Comparing Davis to Far-Off Places
Jul. 28th, 2006 08:02 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
midsummernd.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
davis_squareI need some help with housing decision-making, and I'm hoping ya'll can give me some advice.
I just moved up to Davis a month ago, on a two-month sublet. I lived here last summer, and I adore Davis Square. The plan had always been for me to move in with a friend of mine come September. Problem is, she wants to live in the Brookline/Brighton area. I work in Watertown, so that's not a terrible stretch for me commute-wise (might it even be shorter?) - but if anyone has lived on the other side of the river, I really could use some advice about how it compares to Davis.
What I want out of a living situation is this:
- Good value of apartment for the money - I don't want to live in a run-down place or a shoebox, but I'm young and pretty broke.
- Neighborhoody feel - I like that Davis feels pretty safe at night, and has all kinds of events on the weekends - not to mention good coffee and good food (oh and the green leafy things are awesome).
- A place to stash my car - either easy street parking or off-street parking.
- Good commute. I don't want to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic every day, and I'd love to be able to take public transportation whenever possible.
Is it worth leaving Davis for a good roommate? Or have all of you chosen Davis over other parts of the area for excellent, well-thought out reasons that will sway my opinion away from the other side of the river?
I should note, I spend a lot of my free time by Kenmore Sq. and thereabouts, but I hadn't been to Coolidge Corner (which seems the most Davis-like area) until last night.
I just moved up to Davis a month ago, on a two-month sublet. I lived here last summer, and I adore Davis Square. The plan had always been for me to move in with a friend of mine come September. Problem is, she wants to live in the Brookline/Brighton area. I work in Watertown, so that's not a terrible stretch for me commute-wise (might it even be shorter?) - but if anyone has lived on the other side of the river, I really could use some advice about how it compares to Davis.
What I want out of a living situation is this:
- Good value of apartment for the money - I don't want to live in a run-down place or a shoebox, but I'm young and pretty broke.
- Neighborhoody feel - I like that Davis feels pretty safe at night, and has all kinds of events on the weekends - not to mention good coffee and good food (oh and the green leafy things are awesome).
- A place to stash my car - either easy street parking or off-street parking.
- Good commute. I don't want to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic every day, and I'd love to be able to take public transportation whenever possible.
Is it worth leaving Davis for a good roommate? Or have all of you chosen Davis over other parts of the area for excellent, well-thought out reasons that will sway my opinion away from the other side of the river?
I should note, I spend a lot of my free time by Kenmore Sq. and thereabouts, but I hadn't been to Coolidge Corner (which seems the most Davis-like area) until last night.
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Date: 2006-07-29 01:53 pm (UTC)My apartment was great. It was more expensive than any apartment I've had on this side of the river, but not by a ton, and it was also easily half again as big as my largest apartment over here.
Coolidge Corner is a GREAT neighborhood. There's the bookstore with fun readings, the movie theater, lots and lots of good food... And I never felt unsafe, even coming home very late.
As other people have pointed out, though, if you have a car, you'll want to find an apartment that includes parking, because there's no overnight parking, ever, in Brookline, and parking spaces are at a premium. And, of course, the green line can be a pain in the ass. On the other hand, you're in easy walking distance to lots of interesting and fun stuff.