Boston Gals??

[chitowngal]

I am being relocated to the Boston area in 6 months for my job and would like to get some ideas on where to live. I''m in my late 20''s and would love to live somewhere in the city. I''d appreciate any suggestions!

 

[diamondfan]

Beacon Hill? I am not from the area but have a lot of family there. My niece went to school in the city for high school, part of B.U. There were some pretty streets around that area, I think it is called the Back Bay. But I am not sure of it as a neighborhood.

 

[sna77]

Back Bay. What''s your budget? Where are you going to be working?

 

[mercoledi]

Hi ya, I''m in my late 20''s and live here. Beacon Hill is a decent option. It depends on what you want out of an area and what sort of lifestyle you prefer. We live in a super-clean, super-save, super-dull area and are thinking of moving somewhere more fun/hip. What kind of neighborhood do you want?

 

[sna77]

Date: 5/2/2008 10:55:14 AM
Author: diamondfan
Beacon Hill? I am not from the area but have a lot of family there. My niece went to school in the city for high school, part of B.U. There were some pretty streets around that area, I think it is called the Back Bay. But I am not sure of it as a neighborhood.

Beacon Hill is really nice too. Marlborough St in Back Bay is my favorite street in the city... I wanted to but there when I bought last year, but the public schools in Boston blow, so I would have to have been putting fture kids in private school, so I settled on Brookline, which is right next to Fenway, but happens to have the bets public schools in the state....

 

[sna77]

Marlborough St, Back Bay:
http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/massachusetts/towns/boston/galleries/marlborough_street?pg=2

 

[sna77]

one more pic

 

[chitowngal]

i will be working in downtown crossing (is that right?)...my budget is 1800-2000 a month for a one bedroom.

 

[diamondfan]

My step family is from Brookline, they had a big Victorian on Salisbury Road.

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 5/2/2008 11:18:53 AM
Author: sna77
one more pic

i love this picture!

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 5/2/2008 11:07:39 AM
Author: mercoledi
Hi ya, I''m in my late 20''s and live here. Beacon Hill is a decent option. It depends on what you want out of an area and what sort of lifestyle you prefer. We live in a super-clean, super-save, super-dull area and are thinking of moving somewhere more fun/hip. What kind of neighborhood do you want?

hi mercoledi! i would like somewhere safe, but more fun/hip. is it possible to live in boston without a car?

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 5/2/2008 11:28:40 AM
Author: diamondfan
My step family is from Brookline, they had a big Victorian on Salisbury Road.

i would love to get a big victorian someday..maybe in a few years!

 

[sna77]

Back Bay is where you want to be then. 5 minute walk to DownTown crossing / financial district. Also Beacon Hill is a 10 minute walk from there...

 

[sna77]

Date: 5/2/2008 11:32:13 AM
Author: chitowngal

Date: 5/2/2008 11:07:39 AM
Author: mercoledi
Hi ya, I''m in my late 20''s and live here. Beacon Hill is a decent option. It depends on what you want out of an area and what sort of lifestyle you prefer. We live in a super-clean, super-save, super-dull area and are thinking of moving somewhere more fun/hip. What kind of neighborhood do you want?

hi mercoledi! i would like somewhere safe, but more fun/hip. is it possible to live in boston without a car?

Fun / hip and safe is Beacon Hill / Back Bay. south End is fun / hip... Safety is a concern though...

You can get by in Boston w/o a car... if you live downtown... If you are on the outskirts (Allston / Brighton area) you probably will

 

[mercoledi]

I live in an old Victorian without a car in Brookline!

It's doable. We belong to ZipCar, so we can drive around when we need to. You have a nice budget, so maybe check out the South End first; most of it is pretty safe. Back bay/Beacon hill are really nice, but really pricy and the apartments can be tiny. Avoid Brighton/Allston, it's mostly college students and not so fun for adults. You could also do Brookline or parts of Cambridge as long as you're near a T. The all come together near Downtown Crossing, so which line isn't super important.

What do you like to eat/do? Kids anytime soon?

 

[sna77]

Date: 5/2/2008 11:57:51 AM
Author: mercoledi
I live in an old Victorian without a car in Brookline!

It''s doable. We belong to ZipCar, so we can drive around when we need to. You have a nice budget, so maybe check out the South End first; most of it is pretty safe. Back bay/Beacon hill are really nice, but really pricy and the apartments can be tiny. Avoid Brighton/Allston, it''s mostly college students and not so fun for adults. You could also do Brookline or parts of Cambridge as long as you''re near a T. The all come together near Downtown Crossing, so which line isn''t super important.

What do you like to eat/do? Kids anytime soon?

where are you guys in Brookline? We are in Washington Square in a condo.. I love it here...

 

[mercoledi]

We''re in Brookline Village. I like it plenty; we''ve been here for 6 years, but our apartment is starting to feel small. I''ll probably be working in Cambridge or JP later this year, so we''re talking about moving to one of those to put some money away so that someday we can buy something. Even in a dud market, Brookline is expensive! Congrats to you on your condo, are you in one of the newish buildings on Beacon? It''s nice down there and sooo much closer to the whole foods.

 

[sna77]

Date: 5/2/2008 1:04:40 PM
Author: mercoledi
We''re in Brookline Village. I like it plenty; we''ve been here for 6 years, but our apartment is starting to feel small. I''ll probably be working in Cambridge or JP later this year, so we''re talking about moving to one of those to put some money away so that someday we can buy something. Even in a dud market, Brookline is expensive! Congrats to you on your condo, are you in one of the newish buildings on Beacon? It''s nice down there and sooo much closer to the whole foods.

Haha. Thanks We bought the condo last August... We recently had it refinaced and the value actually went up. the mortgage broker was amazed... Said it was the first home in the past 1.5 years that theyd seen go up for an appraised value becasue of the market...

Anyhow, we''re at Whole Foods almost every night... Our building is about 20 years old... Its a condo building built to look like and old Victorian--but with modern aammenites--underground parking, lare decks, etc... Our 2br is kinda small (1000sq feet), but I''m happy with a small place.. If we had more rooms we''d just fill it upo with more stuff... Plus Lin has the walk-in closet, so she''s happy...

we''re 630 washignton... check it out on your next whole foods run...

 

[chitowngal]

thanks guys. i''ll definitely look into back bay, beacon hill, and brookline. i am also a huge fan of whole foods!

i love trying out different restaurants and bars. we are always eating out. i''ve heard the seafood in boston is unbeatable! i''m pumped about the lobster and clam chowder

not planning on kids in the near future, so school districts isn''t a huge concern for me at this point. i just want to live in a safe, laid-back town with things to do during the weekend (good shopping is a must!)

 

[zoebartlett]

Ahhh, I miss the Boston and the Brookline areas. I used to live in Chestnut Hill when I worked in the city.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Do you have a car? If you do and you plan to keep it, I'd probably choose the Back Bay over Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill is closer to the Financial District, but there is literally NO parking. I work at Downtown Crossing and Beacon Hill is maybe a 5 - 10 minute walk. To get to Back Bay you have to cross the common, so it takes about 15 minutes.

You can find a decent 1 bedroom in the Back Bay for $1,800 to $2,000. My husband and I saw about 6 apartments around $2,000/mo. on Marlborough and Commonwealth Streets last year and they were all nice. Way too small for us, but nice.

Cambridge is also convenient to the Financial District since you can just hop on the red line and get off at Downtown Crossing--you can get a bit more space there.

 

[sap483]

I used to live in Kennmore and Brookline (St. Mary''s). What''s great about that area is that it''s on the green line which has a lot of stops so as a general rule of thumb it''s usually not too far of a walk to get the the T if you live somewhat close to a main street, like Beacon. I do think though that you would really like Beacon Hill, Back Bay or the South End as others have mentioned. You have a realistic budget which makes it easier. I happen to really like how the South End is developing. A lot of relatively newer restaurants and bars have gone in and they have some really great loft style buildings going up. It''s definitely a lot safer now than it was when I was in college. I was just reading an article about how they''re hoping to do the same for the downtown crossing area- but as of now I would stay away from living too close to downtown crossing.

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 5/2/2008 7:37:03 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
Do you have a car? If you do and you plan to keep it, I''d probably choose the Back Bay over Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill is closer to the Financial District, but there is literally NO parking. I work at Downtown Crossing and Beacon Hill is maybe a 5 - 10 minute walk. To get to Back Bay you have to cross the common, so it takes about 15 minutes.

You can find a decent 1 bedroom in the Back Bay for $1,800 to $2,000. My husband and I saw about 6 apartments around $2,000/mo. on Marlborough and Commonwealth Streets last year and they were all nice. Way too small for us, but nice.

Cambridge is also convenient to the Financial District since you can just hop on the red line and get off at Downtown Crossing--you can get a bit more space there.

i have a car now, but i''m not sure if i am going to keep it. i will decide once i decide on a place to live..i am NOT a good parker, so if there is limited parking or just parking on the streets, i may just take public transportation instead. i think i would rather live somewhere small but close to the city. it''s just me at this point, so i don''t need too much space

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 5/5/2008 2:17:07 PM
Author: sap483
I used to live in Kennmore and Brookline (St. Mary''s). What''s great about that area is that it''s on the green line which has a lot of stops so as a general rule of thumb it''s usually not too far of a walk to get the the T if you live somewhat close to a main street, like Beacon. I do think though that you would really like Beacon Hill, Back Bay or the South End as others have mentioned. You have a realistic budget which makes it easier. I happen to really like how the South End is developing. A lot of relatively newer restaurants and bars have gone in and they have some really great loft style buildings going up. It''s definitely a lot safer now than it was when I was in college. I was just reading an article about how they''re hoping to do the same for the downtown crossing area- but as of now I would stay away from living too close to downtown crossing.

thanks sap! i have a friend who also mentioned south end as an option. i love living around different restaurants/bars, so i will definitely look into that. i am very excited about moving and can''t wait to go visit!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 5/5/2008 3:10:55 PM
Author: chitowngal

Date: 5/2/2008 7:37:03 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
Do you have a car? If you do and you plan to keep it, I''d probably choose the Back Bay over Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill is closer to the Financial District, but there is literally NO parking. I work at Downtown Crossing and Beacon Hill is maybe a 5 - 10 minute walk. To get to Back Bay you have to cross the common, so it takes about 15 minutes.

You can find a decent 1 bedroom in the Back Bay for $1,800 to $2,000. My husband and I saw about 6 apartments around $2,000/mo. on Marlborough and Commonwealth Streets last year and they were all nice. Way too small for us, but nice.

Cambridge is also convenient to the Financial District since you can just hop on the red line and get off at Downtown Crossing--you can get a bit more space there.

i have a car now, but i''m not sure if i am going to keep it. i will decide once i decide on a place to live..i am NOT a good parker, so if there is limited parking or just parking on the streets, i may just take public transportation instead. i think i would rather live somewhere small but close to the city. it''s just me at this point, so i don''t need too much space

Hehe, it forces you to become an EXPERT at parallel parking

I''d scope out the South End as well--we looked at about 4 apartments there. At the time we were both working in the Back Bay, so the SE was convenient. It''s a little bit farther if you''re working in the Financial District, but you can get more for your money down there and it''s a really cute place to live. LOTS of dogs in the south end (as a dog-owner, that was my favorite part, haha).

Most of the buildings in the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and South End were built 80+ years ago--the upside is that you get great details like great hardwoods and beautiful fireplaces. The downside is that you don''t usually have a dishwasher (of the dozen or more apartments we saw in your price range, 2 had a little dishwasher) and the closets are usually pretty small. I only mention this because if you want something like a dishwasher, be sure to let your real estate agent know

 

[sna77]

Date: 5/5/2008 3:14:02 PM
Author: chitowngal

Date: 5/5/2008 2:17:07 PM
Author: sap483
I used to live in Kennmore and Brookline (St. Mary''s). What''s great about that area is that it''s on the green line which has a lot of stops so as a general rule of thumb it''s usually not too far of a walk to get the the T if you live somewhat close to a main street, like Beacon. I do think though that you would really like Beacon Hill, Back Bay or the South End as others have mentioned. You have a realistic budget which makes it easier. I happen to really like how the South End is developing. A lot of relatively newer restaurants and bars have gone in and they have some really great loft style buildings going up. It''s definitely a lot safer now than it was when I was in college. I was just reading an article about how they''re hoping to do the same for the downtown crossing area- but as of now I would stay away from living too close to downtown crossing.

thanks sap! i have a friend who also mentioned south end as an option. i love living around different restaurants/bars, so i will definitely look into that. i am very excited about moving and can''t wait to go visit!!

be careful with the south end... I''d rather tak e a $5 cab there then walk there myself... Its on the edge of Roxbury... So some riff raff comes in there from time to time... When FI and I where looking at places to buy, she said she didnt feel safe walking alone there at night... That was a deal breaker for me... Its been "up and coming" for the last 20 years now... Don''t get me wrong, some of the best places in the city to eat are there... and they have some great places... I''d rather pay an extra $100-$200 month though and live in Beacon Hill / Back Bay and feel 100% safe, and have all of those amenites and then some...

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 5/5/2008 4:08:32 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady


Hehe, it forces you to become an EXPERT at parallel parking

I''d scope out the South End as well--we looked at about 4 apartments there. At the time we were both working in the Back Bay, so the SE was convenient. It''s a little bit farther if you''re working in the Financial District, but you can get more for your money down there and it''s a really cute place to live. LOTS of dogs in the south end (as a dog-owner, that was my favorite part, haha).


Most of the buildings in the Back Bay, Beacon Hill and South End were built 80+ years ago--the upside is that you get great details like great hardwoods and beautiful fireplaces. The downside is that you don''t usually have a dishwasher (of the dozen or more apartments we saw in your price range, 2 had a little dishwasher) and the closets are usually pretty small. I only mention this because if you want something like a dishwasher, be sure to let your real estate agent know

thanks for the tip! i don''t use the dishwasher too much, so that won''t be a huge concern for me. HOWEVER, i need a washer/dryer!!

 

[chitowngal]

Date: 5/5/2008 4:58:43 PM
Author: sna77
be careful with the south end... I''d rather tak e a $5 cab there then walk there myself... Its on the edge of Roxbury... So some riff raff comes in there from time to time... When FI and I where looking at places to buy, she said she didnt feel safe walking alone there at night... That was a deal breaker for me... Its been ''up and coming'' for the last 20 years now... Don''t get me wrong, some of the best places in the city to eat are there... and they have some great places... I''d rather pay an extra $100-$200 month though and live in Beacon Hill / Back Bay and feel 100% safe, and have all of those amenites and then some...

thanks sna! i completely agree with you. i would rather pay a bit more to live somewhere i KNOW is safe. for my job, i am always staying late and get home at odd hours, so that is certainly a concern of mine...

 

[sna77]

Date: 5/6/2008 9:31:20 PM
Author: chitowngal


thanks for the tip! i don''t use the dishwasher too much, so that won''t be a huge concern for me. HOWEVER, i need a washer/dryer!!

ha, dont count on it... if theres no room for a dishwasher, theres no room for a washer / dryer... Most rental units will have laundry in the basement at your pricepoint... Also, you can do as I do... wash and fod... Drop laundry off before work pickup all folded after work... perfecto.