So... tell me about Boston.

In My Humble Opinion
1

Next week I’m flying out to Boston for an interview. Normally I’d be a bit nervous about this… but I’ve actually got a good job, and I find myself in the rare situation of expecting them to make ME want the job, instead of the other way around. Or something like that. The only reason I’m marginally looking for work is that I can’t afford a house here- which, I understand, will actually be worse in Boston.

So, what can you tell me about beantown? How’s the food? Prices? People? Should I pack a jacket? I’m only going to be there for one night and one day, so I won’t be able to do too much besides, you know, interview… but I’d like to get a feel for the town while I’m there.

2

I did an interview there a few years ago, so my experience is limited. But, FWIW:

Are you driving from the airport? If so, get good directions, write them VERY LARGE on a sheet of paper so you aren;t trying to navigate the Big Dig and read/interpret at the same time. In fact, I’d definitely recommend getting a Hertzmobile with NerveLost in this case. If the company is providing a car, or if you’re taking a taxi then never mind.

If you do get lost (as I did), I find the police are very good at directions, friendly and helpful. Honest!

The subway system is pretty easy to navigate. If using it, I wouldn’t sweat it at all. It’s more like the Metro in DC than the New York subway.

That’s about all I got. But good luck on the interview!

3

I am a transplant to the Boston area. I will make it simple:

Cons:

  1. Housing prices :eek: Nothing at all under $300K that you would ever live in and even those are usually over $300K. 450K is starter house range in a decent (not ritzy) town.
  2. The native accent(s) tend to curdle milk although those tend to be confined to certain areas.
  3. Driving and directions have a reputation for being the most difficult in the nation. That reputation is deserved although the Big Dig has helped some.
  4. People can be rude although they usually aren’t one-on-one.
  5. Weather - The is 6 months of misc. crap followed by a short spring, hot summer, and nice fall.
  6. Politics is just odd.

Pros:

  1. Education capital of the country. About 100 colleges and universities in the greater Boston area. This is crossover benefits for everyone.
  2. The job market can be lucrative and rewarding for those with certain skills.
  3. Much of Boston is very compact and walkable. Public parks and things are accessible and nice.
  4. Sports
  5. Lots of American History that seems limitless.
  6. Beautiful old homes that you wouldn’t see in the West (mine was built in 1760).
  7. New England in general has lots of recreational and cultural opportunities. You can be in any of the 5 other New England states within 2 hours.
4

Lightnin’… Don’t call it Beantown. No-one does except for camera-toting tourists. Of course you may be one, in which case, go right ahead!

Food - if you like Italian, seafood, or Chinese, you are in luck. There’s tons of good stuff in those styles, and emerging Latin American restaurants as well. Sales tax is lower than it is in my native Texas, and I think they don’t tax certain clothing and foodstuffs. Definitely bring a jacket and brolly, because we get rain all the time. Even a pleasant day (like the past few days, where it was in the 60s) can have cool/cold evenings and nights.

It’s a whole lot easier to navigate downtown with the Big Dig finished. I don’t expect you’ll be driving, and you shouldn’t unless you are very confident and not easily shaken. I found driving in Kuala Lumpur and London easier than driving in Boston. You can get to the best spots on T easily, or get a cab.

I live next to Cambridge, and so I go to Boston quite infrequently - at least the Gov’t Center area - but I’m a bike ride from Copley Square. When the weather’s nice it’s actually a great place. Being able to ride and visit historical sites, attending a school that’s almost 400 years old… that’s pretty cool. When I’m around Copley Square it even feels a little European!

The exurbs are where a lot of folks reside. If you can afford to live in Boston proper, I think it would be pretty cool. I used to live in Cambridge proper - Harvard Square to be exact, and it was cool (but noisy). All those Boston shows on TV never show native Bostonians prominently, and as Shagnasty notes, the accents are a bit jarring. But there is a nice blue-collar ordinary Joe type that you encounter often around here, and I find them very friendly.

I do miss seeing people of color in sizable numbers. You will see enclaves in neighborhoods, but every time I fly into Atlanta or Houston or LA, I’m like, “Wow, where are the White people?”

I rent, but Shag’s assessments seem pretty right on to me.

5

I don’t know how old you are and your “family” status (like you’re married/have or want kids etc…) but it is e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e, man.

If you’re single and your job is in the city or in the 'burbs (w/i a reasonable distance, like about to Burlington) I would recommend living in the city. There are quite a few cute neighbourhoods in Boston/Cambridge, but expect to pay out the nose. Most of my friends lived in Somerville, although my brother lived near Newbury Street.

The food is excellent…except for Mexican food. That blows. But they have an awesome selection of Asian…anything you want (Indian/Thai/Malaysian/Vietnamese/Fusion/Tibetan/Japanese and on and on). I find the nightlife in terms of “clubbing” limited to that one street in Boston but I was never much of a clubber. Maybe it was just my friends but I thought Boston had a way more bar/pub culture.

Some of the 'burbs are very cute and have their own character. Arlington really isn’t too bad and just outside the city. Brookline is also pretty nice (and I think part of Boston, anyway). Newton and Somerville are pretty cute, too.

A slightly cheaper suburb that has some character is Waltham, home of Brandeis University. There’s decent ethnic restaurants and you can catch a train into Boston. It might have become more expensive in recent times, though. The last time I was there with my parents shopping for Indian groceries all the old, abandoned redstone warehouses had been turned into riverfront condos.

I grew up in Lexington so if you have any questions about the western suburbs close to Cambridge/Boston, feel free to ask. My family still lives there but I moved out West for work.

6

Heh. So far I find the Tibetan and Japanese to be excellent, the Chinese in Chinatown to be great but everywhere else so-so, the Thai abhorrent and the Malaysian inconsistent. Got a good Malaysian restaurant recommendation, apart from Penang, anu-la1979? I would so kiss your feet or just generally shower you in praise if you can point me in the right direction.

Boston is definitely expensive. We’re pretty well established here and I’m still flinching at the thought of ever actually buying, not renting. The people - well, we moved here from the west coast where we’d been living in Oregon for a couple of years, and I was kind of shocked by the level of brusqueness here. But it’s refreshing once you get used to it.

Bring a jacket. Walk around downtown/Boston Common/Public Garden area if you get the chance. It’s a neat city if you like cities. Compact.

7

The first album was best.

8

Is Penang the one in the Brookline area? Because that’s the one we used to go when I lived there. I thought it was very decent.

Which thai restaurants do you hate? There are so many! I like Jamjuli in the Newton area. Quite edible.

My favourite Tibetan restaurant is the one in the Davis Square area. Although I don’t know if I love it because the food is THAT great or the atmosphere is fab and the owners are the sweetest people ever. Their momos are awesome, though.

Yo, my sister’s wedding is being catered by the people that own Bombay Club in Harvard Square and Masala Art in Needham. Can I tell you one of the best foodie experiences I ever had in Boston? Going to the tasting for her FORTY COURSE DINNER this summer. Yes, you read that right. Actually I think it’s only 11 “courses” (tables) but there’s something like 30-60 items on the menu. I lost count after the first 20 passed down my gullet-just unzipped my jeans and settled in. Let’s just say there’s a “chaat” table with 10 chaats. And a kebab “table,” and a “curry table,” and a “bread table”…

9

Oh, by the way Lightin, I highly recommend Green Street Cafe in one of the squares…Central I think…Caribbean food. Although, I don’t know…Idlewild might hayt :), but I assure you it’s very easy going down the craw. And they have great drinks and dessert.

10

Lobsters! Big as man!

11

Idlewild, the Malaysian restaurant my family and I liked was Pandan Leaf.

12

Oh. Just random Thai restaurants around Kendall Square and Harvard Square. There was one in Kendall Square that was good but got bad. Sigh. I am not hating on any Jamaican restaurants though (because I haven’t been :smiley: ) Also I should disclose that I studied with a teacher who owned/ran her own Thai restaurant all through college so I am spoiled rotten. Yes, the Tibetan restaurant in Davis is so yummy. The Penang we went to was in Chinatown and some days it was good and other days the food was so greasy and gristly I couldn’t bear it. Sigh. We stopped going because it was a crapshoot. But when it’s good it’s excellent. Thank you for the link and the Thai restaurant recommendation! Your sister’s wedding sounds like it’ll be fantastic!

Phew. In summary, yes, Boston does have quite the vibrant and enjoyable local dining scene!

13

I lived in Cambridge for three years. The only thing I have to add to “extremely expensive” is that Bostonians (in general) are the rudest, angriest people I’ve met in my life. I used to live in NYC, so I can tell you it’s not just a big city thing.

It tended to make the everyday business of life more complicated and unpleasant because people in customer service are combative and make every little thing 10x harder than it has to be. In fact, it was standard when I called up my bank (Fleet Bank), my cable company, etc. to have the customer service person either 1) just hang up on me, or 2) give me a line of BS and then not really fix the problem. Sometimes there wasn’t even a problem–just that the counter person at the post office, the dry cleaner, etc. didn’t feel like doing their job that day and/or were just taking their bad mood out on the customers. I actually had cab drivers yell at me because they were annoyed by my choice of destination (even though it was somewhere they were willing to go). Even at my favorite restaurant, the waitresses always acted like waiting on me was a massive chore.

Because of this, it took me two years to really feel happy and comfortable living there–twice the normal time for me in a move–and even then, I was dreaming about getting to move somewhere friendlier.

I loved the subway though.

14

People! People! The Tibetan place is in TEELE Square. Sheesh! :wink:

::mutter mutter next thing you know we’ll be claiming Ball Square is Powderhouse mutter mutter::

15

I’m originally from NY/NJ and have been in the Boston area a long time, and really love it. Yes, the real estate is expensive, but somehow people who have jobs buy homes anyway.

Since you’re going to be here only a day or so for the interview, I would suggest NOT trying to drive around, because it can be confusing at first, and you might get lost. If you move here and learn the streets, it’s not a problem.

Have a great visit!!

16

In 2003, Massachusetts was the only state that lost population. In 2004 (the latest data available) it was one of three (New York and Rhode Island were the other two).

The massive rise in housing prices mean that almost all the students and young professionals that find opportunity here cannot stay to start a family. The wages tend to be somewhat higher than the national average but those are massively offset by the cost of living. I haven’t figured out how the population is decreasing yet housing, especially McMansions are going up all over and the available land for housing has dwindled to almost nothing.

I got lucky because my wife and I bought the mother of all fixer-uppers in 2001 on 2 1/2 acres of land 40 miles outside of Boston. Our area is filling with people fanning out into the far suburbs to build their little palaces and at least one new construction starts every month on our street that was once pretty rural. I am glad that we have the land as a buffer.

I always say that Boston is a city of huge plusses that decided to insert huge minuses just so that things would even out. If you value some of the plusses more, it could work out quite well.

17

Other than Bombay Club, I can’t say that I’ve been terribly impressed by anything I’ve ever eaten in Harvard Square. There are some great finds in the quasi-'burbs. Have you tried Sweet Chili in Arlington Center for Thai? That’s okay.

Dude, Green Street Grill/Cafe (whatever) is soooo good. You totally have to try it out.

Let us know what you’re looking for Lightnin.

18

The food is not spectacular, but in Harvard Square you have to go to Bartley’s Burger Cottage just for the atmosphere. It’s like P.J. O’Rourke’s dorm room exploded.

19

Call me defensive, but I think this is a little bit of a Cambridge thing, not a Boston thing. I certainly encountered a lot more attitude when I lived in Cambridge than when I lived anywhere else. Recommendation: don’t live in Cambridge, though it’s a useful place to live near.

20

I think that is where elliott smith used to play.

If you ever get into Cambridge, go to The Falafel (sp?) House in central, it’s next to the police station right off the T. Great food, totally cheap, although the owner reminds me a bit of the soup nazi. Then you can tour around central, kendall, and harvard pretty easily.
By the way? Is it accepted to call American Cambridge residents “Cantabrigians”?