Living in Massachusetts without a car

[miu]

I'm one of the rare women that doesn't enjoy shopping in department stores. I'm more into thrift and consignment shops, and I pretty much live in t-shirts and blue jeans because of my dogs. I have noticed that many people, including foreign visitors to our city, love to visit the Wrentham Premium Outlet Stores complex. Otherwise, in Boston the Copley Square area has Neiman Marcus and other shops, there's a Sak's Fifth Ave. and all the stores on Newbury Street to visit.

Weather-wise, I've been loving the last few spring weeks for being so mild and dry.

[Smananas]

I live in Brookline and live without a car but I am 30 and single. I think what might be the hardest for you having a family and living without a car is grocery shopping. I have troubel with this and I am just one person. I live in close proximity to three grocery stores, but I have a hard time with heavy items like juice, soda, laundry detergent, etc. It is hard to carry these any distance. I either ask friends for a ride or rent a car and drive to a box store a couple times a year to stock up on this kind of stuff. Otherwise, I do fine without having a car. I walk most everywhere or use the T/ Commuter Rail.

I like Boston the most for its educational/ cultural opportunities. Tons of universities to take classes at and lots of great culture centers like the French Library and the Goethe Institut.

[HenryAlan]

You can deal with the groceries by using a delivery service. Most stores will do that for a minimal charge, and it is so much easier to order everything on-line than try dragging the whole family through the store.

[lz1982]

You can also get a grocery cart. I pretty much only use mine for cases of soda or water, but it's nice to have in those situations.

[purplerain112]

I lived in Boston/Brookline for more than 5 years without a car. I personally think Brookline is necessary to live without a car if you live close to Beacon St. (parking is expensive), since the T is so convenient and you can pretty much walk everywhere. You can always do car rental if you need to go somewhere far.

[brit3218]

Originally Posted by Smananas

I live in Brookline and live without a car but I am 30 and single. I think what might be the hardest for you having a family and living without a car is grocery shopping. I have troubel with this and I am just one person. I live in close proximity to three grocery stores, but I have a hard time with heavy items like juice, soda, laundry detergent, etc. It is hard to carry these any distance. I either ask friends for a ride or rent a car and drive to a box store a couple times a year to stock up on this kind of stuff. Otherwise, I do fine without having a car. I walk most everywhere or use the T/ Commuter Rail.

I like Boston the most for its educational/ cultural opportunities. Tons of universities to take classes at and lots of great culture centers like the French Library and the Goethe Institut.

This is kind of the situation I'll be in when I move to South Hamilton in September. I'm 22 and will be attending grad school and won't have a car. I'm really concerned abou grocery shopping and things like that.