<p>If she is in Southie, be aware that it’s not the place shown in The Departed and Good Will Hunting. Not any more. It’s both gentrified and become less tribal and the commercial life now consists of more than bars and a handful of old restaurants. Other than the beautiful historic area, it’s not my favorite part of the city but it’s not a bad place to live, just somewhat isolated. </p>
<p>Of course I’m writing this from a cafe in the North End. Much better place to live, not nearly as Italian as it used to be and somewhat annoyingly overrun with tourists in nice weather but a great area with lots of apartments. Anywhere from there along the Waterfront into the Seaport would be a great place to live - for anyone. </p>
<p>(BTW, the heights are where they dragged the cannons Ethan Allen captured at Fort Ticonderoga. The British considered an attack up the beach, up the hill but realized after the slaughter at Bunker Hill (really Breeds Hill) that was a very bad idea. The water used to go all the way behind Southie into what is now Dorchester. The colonial governor’s house is now isolated in a neighborhood there but was then on the water so the governor could commute by boat. Elkins Street is below the heights on the inner harbor side. Before the Seaport developed, it was on the edge of marshes, industrial wasteland, the South Boston Yacht Club and known mostly for the view of the Edison plant.)</p>
<p>Will she have a car? I would think commuting by car would be much easier for her. Charter schools often entail longer evening hours, and she might find it more comfortable and safer to have a car. With a car, she could have greater flexibility on where to live, and could live in a younger community.</p>
<p>Good advice on places in the city from Lergnom. Just adding my two cents: another area in the city that’s not well known, but seems like it would be a great place to live is Bay Village. Friend of mine downsized and she and her husband moved from my area (out in the hinterlands of MA) to Bay Village. We went to visit them last year and thought the area was great.</p>
<p>That’s really annoying without knowing the campus because those areas are all pretty different to get to. If she can live in the Fort Point area near South Station she could take the red line to South Boston, commuter rail or orange line to JP/Roslindale, and walk to the Aquarium for the blue line (or take the water taxi to the airport – I know it leaves from the Children’s Museum and the Intercontinental) but that area might be out of her price range. Living on the orange line might be her best bet. If she ends up needing to go East Boston, the red line does not connect with the blue directly, so she’d need to transfers, but I think orange would be one transfer or direct to anywhere she’d need to go. That could still be JP.</p>
<p>Car might also be a good bet, but pricey. I don’t have a car and I don’t see getting one while I am in my current position.</p>
<p>The Boston alum group is a good idea. I also suggest that she tell everyone she knows that she’s moving to Boston and looking for a roommate. She could also start a facebook group for seniors from her college that are heading to Boston after graduation. Between jobs and grad schools, she may find some other people. </p>
<p>My D moved to Boston after graduation and found roomates from her college via a mutual friend. The arrangement has worked out very well. Apartments are very expensive and not always in the best shape, but they did find a roomy, quirkly apartment in a good location. She discovered that most apartments are listed by brokers, and some while some listings are shared, some are not. She ended up perusing Craigs list herself and contacting multiple brokers. Good luck to your D.</p>
<p>DH and his gf live in East Cambridge. The gf works near Jamaica Plain, if I remember correctly. She usually bikes to work, but in bad weather takes the T. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar enough with the Boston area to know how convenient East Cambridge would be for the other job locations of the OP’s D.</p>
<p>Op here again. Thanks to the folks who sent me great suggestions through pm. ( i usually only post on cafe, so can’t send you a pm thank you back). Will send your tips to dd. Thanks again.</p>
<p>shellfell–wow, biking from East Cambridge to JP every day, I’m impressed!</p>
<p>HuntMom–Since your D doesn’t know which school she’ll be at, she might want to ask if there are any provisions for staff parking. According to the website, the South Boston school ONLY has on-street parking, which in that neighborhood basically means nothing, especially in the winter! Roslindale has a parking lot, and East Boston might (at least based on Google maps–the website is unclear). Also, if she plans to teach there a while, the website says the South Boston school is expected to move to Mattapan in two years, a whole OTHER location (that’s why it’s called the “Mattapan” school)!</p>
<p>Jamaica Plain would be pretty close to Roslindale. Somewhere in town–North End, Fort Point, South End/Back Bay/Bay Village, etc.–would probably be easiest for transport to all three schools, but might be dicey for parking if she has a car. Lergnon, Bromfield2, eireann–do you know what folks do about parking options in those neighborhoods?</p>
<p>My D is living in Boston, after graduating last May. She found her apartment through Craigslist. Overall she probably visited 20-30 places, and she lived at a hostel while looking for a place (very, very nice hostel, btw.) She is in a building near Berklee and Northeastern, and is happy there. There is a lot of turnover in that area. Her building is managed by Babson Realty and they seem to work well with college students and young professionals, which makes the subletting process easier.</p>
<p>The seaport district is nice, within walking distance to a couple of T lines, and a great area (if she can afford it) to live in. I also agree with the North End. Charlestown is a great location with lots of young adults also, but maybe not so convenient for getting to JP, Eastie or Southie. My daughter goes to school in the Longwood/Fenway area which has lots of students and young professionals and cheap (relatively) apts. I would not do a car in any of those locations. I second/third contacting her aluma group through FB and asking about roommates. Also check with the school dept and see if they have an online BB she can post on.</p>