# Tell me about Boston **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 30, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506 "2008-04-30T19:31:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/21 "2008-05-02T01:53:03Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] I wouldn’t be caught dead in Malden or Medford for instance but I don’t think there is anything wrong with those places for the right people. [/QUOTE] I, alternatively, wouldn’t be caught dead in Holliston, because I’ve not yet given in to middle age get-off-my-lawndom, and I like to to be where there are other people, and things to do. 😛 I constantly hear that the people here are unpleasant, but they seem fine to me. That could be that I’ve only lived here, or it could be that generally, you get what you give. **lazybratsche** , I will mention that you don’t want to rely on buses, because the buses here tend to be, well… unreliable, in my experience. That said, Central Square to North Station is a simple Red Line to Orange Line transfer, and pretty manageable. Get yourself a Combo pass, and that way you can take the bus and/or the train as you like. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/22 "2008-05-02T02:24:13Z")
People are giving you some harsh assessments of Boston here. I love living in Boston, it has it’s issues but IMO it’s a great place to live. I’ve never understood the idea that people in Boston are cold and unfriendly. It’s certainly not been my impression, though I have lived in New England all my life. There are great recreational and cultural opportunities in the city and the nearby burbs. It’s fairly easy to get around without a car, at least compared to any other similarly sized city. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/23 "2008-05-02T02:59:52Z")
[QUOTE=missbunny] Whatever you do, do NOT live not on the orange or green line or on a North Station train line, if you take that North Station job. You really, really will regret it. [/QUOTE] 😕 The north end of the Orange Line is a perfectly nice place to live - I was there for years. I don’t understand what you think he will regret. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/24 "2008-05-02T03:44:24Z")
If I’m parsing the double negative correctly, I think that \*\*missbunny \*\* is saying that if he works near North Station, he’ll regret living somewhere \*other \* than the Orange or Green lines, or a northern commuter rail line. She’s probably right. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/25 "2008-05-02T10:49:50Z")
[QUOTE=DianaG] If I’m parsing the double negative correctly, I think that \*\*missbunny \*\* is saying that if he works near North Station, he’ll regret living somewhere \*other \* than the Orange or Green lines, or a northern commuter rail line. She’s probably right. [/QUOTE] Ohhhh, thank you! And to think I did great on the reading comprehension tests! I was just reading her statement wrong. **lazybratsche** , you may wish to consider rooming with the Dope’s very own bbs2K, whose location line states that he is a _ **DUDE in Boston** _. Sorry ’ bout that. I also have to agree that the _Bostonians = cold, unfeeling bastards_ meme bugs me a little, but I’ve lived in Mass all my life and figured I didn’t have any good points of reference. But I’ve never found it to be particularly true, especially given that there are many, many parts of the city heavily populated by people who move here from elsewhere, for college and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/26 "2008-05-02T12:50:35Z")
Central Square is good. I like Central Square a lot, and in fact you can walk to North Station in about 30 minutes. If you’re on the young side, I actually think you’re better off in the city than out in the suburbs. And if my surmise is correct that you’re going to work for Man’s Greatest Hospital, then you can indeed get subsidized passes for the T through your employer (though even at that, the prices have gone up tremendously in recent years). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/27 "2008-05-02T13:25:26Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] And if my surmise is correct that you’re going to work for Man’s Greatest Hospital, then you can indeed get subsidized passes for the T through your employer [/QUOTE] Really? I just put $59 on my card. Is that discount just at the hospital level, or is it at the greater organizational level? Personally, I love this city. I think that most people are quite friendly, it’s generally clean, and it has a lot to offer. A few weeks ago I took a long walk around the Commons and I fell back in love with the place. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/28 "2008-05-02T13:26:42Z")
[QUOTE=lorene] Ohhhh, thank you! And to think I did great on the reading comprehension tests! I was just reading her statement wrong. [/QUOTE] To be fair, **missbunny** phrased it a bit awkwardly. It was a bit of a head-scratcher for me as well. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/29 "2008-05-02T13:43:38Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] However, I find the area incredibly fragile when it comes to life satisfaction for a given person. The Boston area isn’t a place where you can just randomly pick a place to live and expect to be happy. [/QUOTE] But can you do this anywhere? I lived in Medford, and was quite happy there (except for when they plowed in my car, but anyway…) I thought it was a nice little town, what with the river running through it, and the large parks and the cute little downtown area. All depends on what you like, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/30 "2008-05-02T16:23:19Z")
Yes sorry about that: it means “don’t live someplace that isn’t on the green or orange lines.” Don’t live NOT on the green or orange lines. Hmm, that IS a stupid way of putting it! ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/31 "2008-05-02T16:27:35Z")
[QUOTE=ENugent] 😕 The north end of the Orange Line is a perfectly nice place to live - I was there for years. I don’t understand what you think he will regret. [/QUOTE] No, I didn’t say anything about the area located in the north end of the orange line. I meant, If you are working near north station, don’t live someplace that is not on the orange or green line or on the north station commuter rail lines. Having to get from south station to north station–or, to a lesser extent, make subway changes–are what he will regret. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/32 "2008-05-02T18:48:07Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] I’ve never understood the idea that people in Boston are cold and unfriendly. It’s certainly not been my impression, though I have lived in New England all my life. There are great recreational and cultural opportunities in the city and the nearby burbs. It’s fairly easy to get around without a car, at least compared to any other similarly sized city. [/QUOTE] Native Bostonian-now-suburbanite here. I agree. But then again, because we’ve lived here all our lives, we’ve got a different perspective compared to people moving here from out-of-state. That “cold unfriendly” feeling is due to our inborn reserve. People are friendly, but, as one of my old out-of-state college roommates once remarked, “they keep you at arm’s length until they get to know you”. One of my aunts calls it “not wanting to butt into other people’s business”. I suppose I’d find it unnerving at first, but I’d get used to it after a bit. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/33 "2008-05-02T19:06:23Z")
I guess I’ve lived here for so long that I have no other frame of reference for how warm or cold we are. When I go outside of the area, usually Florida, I don’t find people to be any more friendly. Then again, years ago I vacationed on the Vineyard. I pretty much tried to make friends with everyone I met, and I found that almost to a person, visitors were much more likely to be friendly than natives. In one case, I met sisters. The one attending a NC university was really friendly, the one attending BU was just short of openly hostile. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/34 "2008-05-02T20:34:34Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] … I’ve never understood the idea that people in Boston are cold and unfriendly. It’s certainly not been my impression, though I have lived in New England all my life. There are great recreational and cultural opportunities in the city and the nearby burbs. It’s fairly easy to get around without a car, at least compared to any other similarly sized city. [/QUOTE] I don’t notice it as much now but when I moved to the area almost 20 years ago I really felt it. I think part of the problem is that I was in my early 20s and looked like a college student, and I lived, worked, and hung out in parts of town that tend to be dominated by college students (Brookline, Somerville, Kenmore Square, Brighton-Allston). Therefore a lot of the people I encountered in the early days were either a) other young people from somewhere else who knew they were only going to be in town for a few years and so didn’t feel the need to be especially nice to anyone outside their circle of friends and acquaintances, and b) locals who because of their jobs or where they lived had to daily interact with young people from somewhere else who knew they were only going to be in town for a few years and so didn’t feel the need to be especially nice to anyone outside their circle of friends and acquaintances. In short, the nature of the area with all the big schools that people come to when they are young and know they aren’t going to be around forever tends to encourage a certain attitude of immature @$$holery which is then reflected back by those who are locals. For reference, I came to Boston from New York, so I know me some rudeness. Anyway I either encounter it much less frequently now that I am a responsible middle-aged adult in the suburbs, or else I have just gotten used to it. But yes, it really surprised me when I first got here. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/35 "2008-05-02T21:08:11Z")
Central Square is inexpensive and there are lots of good ethnic restaurants and clubs. I think you’ll have a blast. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/36 "2008-05-02T23:04:13Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Really? I just put $59 on my card. Is that discount just at the hospital level, or is it at the greater organizational level? [/QUOTE] Uh… I’ll have to get back to you on that. I can’t honestly remember the policy, but there is, at least at the corporate level, some discount (50%?) for transit passes. Trouble is, if you live far away and take the commuter rail, even with the discounted passes it’s pricey. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/37 "2008-05-08T03:31:35Z")
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac] Central Square is good. I like Central Square a lot, and in fact you can walk to North Station in about 30 minutes. If you’re on the young side, I actually think you’re better off in the city than out in the suburbs. And if my surmise is correct that you’re going to work for Man’s Greatest Hospital, then you can indeed get subsidized passes for the T through your employer (though even at that, the prices have gone up tremendously in recent years). [/QUOTE] Since I just accepted the job, I’ll give a few more details. Yes, I will be working at MGH, though at their research building in Charlestown Navy Yard rather than the main campus. It looks like North Station isn’t the closest stop, but MGH has a regular shuttle from there. I’ll definitely be considering Central Square and Allston-Brighton first. Somerville also looks like it would be a convenient commute – how’s it as a place to live? ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/38 "2008-05-08T06:16:07Z")
Somerville has many students and grad students, and is a nice area to live. Davis Square is very trendy, but expensive. Porter Square is cheaper, but quieter. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/39 "2008-05-08T08:14:45Z")
The cab drivers are robbing bastards, well at least one of them is. Allow me: My friend and myself were recommended a steak house so decided one night to give it a go, called a cab, got there, was charged $35 after a fairly long ride. Had a great meal, called cab to get back to hotel before hitting the bars. 5 mins later cab pulled up outside our hotel, this time the charge was less than $10. Fucker in the first cab took us for a ride in more ways than one. Apart from that we liked Boston. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506/40 "2008-05-08T10:40:35Z")
[QUOTE=lazybratsche] I’ll definitely be considering Central Square and Allston-Brighton first. Somerville also looks like it would be a convenient commute – how’s it as a place to live? [/QUOTE] Allston to North Station isn’t a great commute, just so you know. Sure, it looks easy enough when you look at the MBTA map… but the Green line is, IMO, a nightmare. That said, the benefits of living in the Allston-Brighton area may well outweigh that for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-boston/447506.md?page=3)