Hey Boston People--need advice on apartment hunting!!

[The Dread Pirate Roberts]

I lived for a while in Somerville (between Porter and Davis Squares) and it's my favorite, favorite area to live in Boston.  Great bars, restaurants, close to Harvard Square (I could walk when ambitious), the red line is so fast into town.  The Cambridge-Somerville area really is the place to be, as long as it's relatively convenient to your school.

Just keep in mind that western Somerville and eastern Somerville are quite  different.  Western Somerville (the Davis Sq area) is great, pretty trendy and fun.  I lived in East Somerville near the Sullivan Sq T stop (technically not in Somerville, but it's right at the edge) for a summer, and it was fine, but there was a bit less to do, fewer shops and restaurants, and I was less than 100% comfortable walking around at night.  It wasn't *too* bad, and nothing bad happened to me, but I've definitely lived in places I felt more comfortable with).

[manserunt]

Agreed.  If you're looking at places in Somerville (a.k.a. Slummerville), be sure that the apartment is walking distance from the red line.

[littletanuki]

Back to the apartments.  There are lots of really great, relatively inexpensive places to live in and around Boston, but you really do need to start looking ASAP, because the housing market is a little insane.  A lot of schools have a "off campus housing" website or service where people list apartments or rooms to rent.  I would check to see if your school has something similar...

Coolidge Corner is wonderful!  I never lived there, but I always wanted to.  It has easy access to the T, and has lots of great shops and restaurants.  Ditto for Davis Square and Central Square (Cambridge).   Beacon Hill is also beautiful, but it can be expensive.  

If you're looking to get away from undergrads, stay away from Allston and most of Brighton (along Commonwealth Ave). I lived in an out of the way neighborhood in Brighton which was great for having a car (always found a spot, usually right in front of my apt!), but it wasn't a great location for public transportation.

If you're worried about being "had" by the broker, I think it's still possible for you to find an apartment on your own.  You are looking to move "off peak", so once the just settles from the summer, there may not be as much competition for the remaining apts.  You might have better luck if you are willing to have roommates and are alright with picking up on a lease already in progress (does that make sense?  )  

[clint79]

yeah i've been looking at boston apts too for a move around the beginning of august. I'm leaning toward living in cambridge, but i'd rather not be living light years from the rest of my BU class and spending forever on the T. anyone know if it's do-able to live in cambridge and go to school in BU? i dont remember how long i spent on the T from cambridge to BU when i was there last month.

[jacy85]

Using Harvard Square as your end point, here's what you're looking at on the T:

BU Central (near the ls) to Park Street:  25 minutes  (maybe shorter later at night, or much longer depending on teh Sox season/whether a new train has broken down)

Park to Harvard Sq:  Probably only 10-15 minutes

So on a good day, you're looking at maybe 35-40 minutes on the t.  On a bad day, you're looking at over an hour.

Not horrible, and it's what most of us do if we live in Allston/Brighton and work in the city.  I'd rather only be depentant on the B line for a few stops.  It's easier to walk from Kenmore Sq. to BU than from Allston to BU.

[manserunt]

66 Bus travels from Harvard Square, across river to Comm Ave and beyond.  You could get from Cambridge to Allston in 10-15 mins, so I think that would work well for you.  If you live along the red line in Cambridge-Somerville (Davis, Porter, Harvard, Central) you could either walk or take the train to Harvard and catch the 66.  Then, you could walk or take green line to BU.  Very easy.  In all, maybe 30 mins, depending on how far you'd be traveling from Harvard Ave/Comm Ave.

I love Cambridge.  I think you'd be very happy there.

[tbraughler]

What else is Cambridge like in terms of places to eat, shops, etc?
Is the neighboorhood quiet or are there bunches of loud undergrads?

[jacy85]

On a side note, not a lot of people know this:

If you get a bus pass, adn do the bus from Cambridge to Comm Ave, your bus pass will let you get on the T going inbound without paying. This only works on the above grounds stops (ie. you can't use it to get in at the underground stops).

So you could just buy a bus pass, and then hop on the B line and get off at BU (or park, or where ever you're going for school)

[manserunt]

Cambridge varies by area.  Harvard Square is bustling (typical shops: Urban Outfitters, Origins and, as you might imagine, lots of bookstores!)  There are great restaurants - most notably one of my very favorites, Pho Pasteur, as well as John Harvard's, more of a standard fare with beer kind of place.  Porter (the next stop north) has more of a family feel, but there are nice shops, restaurants and bars around.  I love Davis - actually in Somerville, around the Cambridge border (a great bar is the Burren), which is full of young PROFESSIONAL people (and grad students) as opposed to undergrads.  Central Square is noticeably funkier, which is evident in the shops and restaurants that surround it, and also to a certain extent in its denizens.  I didn't venture down that way very often, but there is a great place called the Middle East (restaurant/bar/ music venue) and other assorted great nightlife.

[Slothrop]

Clint79,

Rather than the 66 bus to get to the green line, I think you'd be much better off with the CrossTown-1.  Your subway pass gets you on all the CT buses plus the subway ($44/month), and the CT-1 runs from Harvard Square, through Central Square and you can get off at Hynes.  From Hynes BU Law school is 4 stops on the B-line.  Since the CT is an express, it only stops a few times.  I think if you live in Harvard or Central Square, you can get to BU in 30 minutes tops, much faster than taking the red line to Park Street, or the 66 bus.  The only problem is that the CT-1 only runs during the day on weekdays, the #1 bus takes the same route, but you have to pay and it takes a little longer since it's not the express.  Hope this isn't all too confusing...

Oh, and Jacy, are you sure about the bus-pass?  All the green line stops are free outbound and above ground, but I think you always have to pay to go inbound, although I could be wrong, I always had a subway pass.