[bimmerdiesel]

I have lived in suburbs for past 5 yrs. Before this I was in NYC. I thought suburbs would be better since I was thinking of buying brand new bimmer which I did. Now e90 is close to 4yrs old and I kind of miss being in city. I am looking for 1 bed apts in brighton and allston. Anyone in this area have any suggestions for apt complex or broker. Every broker is taking 1 month fee which is bit of turn off. For e90 I am currently thinking of street parking with option to take up parking spot inside building.

All words of advice are welcome.

[virtualbong]

Personally, I would not want to park my car in Allston/Brighton. Your insurance will go up alot, higher chance of breakins and dents/bumps/etc.

If you want to live closer to the city, then maybe you would consider living in Watertown, closer to the Cambridge line. I used to live near the Lexus of Watertown and I had easy access to Storrow Drive and it was 10 minutes to get into the city. Plus, you have some bars in Watertown to go too and the insurance is not as costly. Just something to consider.

[b1aze]

A good friend of mine lives in Allston in a 3family house thats on some quiet back streets and his car STILL gets fucked up. Bumps, dings, mirror hits, etc. Granted, its a beat up Grand Prix, but still. I hate bringing my car in there if i dont have to and i always fold my mirrors in and give myself plenty of room front and back when i park.

[makisupa]

I lived in Brighton off of Market st. for awhile and I def wouldn't park my car on the street. I didn't get my next BMW due to that fact that we'd have to keep it on the street. Went from a e46 to a Subaru beater while I lived there. We had a driveway but it was super tight to get in and out of.

[bimmerdiesel]

Points taken. If I take a place then I ll definitely take spot from building. I need to check how much more goes into insurance. I thought of Arlington and Watertown but not very good for wifey. She just finished her med school and is preparing for next steps in her career and Allston/Brighton are very good for her.

[makisupa]

Maybe scope out Brookline then

[virtualbong]

Originally Posted by bimmerdiesel

Points taken. If I take a place then I ll definitely take spot from building. I need to check how much more goes into insurance. I thought of Arlington and Watertown but not very good for wifey. She just finished her med school and is preparing for next steps in her career and Allston/Brighton are very good for her.

What does that mean? She needs to be close to public transportation? If so, you could try Cleveland Circle area...people seem to be a little bit better. I lived there right out of college for 3 years and parked on the streets for the first year but decided to get a parking spot close by for the next two. Still had my Acura emblem stolen but that was about it. So if you do live in Allston/Brighton, look for private parking spot and pay the extra $200 a month.

[Roowah]

Friends don't let friends who aren't still undergrads live in Allston/Brighton.

Sorry, I couldn't help it. The reality however is that when you're bookended by so many schools with so many of its undergrad population living in that area, annoying things are going to happen. Besides the parking issues, you'll have the pleasure of hearing all the parties going on from Friday-Sunday.

I agree with the other people. Brookline is a better, more "grown up" alternative if you need to be on the Green Line. Somerville/Cambridge if the Red Line works.

[Island Road]

I live in Brighton right near the New Balance head quarters. Although I do have off street parking in a complex and the winter car is stored on the street. The back roads were I am actually are not that bad. A lot of bmw's merks and some other decent cars do park on the street but mainly around my complex.

Brookline is very nice but you will pay a premium just for the area. I wold consider Somerville or Watertown. There are also other complexes that offer off street parking that I am looking into. Shop around there are some good places with decent parking but picking is rather slim unless u want to pay a bit more. .

[bimmerdiesel]

After talking to my insurance agent, irrespective of parking(street/garaged), insurance will go up by $900. I currently pay $1400 and have 4 pts from bike accident . So I think I am going back to search in arlington/watertown areas now. Brookline as islandroad83 pointed out has premium. I will look into multi family houses too.

[KFJ512a]

hey what about newton? i currently live there and yeah sure its a bit of drive away from boston (20 mins max) but its a relativley safe and well kept area that nothing happens when you park on the roads and all. Just throwing my 2 cents out there for you. Goodluck with the hunt!

[scott-id]

Hello!

From my experience in living in Arlington and Cambridge:

Arlington is a 'family-friendlier' area and depending on where exactly, has generally more space for driveways and street parking. For convenience, maybe consider living closer to Mass Ave and Route 16 (which divides between Arlington and Cambridge).

Cambridge will be more expensive in general - but then you have more choices of 'modern' apartment buildings with covered garages. Do check out the Fresh Pond area - there's a mall, movie theatre, Whole Foods, as well as quick access to I-95 and Storrow Drive. I know Alewife Station can appear iffy to some, but during the winter you have the option of storing the car in the public garage there.

Disclaimer: Traffic can be really bad during peak hours!