bookworm

S is trying to narrow search for an apt. He'll be working near MIT. What areas would someone reccommend? Lechmere, Harvard Square, Porter Square, or Davis Square?

The areas in Sommerville were mentioned by a friend who thought they would be more fun for a young man.

any suggestions appreciated.

ec1234

I'll be at MIT next year and just got an apartment in harvard square. I have heard sort of bad things about the lechmere area (dangerous), and its also not very interesting as it is just a normal mall. I'm really excited to be in harvard square, but it's a bit expensive. To me porter seems like a good compromise, as it is not much further out than harvard and seems to have a bunch of stuff going on, but is slightly less expensive. I thikn the most important thing is to be close to the T, or closer to MIT so that it is walkable (or bikeable). You should think about central square too. It looked cute, and is well-located for working at MIT

marite

Agree with post #2. I also think that Davis Square would be slightly less expensive. It is fairly similar in feel to Central Square, and is only one stop further than Porter Square on the Red Line. But, commuting to the Lechmere area would not be very convenient as Lechmere is on the Green Line. He should look as well into areas served by the Green Line for convenience.

jessiehl

I'll make some general comments about some of these areas (I live in an apt in the Davis Square area, and have now been in Camberville, as a student and then as an alum, for nearly five years) and you can do what you will with it.

Harvard Square - Fun, plenty to do, pretty convenient (walking distance) to the MIT area). Has some issues with panhandlers, but is not a really high-crime area. Insanely expensive.

Porter Square - Fairly commercial area, includes both the Porter Exchange and the Porter Shopping Center. Large grocery store right there. If you love Japanese food/refreshments, this is the place for you. Slightly less expensive, in general, than Harvard or Davis, but still expensive. Easy T ride to MIT, but walking is a little much unless you're a walking fiend like me.

Davis Square - One T stop further out than Porter. Crunchy granola liberal neighborhood, very low-crime, except for possibly the Tufts campus itself. Pretty expensive. Quirky, the Square is fun in the summer. Near two very pleasant major bike paths. Lots of churches in the area, if that is important, generally liberal ones. Packed with 20-something recent college grads.

Central Square/Area 4 - Highest-crime area of Cambridge, probably, but honestly not that bad (I hear that it used to be). Extremely convenient to MIT and Tech Square (short walking distance). Lots of Indian food. I would guess that it's a little cheaper than anywhere I've mentioned so far, though I don't really know.

East Cambridge/Lechmere - Looks really seedy, is not quite as seedy as it looks, but can still be rough. Probably the cheapest option so far. Convenient to MIT (short walk). Right by the Galleria (Cambridge's major shopping mall) and the Museum of Science.

There are other possibilities, but this is a starter.

No matter what, he should consider getting roommates. Otherwise he's likely to be shelling out at least $1000/month, probably more, and in some of these neighborhoods it's non-trivial to *find* an apartment for one person. I live with two roommates, and the upstairs apartment has five people.

eg1

I like the Davis Square area and the Porter Square area. Both have convenient subway stops. Davis has more going on - lots of restaurants,Somerville theater, but Porter's not bad either.

jessiehl

Lechmere is Green Line, but that part of the Green Line is a really easy walk from the Charles/MGH stop on the Red Line.

...than Harvard Square, but not much else. And practically everything is less expensive than Harvard Square.

You think so? Really? I mean, it has triple-decker houses and recent college grads, and is near the T, but I think they have a very different feel other than that (though I like both of them).

marite

I was thinking of the restaurant scene. But you are right, the residential parts have a different feel. When I was a grad student, obviously in the Dark Ages, Davis Square was not the happening place it has become, and it was very cheap. I believe Bookworm's S has lined up a job near the Museum of Science.
I also think it's a good idea for young people to have roommates. It can be lonely living on one's own.

soozievt

bookworm,
My D is entering grad school at MIT in the fall. I also used to live in Cambridge in the "dark ages" for four years when I was in college (Tufts....so actually I also know Somerville) and when I went to Harvard. My D considered grad housing but had a preference for getting an apartment with someone she knows from her college (Brown). They recently signed a lease for an apartment in Cambridge. At first, she wanted to be as close to MIT as possible in terms of walking as she will be at MIT until very late at night every night in the studio. But there are not a lot of apartments very very close to MIT. She realized if she went just slightly further (still in walking distance but a longer walk than the dorms would be), she found more possibilities. She has chosen an apartment right in Central Square. It is a .8 mile walk to MIT. It is also one stop on the red line to the Kendall Square stop. It is also on the bus line up and down Mass Ave. Back in my day, Central Square wasn't THAT nice but apparently it is way more gentrified since then. My D told me so but also even on google maps when I see the panarama of the stores and such right in the square, such as GAP, it is very different than the old days. Central Square is in walking distance of MIT in one direction and in walking distance (or one T stop) from Harvard Square.

Porter Square and Davis Square are further away but accessible by T. Your son may wish to search apartments near MIT / Kendall Square, Central Square, or Harvard Square. I agree with others that if he can share an apartment with another person, he'll do better with the rent and what he can get as well compared to an apartment for one person. Look on Craigslist and the local realtors.

marite

Hey, Soozie, I did not know your D would be attending MIT. Congrats to her, and more opportunities for us to meet.

dmd77

Son had an apt in Lechmere area and felt he was perfectly safe. I remembered the "old days" and thought it would be bad. No. It was a lovely building--VERY expensive though.

I lived in east Cambridge when it was a slum and didn't find it that unsafe either. But then I routinely walked all over the city at all kinds of hours--maybe not advisable for a short woman but I couldn't afford anything else.

I would go with "pay attention to your hunches (don't rent a place that makes you uncomfortable even if you can't really explain why), get a place you can afford, and get a roommate."

soozievt

marite,
Sorry you did not know (I did put in on the acceptances thread even though most of those were for HS senior acceptances into college). I definitely will hope to connect again with you on one of my trips to Cambridge!

marite

Lechmere is undergoing a transformation, with the construction of luxury condos just across the station--which will be undergoing renovation. But the area around Cambridgeside Galleria is still known as a place for drug dealers after hours, and there are still too many buildings that empty out at 5 or 6pm. But hey, we just got news that a Harvard student was assaulted at 9am yesterday walking near one of the River Houses!

jessiehl

...and by Charles/MGH, I actually meant Kendall. Oops.

Central got a lot nicer, for sure. With Area 4, it is still the "high-crime" area of Cambridge, but I think this is more of a compliment to Cambridge in general than anything. I once saw a map of crime in Cambridge, and most of the street crime in Central happens right off Mass Ave, at night. So you just stay aware. My ex-boyfriend lived in that area, and I used between his place and campus all the time (often in the dark), and the worst I saw were drug deals.

Oh, that makes much more sense.

A newbie could also look for apartments in Kendall Square itself, but as so much of Kendall is commercial stuff these days, they might be hard to find. There are the 100 Mem Drive apartments right by MIT, though.

bookworm

Thanks so much!

I copied all your suggestions. Soozie, I'm jealous your DD already has apartment lined up. S doesn't finish college for a month, and he doesn't see the rush to visit and line something up. When I look at Craig's List or some of the realtor sites, it seems many apts are available June 1, but they don't show many listings for later. Also, it seems 1 bedrooms in these areas begin at !400, and studios at $1200. (I guess only NYC would cost more).

Davis Sq sounds really nice. Sci Park and Lechmere are closest to job, but it seems one should needs to be more careful. In the "dark ages", I'd have advised avoiding Central Sq, so appreciate hearing that it has improved.

If anyone wants to share the name of their apt building, feel free to e-mail me.

ec1234

the other big move in date seemed to be september 1st. We really wanted something for august, as my program starts at the end, but it was hard to find and most of those had drawbacks. We were also near the end of 4 bedroom apartments.. I think that its easier for something a little smaller. If he;s actually looking at science park area, the new lechmere apartments didn't seem to be too expensive, and it seems lke he'd have to be in the area anyway.