Comparing Davis to Far-Off Places

[midsummernd.livejournal.com]

I 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.

Comments

[xjustquietx.livejournal.com]

I used to live in Brighton (Oak Square). I hated it, but it had some good points.

The 57 bus is easily one of, if not the, worst buses in town. I remember that one, freezing winter a few years back where I would commonly wait in the cold for nearly an hour. There also seemed to be more drunks and fights on the 57 than there are on the 87 or 88.

The green line, and the 57, are atrocious. I used to take the 504(?) downtown to work in the morning, and that only showed up every so often. I found it was faster to take the 64 to Central and get on the good ol' Red Line. However, if you're going to Watertown, since the traffic will probably be in the opposite direction (there were always plenty of 57s going the other way...) that might benefit you.

Someone said Oak Square wasn't neighborhoody, but I thought it was. I got to know a few of my neighbors and I liked them. But if I hadn't moved first I'm sure they would have. Seemed like a bit of a transient neighborhood (moreso than most). But still kind of nice. Children came to our apartment for Halloween. The Last Drop gets food for people who come in on Monday nights, and the bartenders and patrons were friendly. Oak Square seemed nice and crime free, although lots of irritating, loud, college students would throw parties. Other people I know who live elsewhere in Brighton currently probably wouldn't say it was so safe, they say there have been a lot of shootings.

The rent was pretty cheap. Some landlords seem to be deadbeats but we had a pretty nice one. I don't think parking was included.

There weren't really any events in Oak Square. Sometimes we went down to the Green Briar Pub for Trivia Night and there's a great music scene unfolding in Allston, but, my general feeling was the Brighton was boring as hell. It was a hike to Brighton Center for good food and good coffee. Maybe if you lived there, closer to the T, it might not be so bad, but I would say it was quite a different vibe from Davis, more boring in my opinion.

However a good roommate IS hard to find. But you know, good friends don't always make good roommates...

[midsummernd.livejournal.com]

thanks for this post (and to everyone else!). I don't have to use the bus, as I can drive to work in the morning. The parking situation IS a big deal. Although, just having a driveway would be nice (I haven't been able to find a decent place in Davis that does).

I do have a strong dislike of the green line, I suppose that's a factor.

The apartments on craigslist for that area just look so gorgeous - new kitchens, big bedrooms. . .Somerville can be so hit or miss on that count, and it feels like you pay a premium for every improvement the landlord has made in the last ten years. Although I'm guessing that's true there as well.

But as for whether good friends make good roomates? Believe me, I wouldn't be this torn about it if I didn't think that we'd make great roommates. After many, many roommate situations, I think my judgement's pretty sharp on that one. :)