moving to Cambridge

[elswyth-thane.livejournal.com]

I am moving to Cambridge around Labor Day, and only know the immediate Harvard Square area. I'd appreciate advice about where in Davis Square to live (or NOT to live) and how to approach the apartment hunt. There seem to be some (relatively speaking) bargains near Kendall Square, which would reduce my commute, but I have alway felt Davis Square had more personality. I assume I should also budget for parking.

Thanks! I am looking forward to returning about 16 years away.

Comments

[turil.livejournal.com]

If you really like Davis, then the commute wouldn't be too bad to get to Kendall, since it's only 4 stops away on the Red Line. But generally, since you are likely to have far more trips to and from work (or school?) then I say you should live as close to work as possible, walking distance is obviously the best. Then, you spend far less time and aggrevation commuting and have more time and energy to go fun places when you have free time. Oh, and if you are living in the city, ditch the car. It's far more of a hastle than a help in an urban area. And if you need to go far away, you can rent a car if you need to. If you, for some reason, do travel a lot and find a cheap car more cost effective than renting all the time, then consider sharing your car with others (roommates, neighbors, friends, etc.). Sharing can cut down on operations costs quite a bit. You can also keep your car outside the city, where parking is free, and take a bus or train to pick it up when you need it. (That's what my husband does.)

As far as places not to live? Well, I don't think there are really and perticularly bad places in Cambridge or Somerville. A few places are less upscale than others, but for the most part all of the communities are pretty friendly. The only real difference is in accessability. East Somerville and West Cambridge, along with the area of Cambridge near the Charles River and the area of Somerville near Medford are not well served by the T, so they are cheaper, generally. If you bike, then these areas are great. I live on Spring Hill, near Somerville Hospital and City Hall, and my bike commute into Harvard Square is only about 5-10 minutes, depending on the lights, whereas it would take me at least 45 minutes by T (bus and/or subway). And when I don't feel like biking, I can walk to work in less than 25 minutes.

[nalz.livejournal.com]

I live over the border in Medford - its about a mile into Davis but pretty close to powderhouse and ball square. I love this area and its cheaper than Davis, and always pretty easy to find apartments/parking without paying out the wazoo.

That being said, if I were working in Kendell I'd probably drive as its not that far to drive, and the public transportation route from where I live would be at least 3x as long. Driving, however, will probably take 5 minutes w/o traffic. Or if you're into biking that would be viable as well.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Parking is the big problem when commuting by car in the city. It's just not feasible in most areas. If you live in Cambridge, you can buy a resident Permit Parking sticker, and then you can at least legally park on the street. But you'll probably have to spend 10-25 minutes at least looking for a parking spot, and then have to walk 5-10 minutes to wherever you are going. Kind of defeats the purpose of using the car, really.

If you want to go a little faster, or you're not quite up for using your own power to propel you by bike, an electric scooter like the eGo or somesuch is a great option. They have a range of at least 15 miles on a charge (about 3-4 hours), and can go up to about 25 mph. And you can park them pretty much anywhere you can park a bicycle.

[nalz.livejournal.com]

While alternative transportation is always ideal - I haven't ever had a problem parking in the Kendell area any time of day/night/weekend. just my experience anyway.