Boston Living Recs

[RugbyBro]

Happy New Year New England! Looks like I’ll be moving to Boston for the next few years from the SF Bay Area. My question to everyone in the Boston area is what are the living options in the area for someone who likes to work on their car? I’ve been looking over the past couple months and it seems that private parking, and specifically garage parking, is quite limited when in proximity to downtown. My office will be in Back Bay, so I’ve really only been looking at the following neighborhoods: Back Bay, Beacon Hill, South Boston, Kendall Square (Cambridge), and Central Square (Cambridge). So far, garage space seems fairly limited and individual garages are effectively non-existent. I really don’t know much about Boston neighborhoods and the scope of my knowledge is limited to my client base (tech & life science), online apartment hunting, and the dumb “where to move to in Boston” yuppie guides - so safe to assume I know little to nothing. I’d really rather pay less than $3k a month including parking but I understand that can be a limiting factor here. Anyway I’d appreciate any advice or recommendations on where to look

[gunsmoker]

Get a place in the southern suburbs and ride the T (commuter train) to Back Bay. Keeping a car dingless and shiny is very hard to manage if you live in the city.

[gunsmoker]

I like Mass better than the Bay Area. Lots of nice beaches where you can actually swim, mountains nearby if you like skiing and hiking, the city life is pretty rich, lots of greenery and less concrete compared to the Bay Area. I wish we had banked clover leaves on the highways as in the Bay Area. I buddy from work drove me there at 100 mph in his Lotus...

[9M71]

Not a boston expert by any means but a buddy had a condo in Quincy where each unit had it's own private garage (2+ cars deep, and high enough for a lift). Was pretty dope and way less than $3k

[gunsmoker]

While Quincy is not a bad choice, if you are thinking of driving to Back Bay at peak hour, riding the T from a suburb may be faster or same without the hassle.
Apart from that, you should join the Boston BMW CCA. We have lots of track and autocross events.

[RugbyBro]

I’ll keep the southern suburbs in mind - based on a quick screen it’s pretty good for pricing and space. I should probably clarify that I have to be in relatively close proximity to Back Bay and Kendall Square for work reasons (at least for the first year) - due to that I don’t know that I can make something as far as Quincy work. I also realize this is severely limiting my options when it comes to storing/working on the car

[scott13]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

I’ll keep the southern suburbs in mind - based on a quick screen it’s pretty good for pricing and space. I should probably clarify that I have to be in relatively close proximity to Back Bay and Kendall Square for work reasons (at least for the first year) - due to that I don’t know that I can make something as far as Quincy work. I also realize this is severely limiting my options when it comes to storing/working on the car

Getting parking pretty much anywhere in Back Bay and/or Cambridge is challenging. You're much more likely to find a place with on street parking over driveway or garage parking. If you get a place with on street parking, just be aware that you'll become intimately familiar with "snow emergencies" and the use of lawn chairs or other creative items to hold your spot when it snows.

Also...brace yourself for driving in Kendall square. The roads in Cambridge will test your suspension and your slalom skills as you do everything you can to avoid any of the almost limitless number of wheel destroying potholes.

I know a fair number of folks that work in Kendall that commute in from close-proximity suburbs like Arlington and Newton.

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by scott13

Getting parking pretty much anywhere in Back Bay and/or Cambridge is challenging. You're much more likely to find a place with on street parking over driveway or garage parking. If you get a place with on street parking, just be aware that you'll become intimately familiar with "snow emergencies" and the use of lawn chairs or other creative items to hold your spot when it snows.

Also...brace yourself for driving in Kendall square. The roads in Cambridge will test your suspension and your slalom skills as you do everything you can to avoid any of the almost limitless number of wheel destroying potholes.

I know a fair number of folks that work in Kendall that commute in from close-proximity suburbs like Arlington and Newton.

Appreciate the feedback - street parking is a definite deal breaker for me. It looks like the average rate for garage parking in Kendall is around $275. So puts me around $2.5-2.7k a month. I totally appreciate that that probably seems like a ludicrous amount of money for rent, and had I not been coming from the Bay Area, I would probably puke all over myself. The unfortunate reality for Bay Area folk is (relatively speaking), that's a pretty good deal given the proximity Plus, from a combination of street viewing and talking with people I know in Boston, Kendall seems to have a SF-esque vibe so it will have some slight level of familiarity (haven't decided if that's good or bad yet LOL).

I have looked at Newton area and Arlington area, I think I'll definitely be considering those as 2nd/3rd year options - I've heard that Boston area traffic is pretty brutal so for year 1 I think I want to stay in the immediate vicinity to feel it out.

Oh I hear you on terrible streets - I literally feel like I am off-roading anytime I'm in SF or Oakland. My slalom skills are quite sharp as a result My shocks' remaining life is questionable...

[peasouped]

Like others have posted, finding a place in the city with off street parking is going to be near impossible. You’ll certainly be able to find a garage near by for parking but it won’t be cheap and it will be rather tight. I’d highly recommend looking into a place like Everett, Malden, Somerville, etc. They have multiple T stops and can get you in the city with ease. While the South Shore area is nice, the traffic couldn’t be any worse.

[scott13]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

Appreciate the feedback - street parking is a definite deal breaker for me. It looks like the average rate for garage parking in Kendall is around $275. So puts me around $2.5-2.7k a month. I totally appreciate that that probably seems like a ludicrous amount of money for rent, and had I not been coming from the Bay Area, I would probably puke all over myself. The unfortunate reality for Bay Area folk is (relatively speaking), that's a pretty good deal given the proximity Plus, from a combination of street viewing and talking with people I know in Boston, Kendall seems to have a SF-esque vibe so it will have some slight level of familiarity (haven't decided if that's good or bad yet LOL).

I have looked at Newton area and Arlington area, I think I'll definitely be considering those as 2nd/3rd year options - I've heard that Boston area traffic is pretty brutal so for year 1 I think I want to stay in the immediate vicinity to feel it out.

Oh I hear you on terrible streets - I literally feel like I am off-roading anytime I'm in SF or Oakland. My slalom skills are quite sharp as a result My shocks' remaining life is questionable...

Yeah. Garage parking will be expensive, but as you said, it's just kind of the price of doing business in Boston/Cambridge. There's quite a few new condos that have been built up in Kendall over the last few years and some I know do come with garage parking.

In terms of general vibe, Boston is a fairly quiet "big" city, but Cambridge/Kendall is much quieter. Still plenty to do in the way of food, booze and entertainment...well, not so much right now, but you get the idea. I've been commuting into Kendall for the last 15 years, so I can also assure you that traffic gets fairly maddening under normal circumstances. Probably not worse than what you're used to in SF though.