moved here as a young couple thinking we would leave after a few years and we are still here 15 years later raising a family. Arlington and Belmont are much quieter and if your idea of going our includes having a drink I would drop both of those from your list. They were both actually dry towns until recently.
Arlington has come a long way.. The Aeronaut Beer Garden/Live music series downtown on Saturday's is really nice. Town Tavern, Menotomy, and Mystery Bar are all good places for a drink. And, you're a bike ride/a bus away from alewife or Somerville/Cambridge.

I think Arlington is the perfect compromise.
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Old 07-04-2019, 10:17 AM
 
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Thanks all. Anyone think a realtor would be able to cover all the areas mentioned? My limited experience with realtors is that they have familiarity with a small geographic area.
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Old 07-08-2019, 03:50 PM
 
Location: New England
2,190 posts, read 2,212,330 times
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Originally Posted by Theswami View Post
Thanks all. Anyone think a realtor would be able to cover all the areas mentioned? My limited experience with realtors is that they have familiarity with a small geographic area.
Arlington and Somerville border each other, I'm sure you could find realtors that cover both. And there are a bunch of people who want to live in somewhere like Davis, but can't afford the skyrocketing prices so they're pushed out to Arlington.
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Old 07-08-2019, 08:20 PM
 
Location: Needham, MA
8,525 posts, read 13,910,379 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Theswami View Post
Thanks all. Anyone think a realtor would be able to cover all the areas mentioned? My limited experience with realtors is that they have familiarity with a small geographic area.
Depends on how big of an area you're talking about. It seems Arlington and Somerville have been mentioned in this discussion a lot. It's quite feasible that a single agent would be very familiar with both. There's a lot of overlap in customer base there. I actually know a guy that covers those areas who does a great job. If you want his info just send me a PM.
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