marite

Bookworm:

I tried to PM you. Your box is full.

soozievt

Bookworm,

Here's my daughter's situation. She was going to line up grad housing and put in for it but the deadline to not lose your deposit was May 16. She was interested in getting an off campus apartment with someone she knows from college who is going to be doing research at Harvard. That girl's job starts Aug. 1 but my D doesn't need a place until Sept. 1. The other girl has people she can stay with in August and so ideally they were looking for a place starting Sept. 1. (As an aside, this D is renting an apartment in NY for her summer job but it is complicated because my other D who goes to school in NYC rented a new apartment for next year that starts NOW with a apartment roomie but has free housing this summer in NYC and doesn't need her apartment and so older sister is going to rent my younger one's share of the NY apartment for the summer.....and all these leases and apartment hunting was going on simultaneously!). It is true that many of the listings now are for June 1 or July 1 but some apartments do have some listings now for August or September. But my D was trying to line something up before the May 16 deposit deadline at MIT grad housing. And she is just an hour from Boston as she is in school in Providence. I looked online for them a bit and sent them some listings (this was all around finals) and they only looked twice but found something very soon and wanted to take it and it starts Sept. 1. I think you are right about the amount at a min. that a single apartment would cost. But for two people, it gets a bit better. I will email you now the apartment building they got as now that they got it, I have found it online. She seems happy with it. I saw many other possibilities online and so I think something will work out for your son. The turnover is great with so many college and graduate students in the area.

bookworm

I purged my box. Marite, please try again or e-mail.

Thanks everyone; you all all a wealth of info

bookworm

I know this is an old thread, but worst scenario just occurred. S was planning on living with a HS friend, and plans fell thru. So now S is back to looking for studio/1 bedroom. He is still focusing on Porter Sq (cuz on bus route), but asked me about Union Sq. Any opinions would be appreciated.

Consolation

Not going to be cheaper, but your S could expand his search to Back Bay. Lots of MIT frats there: the students just walk or take a bus across the bridge.

rbrmom

is brighton a possibility?

bookworm

Given his job, he'd rather be in Cambridge or Somerville.

CelloMom

bookworm: Union Square would also be a good area for him. There are two bus routes that run through Union Square directly to the Kendall MIT red line subway station....Your son should check the 85 bus route-Spring Hill/Kendall MIT and the CT2 Sullivan Station-Ruggles via Kendall MIT (both run on weekdays only). Union Square is a safe area with small ethnic restaurants and businesses and a saturday farmers market (and at the moment some major road reconstruction). Like Porter and Davis Squares, it is urban, mixed business and residential and very populated. Somerville main Police and Fire stations are located in Union Sq. Also bus lines run through Union Sq. to Lechmere station seven days and up through Porter and Davis Squares. Any apartments along the somerville Ave., Summer St. and Spring Hill area would have easy public trans. access. Two other areas if he hasn't looked already might be North Cambridge/Mass Ave. (easy access to Harvard Sq.) and North Cambridge/Arlington Line that is accessible to the Alewife Station (red line). Any questions about specific streets or areas, feel free to get in touch.

dis-grace

I think Davis Square is fun and has a lot going on... That's where I'd go, out of the places you mentioned. It's very safe, hip, sorta granola in some ways (as a pp mentioned), and is the location of my favorite Indian restaurant as well as my favorite cafe.

However! Much cheaper, a little more suburban (though still with every sort of restaurant possible, several parks, a bikepath, a movie theater, and much more) is Arlington. Not on the T (probably has something to do with the lower rent average), but with buses straight into Harvard Square. It's quite nice.