Inman Square

[moireach.livejournal.com]

Can anyone tell me about the relative sketchiness (or not) of the Inman Square area? Apparently there's a right and wrong side of both Western Ave and Putnam -- which is which? Would you feel safe walking around the area at night? Is it feasible to live there carless?

Thanks much! [crossposted to b0st0n, sorry]

Comments

[jadelennox]

I've never felt unsafe in the greater Inman area.

[moireach.livejournal.com]

What do you mean by greater Inman? Or, just, the entire Inman area? (Sorry, I'm being dumb. :))

[jadelennox]

I mean the entire area. I used to live halfway between Porter and Inman, and felt safer close to Inman that I did close to Porter (Beacon Street between the Beacon street star market and Somerville Avenue is inexplicably sketchy, and I've never been able to figure out why). Because MBTA access to Inman is inconvenient, I have frequently walked at night from Inman to Harvard, Union, or Porter, and occasionally Central. That pretty much covers all directions, and I've never felt unsafe. I mean, as long as you use basic urban commonsense for night walking.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

I thought Western & Putnam were in Cambridge below Central (towards the Charles). I thought Inman Square was above Central Square at Hampshire/Cambridge/Prospect streets and thereabouts (Hampshire becoming Beacon once it crosses the Somerville line).

Are you sure you mean Inman Square?

[moireach.livejournal.com]

Oops, yeah, apparently I was wrong about the Western/Putnam thing. I do mean Inman, though.

[cemeterygates.livejournal.com]

my opinion is that the area in between inman and harvard, a couple blocks off cambridge street in both directions, is all cool. the closer you get toward lechmere, the more sketchy it becomes, although i worked in that part of cambridge for a number of years and walked to and from work (i was living about three blocks from inman, down prospect st towards central), and i never had any difficulties besides being heckled by groups of teenage boys a couple times.

[moireach.livejournal.com]

Ah, cool, thank you.

[cemeterygates.livejournal.com]

also, yes, it's totally fine to be carless in that area, the 69 bus takes you right to harvard from anywhere on cambridge street, and it's fairly regular. it's also only about 10-15 min walk to central square.

[alphacygni]

There are also several other buses that pass through Inman, so you can get to all sorts of T stops from it, in addition to the short walk to Central.

It's a great area. There's an area of not-so-good roughly in the square formed by Norfolk and Windsor, and Harvard and Main Streets, but even that has improved much over the years. Also, as was previously mentioned, things get a bit sketchy down Cambridge Street towards Lechmere, as you pass Windsor Street.

And not to Windsor Street sound bad. :) I lived at the corner of Windsor and Hampshire for some time, and felt fine. As the B-Side evolved into a popular hipster bar, I even felt very safe at night, since there would always be people walking to and from it.

Laundromat situation in the area is pretty sucky, though.

[pyrric.livejournal.com]

There's an area of not-so-good roughly in the square formed by Norfolk and Windsor, and Harvard and Main Streets, but even that has improved much over the years.

It really has. I lived near the intersection of Norfolk and Harvard for two years, from 2001-2003, and the difference even between those two short years was pretty palpable.

That's not to say that I had any real trouble--I used to walk to and from Central at all hours of the day and night (sometimes dressed in all sorts of strange Manray-attending garb) without incident--but something about the sense of the place changed.

As far as Inman goes, I lived at the corner of Cambridge and Prospect from 1997-1999 and found it absolutely delightful. I used to bump into the same people at the 1369 as I did at the Druid and the laundromat and the bank, and it felt like a really cohesive community. I hope I can move back there someday.

[ursamajor]

inman square itself is fine. i feel safer at night west of it (cambridge st going towards harvard, beacon st, prospect going towards central) rather than east of it (heading more towards lechmere), though that may be a product of knowing that area a lot better.

cambridgeport (where western and putnam aves are) is more residential, but there have been some issues recently with women getting jumped after dark, according to a friend who lives off putnam ave; she's been warning us to not come from the t alone after dark.

they're both about 10-15 minutes walk from central square (just in opposite directions); you don't need a car to live there, though the people i know in those areas have them anyway.

[moireach.livejournal.com]

Great, thanks, good to know. (Also: hi!)

[modpixie.livejournal.com]

generally speaking, the inman square area is safe -- like most female posters, i've wandered around there after dark without a second thought. there's one sketchy character who lives in inman, and i frequently see him around central. his name is mitch and he's a 6' tall, barrel-chested man with black hair that reaches the middle of his back -- he frequently wears flannel shirts, trucker hats, and aviator sunglasses. while he hasn't been arrested for anything, he has behaved in bizarre, somewhat violent ways around me and other women i know, so be aware.

[shinxy.livejournal.com]

Inman Square area is safe. Ungentrified and unabashedly working class, but definitely safe.