S22 is in Boston for the summer. I’m not super familiar with areas. How safe is it for him to walk alone from Davis Square to Tufts at 1 am? Is it safe to take the blue line and green line T at midnight by himself (Beachmont to Tufts)? I’m just a worried mom. Thanks.
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Just like any city, be a smart/aware/alert citizen. Don’t keep your nose to your phone.
While it’s been a long while since I’ve been in Davis Square area at 1am (and was never alone by myself), I have NEVER felt unsafe or had negative encounters in the Tufts area.
My S22 likes to go walking/biking around Cambridge at midnight-3am, to clear his head. I used to freak out about it (he did it all through high school in our very safe suburbs) but those walks are now a routine.
So I understand your concerns, but I think he’ll be good.
Just be alert.
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The areas you describe are generally safe areas. But, bad things can still happen in safe areas so your son should be alert (e.g. not with AirPods stuck in his ears) and stick to well-lit streets. Lots of Tufts kids hang out in Davis for the restaurants and bars, so he will likely not be alone walking that route at 1am!
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My 22-year-old daughter is living in Boston. She had only visited once before moving there at the end of May.
Because of the nature of her work, she is walking and taking public transportation at all hours of the day and night. She is currently living in Fenway, but for the first week before she could get into her apartment, she was commuting on the green line from the city to Riverside Station, including as late as midnight.
So far, so good. I’m hoping that she is aware of her surroundings, and when I know she will be alone late at night I do try to check in to make sure she gets where she was supposed to be as there is no friend/roommate/co-worker who would know if she didn’t make it home. She has not mentioned anything that has worried her so far, but as others have said it is a major city and it’s always important to be on alert.
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My daughter is a grad student at BU, lives in Allston, bartends 4 nights a week and walks home alone at 3 am (she’s 5’2”). She carries a birdie and mace (mace isn’t legal in MA). The rats no longer freak her out.
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My daughter has lived in Boston now for a dozen years. The areas you are mentioning are very safe. My only warning is to keep in mind when riding the T that it is not 24 hours. If your kids are out late and need to catch the T to get home, they should make sure they start their trip home before the last T.
And yes, it is a city and you need to be aware. If somebody in your train car is acting weird you move to another car, if a person approaches you asking for money you keep walking and don’t make eye contact, etc.
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Glad to hear things are going well, I was thinking of following up on your Boston travel thread to see how she has adjusted. So glad to read this here.
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She is doing really well, thank you! The Riverside Station suggestion worked perfectly. It was a long commute, but only for a week, and probably not much longer than by car during busy times. Thanks for thinking of her!
Mace/pepper spray is legal in Massachusetts.
OP- it’s never a bad thing to review basic urban safety when alone at night with your son.
Wearing obviously expensive items-- backpack, watch, trendy sneakers- not a good idea. Having headphones/earbuds in- terrible idea.
Making a quick stop to a cash machine- terrible idea.
Walking home while under the influence so your reflexes/reaction times are off- terrible idea.
Always have someone know when you are leaving point A and expect to arrive at point B.
When in doubt, it’s worth the extra $ for a taxi/uber.
You are not talking about particularly dangerous places… but if your son doesn’t have a lot of city experience, it’s worth a discussion.
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I couldn’t Amazon mace to her in Boston, so I had it shipped to us in NJ.
You can’t ship it here, but you can buy it here. Welcome to Massachusetts…
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Owning mace or pepper spray doesn’t keep you safe. Knowing how to use it/deploy it in an emergency situation- when your adrenalin is off the charts- is what keeps you safe.
I’m often surprised by the number of women I know who carry these things at the bottom of a ginormous totebag, clanking around the bottom. They are walking carrying a water bottle; listening to a podcast or talking to a friend on the phone or listening to music; can barely focus on crossing the street safely let along find something at the bottom of a purse.
Situational awareness?
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This book isn’t as cool as it sounds, but it addresses situational awareness and practices that could keep you safer than the average citizen.
https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-That-Save-Your-Life/dp/0399175679
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Boston is pretty much the safest big city in the country, but I concur with what others have said about precautions and situational awareness.
One thing to be aware of is there are rolling shutdowns on the T subway lines due to track and signal replacement. (50 years of minimal maintenance finally came to a head.) The MBTA website lists these shutdowns and shuttle bus replacement service. Orange Line | Subway | MBTA)
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I’m pretty sure my daughter has hers ready, she was always my most cautious child, in spite of many trips into manhattan with friends or alone starting freshman year in HS, boyfriend was at fordham when she was a junior, flew to Italy alone at 19 to visit a friend… She travels a lot alone, is always up for an adventure, but her situational awareness has always been in overdrive.
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Generally safe area between Tufts and Davis Square. Much of the area around Tufts is residential with nice houses. Davis Square is pretty active into the evening.
But, as @MAnerdmom, wrote that bad things can still happen and as @blossom noted, situational awareness is key. The probability of bad things happening is probably quite a bit higher if the person is not situationally aware and also if the person walking around is female rather than male.
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I’ve always told my boys, nothing good happens after midnight…
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Pretty sure none of my 20 something year old kids have ever been to a cash machine. Or ever really used cash. Not sure they know how to write a check, for that matter. 
Levity aside, great suggestions for safety on this thread. Especially in cities that are new to them, mine are hyper vigilant. My son travels frequently alone and will Uber if the environment looks “sketchy” as he calls it. In some cities neighborhoods can change quickly en route.
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One of my kids gets haircuts at a “cash only” place; another gets an occasional manicure at a “$30 and up for credit card” place (and a basic manicure is less than $15) so I’ve been with them when they’ve “needed cash”. This generation may not have seen the Seinfeld episode where the guy gets trapped in the ATM and George needs to give him his code to get him out… so situational awareness vis-a-vis cash machines is not part of their cultural heritage!
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