Boston: where to ride & live
 

It seems that I'm moving from DC to Boston in July. I've found lots of threads on track-friendly shops, one thread about where to ride, but not much on cool neighborhoods to live in. What are the central areas of boston (close to downtown--no outskirts or suburbs)?

I'll be working just over the river in cambridge, near the bridge with the science museum on it. It's essential that I be able to ride to work. Any suggestions? I plan on making several trips to find a place.

How close do you want to be to work? What kind of neighborhood are you looking for? What's your price range? What's your definition of suburb? Somerville and Cambridge are suburbs technically speaking, but you can stroll from Boston into Somerville or Cambridge without even realizing it. Somerville is actually the most densely settled city in the commonwealth and one of the densest in the nation.

didn't know that about somerville. i just spent some time there over memorial day weekend. i've never been there before but the riding seemed pretty decent. some hills but nothing too steep. saw a fair number of fixies out there too. me thinks it's a good area.

I plan on spending about 2K a month. I'd like to live in a rowhouse or very small, old building. I want to be near restaurants & shops. On my block in DC there are 19th c. rowhouses, 15 restaurants & bars, 3 dry cleaners, grocery store, hardware store, etc. I like dense, busy neighborhoods with a good mix of commercial and residential and a mix of income levels.
Edit: 5-10 miles each way max. I want to be close in though.

I would say Cambridge is what you are looking for, or maybe the North End if you can afford it.

What's south end like? A co-worker lives there and says I should check it out.

It is kind of what you are looking for although the neighborhood is a little bit more of a "young professional" kind of place. Not many good bars, unless you enjoy hanging out in a wine bar sipping chardonnay and discussing politics with a bunch of junior VP's.

Very funny. This co-worker is really into wine. It sounds like logan circle in DC.

Yes it is very much like Logan Circle.

$2k will get you quite a bit. You could get something in the South End which will be pretty hip and happening though you should definitely try to be gay, if possible. It'll make things easier. ;)

The North End likewise, but if you have a car it'll suck and there's a pretty serious stigma against "outsiders" looking to get in on the scene.

Central Square Cambridge matches your criteria.

timmhaan, yeah it's hard to believe because Somerville is nearly entirely Boston 3-deckers, but there's very little open space and it's overwhelmingly residential (which makes the city's finances a real challenge). Around the turn of the 20th century it actually boasted a higher population density than Calcutta.

Like Rome, Somerville was founded on 7 hills, the tallest of these being Prospect Hill. Following the Battle of Bunker Hill, the rebel army retreated to Prospect and erected what became the strongest fortifications in the battle for Boston. In 1776, the Citadel saw the flying of the first American flag.

It's a real ***** on a fixed gear.

are you talking $2k per month total or $2k per month on rent alone?

Rent, but it's a rough number. What other monthly expenses should I anticipate? In DC, renters are usually expected to take care of electricity, sometimes gas, but these are never very much for a single person, even in a large apt.

$2K is more than enough for ALL of your bills and a pretty decent 1BR. I agree with Trevor on the Central Square thing, or maybe a little closer Harvard even.

The metro north of the Charles River (Cambridge & Somerville) has a distinctly different feel than south of the river (Boston-proper). South side has a bit of an older and urban feel to it, where as the North side is a bit more sleepy. Figuring out which feel you like will go a long way in helping find a neighborhood.

Secondly, Boston is tiny in terms of space. You can ride just about anywhere inside the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area within a half-hour. So, that keeps your options open. But here are my suggestions (all in Boston proper):

Bay Village
North End
Chinatown
South End
Kenmore/Fenway (heavy student population in places)
Jamacia Plain

2K will get you a nice place in any of these areas. It will get you less space in BV, NE & SE, but you get a nice postcard feel from the neighborhoods.

North of the River:

Central Square
Davis Square

I've been away from Boston for a couple years, so things might have changed a bit, but here's what they were like while I was there. Keep in mind these are gross generalizations, but can give you a taste for the areas:

North End - oldest area of the city, apartments tend to be very small, great "village" feel to the neighborhood (markets, small shops, etc.), and I always saw a lot of kids playing in the small parks, which led me to believe it would be a good family area

Beacon Hill - for the most part where all the lawyers, etc. that work downtown live. Very nice, very expensive, and (for the apartments I saw) very small. A pretty tame area. Quiet, and not a whole lot of excitement. Right next to Boston Common.

Back Bay - Wide gridded boulevards, Newbury street has lots of high end shopping, apartments tend to be bigger, expensive, gets crazy during the weekend from shoppers, many bars that tend to attract the college crowd, nice brownstones

South End - similar to the Back Bay but without the whole "fake" feel, large gay population, nice big apartments, good eateries

Fenway - close to Fenway Park, can be "transitional" in certain areas but "hip" in others, apartments are bigger, parking is horrendous during Sox games, newest part of Boston proper. I lived in this area for a while and loved it. I had a huge apartment for cheap (by Boston standards) that overlooked a park and I was very close to the esplanade for some decent in-city biking.

Brookline - technically a suburb, but (like much of metro Boston) you would never know it. Tends to be upscale, family-oriented. Tends to be more low key and quiet. A generally pleasant area with a mix of housing styles.

Brighton - next to Brookline, VERY busy, VERY college-oriented (read: cheap rent), lots of hole-in-the-wall bars/restaurants, big mix of housing from triple deckers to brownstones to large victorian houses.

Cambridge - my favorite area, just over the Charles, vastly different areas from South to North, big mix of housing styles, lots of things to do, just plain great

Somerville - never spent a lot of time there, but I understand some great deals can be had for housing, some areas can be relatively rough, areas close to Cambridge tend to be better

If you're looking at $2K a month, you can live in any area. Obviously you'll get more for your money depending on location, but I don't think you have a thing to worry about. Everyone I knew there tended to move a lot depending on what neighborhood vibe (or roommate situation) they wanted. Have fun! :)

Thanks everyone. Very, very helpful. I'm going to try to come up for the day Sunday.

I would say that the somerville/cambridge is definitely for you (despite the hip factor), specifically the area withing these parameters: North of Massachusetts ave (2A), East of Harvard sq., South of Kirkland/Washington/Somerville ave/highway 28, and West of the charles pretty much. As far as squares go, I say in or around Central sq, or in or around Inman sq (but then again every freaking intersection is a "square" in that area. I wouldnt want to live in boston proper, I dont think you should. You'll also be able to ride to work every day of the year this way. I've also never seen a bad apt. in those areas and heard of some totally incredible jems. Go eat at Punjabi Dhaba, you'll want to stay close.

I got a flight sunday morning. I'll be there all day checking out these neighborhoods if anyone wants to hook up for a beer afternoon or early evening.

I promise to look in cambridge/somerville.

i would definitely recommend the inman area (cambridge). steer clear of union square (somerville); there is a helluva hill getting up in there. i'm in davis/porter (in somerville) and really like it...

ed: you can find a nice place in somerville or cambridge for that rent...especially for just one person.

They don't call it slummerville for nothing. ;)

I lived in East Cambridge for a year and Southie for three. I thought Southie was a great neighborhood and was convenient enough for riding anywhere. It was also pretty cheap ($1850 got you a just-renovated 2BR/1BA only two blocks from the harbor with a private roof deck). All the amenities are within easy walking distance, including some good bars. Not a place for the tragically hip or post-punk crowd, though.

Just curious, but where in DC do you currently live?

I always thought it was Scummervile.

You might want to check out Everett. I hear it's lovely in the springtime.

They haven't called it that for many years now.

Apart from possibly East Somerville or Ten Hills, you'd be hard pressed to find a sketchy neighborhood.

Edit: also, I think Union Sq is great. The big hill is Prospect Hill (about which I was previously blathering) but you only need to climb it if you're going to Winter Hill or if you actually got a place on Prospect. For where you'd be working, it'd be a straight shot, 1.5 or 2 miles. But Union, which is charming, is pretty quiet.

I lived in Revere for a while. Had some interesting experiences there. Not too lovely any time of the year.