Riverside, Cambridge (Boston, Auburn, Harvard: section 8, apartment, crime)

[ghostmonkey]

I've been trying to search but I'm getting bogged down in posts mentioning the Riverside T station. My spouse and I (early-mid twenties) are considering an apartment in the Riverside area of Cambridge (near the Cambridgeport side, more specifically the area between Western Ave and River St and closer to the river than to Central Sq). Can anyone offer some thoughts on the safety and general character of this area? The main draws for us are access to Harvard/HBS and the red line at Central. I've walked around a bit during the day and in the early evening, and the area seemed rather quiet (in a positive way), but it's also the dead of winter. Thanks for any help.

[495neighbor]

Are you referring to the tower on Memorial Drive near TJs, SB and Microcenter? Very safe. That entire neighborhood is fine.

[ghostmonkey]

Landmark-wise, more like Whole Foods (near Hoyt Field). That's the general area though. Looking in a house rather than a tower/complex.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by ghostmonkey

Landmark-wise, more like Whole Foods (near Hoyt Field). That's the general area though. Looking in a house rather than a tower/complex.

That's a sweet little area, one of my favorites in Cambridge. If I could afford it, I would live there in a heartbeat.

[professeurpablo]

That is a great location and is a generally safe and quiet area of Cambridge. There are many convenient features, not the least of which for you would be food shopping and the commute over to the Allston side of the river. More of the crime associated with Central Square seems to happen closer to the square in the inner parts of Cambridgeport and Area IV, and if you're relatively street smart, you should have no issues even in those areas. In case you're wondering, the Cambridge PD has a really extensive crime analysis unit with published reports about every neighborhood in the city available on its website. Good luck, and enjoy Cambridge!

[goyguy]

I've lived in Riverside for 26 years, and am not budging.
Although the neighborhood is "officially" delineated (from River St all the way to JFK St, and between Mass. Ave and the river) you rarely hear it referenced by name. This is for two reasons. One is that "Riverside" is so generic, people use the more "poetic" Cambridgeport instead when talking about any place west of Mass. Ave between MIT and Harvard. The other is that - particularly among Black residents - much of the community is nicknamed "The Coast" and has been known that way for a very long time. (Hence the Coast Café, which you may have noticed on River St.) I don't help matters much because when making new acquaintances I just say either that my place is "near Central Square" or "just off Western Ave." Sorry!

Like most sections of cities, Riverside has its "good" and "not so good" parts. But the "not so good" is largely confined to Howard St, which despite its low population density has for ages been a drug dealing haven. Whenever the nights are warm you'll see the dealers ostensibly "jes' chillin'" - or riding bicycles in circles - at the signaled intersection of Howard and Western Ave. This naturally leads to the inevitable turf battles and the stabbings and shootings that go with them. But aside from that most of the crime is tied in with domestic drama. All the same, street sense dictates that you mostly stay on the main traffic arteries when on foot after dark and especially after 10 PM or so. Pearl, Magazine, and Erie St's in particular are occasionally popular spots for late-night smartphone grabs and purse snatchings. Why? The same mature trees which provide welcome shade in the summer block illumination to help thieves stay undetected until it's too late. Despite mainstream perception, the Putnam Gardens public housing "development" and the Section 8 towers at 808-810 Memorial Drive are actually not where angels fear to tread. I amble past 'em at all hours regularly. My pace only picks up when approaching and passing Howard St on Western Ave or River St.

My main cautionary note, to anyone looking to move into Riverside, is to steer clear of Western Ave as best you can. A grandiose public works project to recreate the street into a "Parisian boulevard " has been making a grand mess of things since last spring. Nearly the entire paved area along some stretches is dug up at any given time for the first phase - replacing sewers and water mains. Eventually it's said that without widening (which it would be impossible to do) the street will somehow not only keep its parking and carrying capacities, there will also be dedicated raised bike lanes and broader sidewalks. The targeted completion date - already pushed back several times, as is par for the course - is "late 2016." Until then the sounds of jackhammers and heavy machinery will fill the air whenever weather permits on weekdays. Take it from someone who lately is reliably signaled that it's 7 in the morning, from a block away, you do NOT want to set up housekeeping near this.

[ghostmonkey]

Wow, thanks folks. I know Boston better than Cambridge, and this is all very helpful. I actually saw the place after posting, and this is on Putnam south of Western, so the warnings on Howard St and the construction are good to have in mind. We're feeling good about this in general. My concerns were mainly around my (female) other half traveling back from Central after work and after dark at times, as I would be mainly oriented towards Harvard for work. It seems like this is just a matter of maintaining the usual street smarts, though. The area is certainly very convenient for us, and I saw a lot of bars and restaurants to explore.

[495neighbor]

Goyguy, did the Western Front close?

Fingers crossed that the "Parisian boulevard" does not turn the neighborhood into everytown USA.

[goyguy]

The Western Front is still very much alive, for better or worse. What's positive is, the proprietors have put forth sincere effort to make it shed the "OK Corral" reputation it had for a while. For a few years a shooting or drug bust there seemed to be part of their weekends, but that aspect has quieted down considerably. (Like many Cantabridgians I faithfully scour the police log in the Chronicle. )

Around here we stay vigilantly Harvard-wary ever since the infamous land grabs and "urban removal" perpetrated before my time. It's because of community pressure and the university's wanting to evade negative PR that North Allston is where the same thing is transpiring today instead of on our side of the river. But it's an open secret that this is why there was the urge to do the Western Ave makeover. The "B School" has crept south to that street, bringing with it the purchase and conversion of the old Channel 2 studio and the building of an eyesore dormitory. A former Citgo station now draws people looking to fill up on gluten-free pizza. Somewhat ironically the onetime VW dealership is a "Swiss bakery" today. The entire west section of the Brighton Mills Mall - itself an exercise in planned obsolescence - has come down in favor of a large "mixed income" housing development. Said development was constructed in order to relocate tenants from the "concrete Lego" buildings at the focal junction of North Harvard and Western Ave. (Those buildings stand vacant, and I worry about the fate of the small grove of birch trees which beautifies the northeast street corner.) Naturally all of this is going to have a spillover effect. So, yes, the Western Front continues to bring in the reggae and other "island" musicians and the sometimes sketchy crowds. And the hole-in-the-wall corner stores make it easier to grab a quick snack, or meal fixin's, than making the trek to Shaw's or Harvest Co-op or 7-Eleven or Whole Check. But change is in the air, not only with the road construction. Where once stood a neighborhood social club that my paleface self was cordially discouraged from entering, a yoga studio and "day spa" are being prepared. Historically ramshackle row houses and 3-deckas are being renovated at a swift clip, if only cosmetically. Rents are climbing, reflected by the increasingly noticeable 20- and 30-something joggers and bicyclists sharing the sidewalks. All of this is what Harvard wants to see happen. Mt Auburn St, Mass. Ave, and Harvard Square will never not be their "front door." Though thwarted from directly remaking a large swath of Riverside to their specifications, they are achieving their goal - through all the activities in Allston - of having Western Ave become their second grand entrance.

Harvard hatin' is done with, this time!
As far as Putnam Ave is concerned, I think that's a perfectly fine street to live on. The poshest 3-deckas you'll ever see are at the corner of Magazine St - check out the stained-glass windows and undulating porch rails! You'd be a hop skip and jump from Whole Check, Microcenter, Rite Aid, and Trader Joe's. Better still, there's Riverside Pizza ("and Seafood") at the corner of River St. It's an old-school neighborhood hangout with globe-fixtured - instead of trendy - lights over the bar and classic Motown/R & B usually playing. Junk food is what it is, but theirs is freshly prepared and never greasy. Sometimes I get "that urge" and hike over there to while away an evening munching on Wing Dings and clam strips, "conversating" with the bartenders and regulars I've gotten to know. With regard to nighttime safety, the fairly long walk from the Red Line doesn't have to be taken. The 47 bus (Central Square <> Broadway Station) traverses Pearl St, Putnam, and Magazine AND the inbound (only) 64 follows Putnam from River St to Magazine.
C'mon over!

[spiritedaway]

Yup, goyguy is definitely a local here. Right on the mark, especially second paragraph. I grew up here nearby (but have since made my permanent home elsewhere), but I am quite familiar with the Rite Aid/Wholefood area as well (I still work in Cambridge).

As he said, there are definitely good or bad sections as in most places. Just need to be aware of your surroundings as usual -- basic streetsmart. That said, I'm female and of petite size and personally, I wouldn't walk alone in the River Street stretch in the late evenings. There are some really isolated areas there and there have been a few muggings/phone snatching as well, but that's just me.

Putnam Ave is mostly fine street to live on. (I remembered when I was a kid, a friend ordered food from Riverside Pizza, and I thought those were some of the best wings ever!)