Need advice- work in Waltham, moving to Boston area (Cambridge: lease, home)

[limanov]

Hi!

I'm hoping to get a little insight on what area of Boston/Cambridge to move to. I'm young, fresh out of college and I work in Waltham basically at the intersection of 128 and rt 2. I want to move at the end of summer, to a neighborhood that is conveniently located to the T (preferably on or near the red or green lines). I want to be in a fairly young area, with restaurants, grocery stores, parks, and nightlife nearby.

Also, I was hoping for some insight as to the kind of commute I can expect from different areas (i.e. Cambridge, Allston, South Boston, Brighton). I've heard lots of different things about the so-called "reverse" commute but wanted to hear from people that live in the city and commute out to Waltham or somewhere nearby.

Thanks in advance for helping me out!

[vfrex]

Don't bother with Allston, Brighton, or South Boston. Your most viable option is Porter Square in Cambridge and then Central Square in Cambridge.

I did the reverse commute from Brighton to Waltham for a bit and it was unpleasant.

[Pear Martini]

[quote=vfrex;25216620]Don't bother with Allston, Brighton, or South Boston. Your most viable option is Porter Square in Cambridge and then Central Square in Cambridge.

I did the reverse commute from Brighton to Waltham for a bit and it was unpleasant.[/quote


Please elaborate if you don't mind as I live in Brighton and may be looking into jobs in the Waltham area within a year from now.

Porter Square and Central Square are both fun and interesting places to live as a young professional. Personally, I would chose central square because its cheaper ie: you get more bang for your buck and its a super close walk to Harvard Square.

To live in Central Square you have to either be able to appreciate or not mind the "gritty" nature of the Mass ave. area of Central Square. Its not that its unsafe but there are lots of different people around there from homeless people to kids cutting school as well as the majority of regular folks.

Porter Square is nice but has a more detached feel from Boston and Cambridge to me. It is also pricey, but you can also find a great place to live there as well.

[SoFresh99]

I assume you are planning to commute by car?

I would pick Davis Square, it is the closest hip area to getting on rt.2 by car, and there is a red line stop there.

[vfrex]

Originally Posted by Pear Martini

Please elaborate if you don't mind as I live in Brighton and may be looking into jobs in the Waltham area within a year from now.

I left Brighton earlier than the morning rush, but I returned during it (left Waltham ~6:00).

Doing the highway, getting onto 95 will be a bottleneck, getting onto 90 will back up, getting through the toll at the Brighton/Cambridge exit will back up, making a left from Cambridge Street onto Harvard Ave will back up, Harvard Ave will take a while to pass through, and the other drags in Brighton will be quite slow.

Taking local roads, 20 is a terrible option through Waltham that backs up and moves slow even in good times. Then you run into Watertown Square which is even worse. You can take some back roads to get around 20 and the Square, but avoiding the traffic means zig zagging through 25 mph roads. Once you are through Watertown on Arsenal Street or 20, the Soldiers Field Road intersections will also back up. And then you are back in the mess that is Brighton traffic.

Depending on where exactly you're going to/from, it could be 45 minutes to 1 hour on average.

[jackshaw]

I've had a number of employees do the reverse commute. Here's what I've heard: The reverse commute starting at Alewife/Route 2 is just fine, but getting to Alewife from Somerville can seem like hand-to-hand combat. Probably good places, though less hip than Davis Square, is West Cambridge or Arlington, both of which would have easy access to Route 2.

[vfrex]

The thing about Porter is it depends where in Waltham you are commuting to/from. Mass Ave moves from what I've seen, and you can sneak onto 60 which isn't terrible, and Trapelo moves ok as well.

[SoFresh99]

Originally Posted by jackshaw

I've had a number of employees do the reverse commute. Here's what I've heard: The reverse commute starting at Alewife/Route 2 is just fine, but getting to Alewife from Somerville can seem like hand-to-hand combat. Probably good places, though less hip than Davis Square, is West Cambridge or Arlington, both of which would have easy access to Route 2.

I think that getting on to rt. 2 at Lake Street is not totally terrible (minus that left turn from Mass Ave onto Lake itself. Not so terrible that I would live somewhere other than Davis. (Unless you live a couple blocks from Alewife neither North Cambridge nor Arlington have easy T access.) You could also (as is mentioned) go up to rt.60 in Arlington and take that down to rt. 2. This may be easier b/c that gets a left turn arrow.

Originally Posted by vfrex

The thing about Porter is it depends where in Waltham you are commuting to/from. Mass Ave moves from what I've seen, and you can sneak onto 60 which isn't terrible, and Trapelo moves ok as well.

The commute on 60 is a bear. I have a friend that has done this rt.60 commute from Medford through Arlington to the Waltham/Weston line and it takes at least an hour twice a day. You would take Trapelo over to Wyman/Spring street.

You could definitely take Mass Ave all the way in a pinch (giant highway closure?) and come down Spring street.

If I were in my twenties and needed to be where 128 and rt. 2 met I would live where I could get on rt.2. I would trade a certain amount of difficultly getting on rt.2 (admittedly I would not want to get on at Alewife at 8:30) for lifestyle/hipness/MBTA etc.

I have lived in West Somerville, North Cambridge, East Arlington and now Waltham so I have some insight.

Your office may also participate in the shuttle service that runs to/from Alewife, which could change this whole discussion.

[charolastra00]

Honestly, I would just stay in Waltham.

I work in Waltham (near where 95 and 90 cross) and live in Medford. My commute is actually *shorter* than when I lived in Somerville near Davis and had to fight on Rt. 16 since now I can just cut through Arlington which is normally not too painful. Mornings aren't bad - 45 minutes tops unless the traffic is awful or it's snowing. Coming home takes an hour even in the summer and can be an hour and a half once schools are back in session.

For awhile I lived in Waltham, but at the time I didn't have a car so I moved to Somerville to use public transportation until health issues necessitated getting a car. Had I had a car in Waltham, I never would have left. You can easily drive in to the T to get into Boston (either the Alewife parking garage or Riverside in Newton), take the 70 bus to Central Square, take any of the other buses in downtown Waltham into downtown Boston, or take the commuter rail.

I'm anticipating a promotion and a raise - and if that raise is high enough, I'll be moving back into Waltham for a 1 bedroom when my lease is up. It's not worth commuting your life away.

[ashen]

I live in Porter Sq Cambridge. This is the third area of Cambridge that I've lived over the last 25 years and it's by far the best, IMO, for the restaurants and amenities close at hand and general lifestyle. If you are young and have just graduated from school-- I wouldn't want to live in the suburbs-- but that's personal choice, I guess. We don't have to drive much and there are plenty of areas not too far from the Davis Sq T that will get you decent access to Rt.2 (if the traffic is backed up at the left onto Alewife Brook Parkway, I sometimes stay in the right lane and continue on Mass Ave to Lake St which will exit onto Rt 2.) Good luck!