Moving to Boston
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Moving to Boston
February 2006
A good friend just moved to Boston and is pregnant. She desperately needs
recommendations for everything -- doctors, midwives, prenatal yoga classes,
massage therapists who do pre-natal, resources for pregnancy/babies, etc. Anyone
out there who's lived in Boston and had babies there? Thanks!
boston baby friend
Your friend might want to check out the Isis Maternity Center
(www.isismaternity.com). I read about it in the Boston Globe-
it's a lot like the Day One center in San Francisco. They have
a bunch of prenatal classes, baby stuff for sale, etc. It was
described as a place to go for ''Yoga moms''.
Displaced Bostonian in Rockridge
How great for your friend! I lived in Boston for many years and
had my first baby there. It was a fabulous experience. My
OB/GYN's name was Lori Berkowitz and she is at Massachusetts
General Hospital. I checked, she's still there. Most of my
friends had their babies at Brigham and Women's Hospital and also
had good experiences. As for new-mom community stuff, Jamaica
Plain is the place to look. I found a great community there,
literally just by walking around the Pond. Also, there are
several stores and community centers on Centre Street that have
postings for moms groups, etc. Southern Jamaica Plain Health
Center (640 Centre) is a great place to start.
I know a lot of people like to compare Berkeley to Cambridge, but
I really found in my many years of living there that JP is way
more Berkeley-ish in the best ways possible. Good luck!
Nicole
Boston is a big place so recommendations will really depend on
which neighborhood your friend lives in - I had my first child
at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, and then the second
across the river at Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA. Both
excellent places, positive experiences at both, great midwives
& doctors. Tell your friend to check out the Somerville Moms
Message board to find friends/advice in the Boston area
(Somerville is a town just outside the city of Boston with
memebrs from all around the city):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/somervillemoms/
Good luck to her, Boston a great place to live (despite the
huge mounds of snow and freezing temperatures!)
Cathy
Moving to Boston. Our health care provider was HCHP through
Havard Vanguard. As an HMO it was so much better than anything
we have experienced here. Our pediatrician was Thomas Krueger
in the Cambridge office and he was awesome. Calm, not super
high intervention, smart, kind, good listener and good with
kids. Dr. Chin in that office is good too - we saw her when Dr.
Krueger wasn't there and she was impressive. The nurse in that
office, Jan, is great.
Beth Israel was a wonderful hospital to deliver at. The Brigham
has a stellar reputation as well. My OB/GYN, Susan Mann, is
smart, not very cuddly and in charge of risk reduction at the
hospital.
There is a Parents Paper available at Whole Foods and other
stores that has a lot of resources.
I took pre-natal yoga at Mystic River Yoga in Medford (just 10
minutes from North Cambridge) from a Swedish woman whose name I
forget. There are a ton of pre-natal yoga classes available.
Music Together classes are available in lots of communities and
a good way to meet people once the baby is 18 months or so.
Good luck.
Tracey
I suggest she look at Massachusetts Friends of Midwives for a
resource list. http://www.mfom.org/
in peace
Samantha
October 2003
We are considering moving to the Boston area this summer, and I
was hoping to get advice from others about neighborhoods and
elementary schools. My sons will be entering Kindergarten and
4th grade next year, and have been in great Montessori schools
here. We are hoping to find an area that has good public schools
if possible, is family friendly, is not too expensive
(housing-wise), but not too far from Cambridge. We would also be
open to private schools if there are any amazing ones to
consider. Do schools out there do lotteries and matching like
they do in Berkeley, and will we be in bad shape if can't enter a
lottery or apply to a school this winter?
We lived there as grad students 12 years ago, but my experience
of life as a grad student is probably going to be much different
as a parent! The postings on the web site are helpful, but I'm
hoping to get more specific suggestions for elementary aged kids,
e.g., schools, sports, music lessons, etc.
Many thanks in advance
Sima
We just moved from Cambridge to Oakland in '02. We miss Cambridge
dearly. We used to live near Central Square, which is a fun,
vibrant area. I felt like everything we needed could be found
within the Cambridge borders. Housing is very expensive though not
as eye-popping as out here. I don't know specifics about schools
but do know there are numerous private schools both in Cambridge
and in the area. I think public schools within Cambridge vary.
I've heard Brookline has a great school system, has an urban/
suburban mix, and is minutes away from the city as well as the
shopping malls and other fun places to go. But be warned, if you
consider Brookline, the buses can be SLOW going into Cambridge and
the trains require you to take an indirect route (changing trains
downtown, I believe.) We used to live in Brookline and both work
in Cambridge. It took an hour by bus and about half an hour by
car. The reason is because there is one main artery that has lots
of traffic lights and is travelled by everyone and their mothers.
Newton is further away but the drive is easy if you're near Route
16 and the Charles River. I used to drive from Central Square to
Newtonville in 15 minutes and really enjoy the beautiful drive
along the river. Newton is supposed to have great neighborhoods
and good schools. Watertown is between Cambridge and Newton and
though it lacks some of the charm of Cambridge and Newton, a lot
of people live there b/c it's cheaper and not too far away.
Somerville, which is next to Cambridge and which may have been
called ''Slummerville'' when you were grad students, has changed a
lot in the last 10-15 years. It has some nice pockets and
neighborhoods (i.e. Porter Square), but the schools are not as
great. In my experience, Cambridge was the best--more neighborly,
easy to walk, bike or take public transportation around, family-
friendly (with parks and restaurants). Once you get used to the
New England culture, it will be a great place to live. Enjoy!
East coast girl
October 2002
Hi:
We're spending 6 months in exile in Boston, and are looking
for leads for housing, nannies, and online resources for parents,
etc.
Any advice is welcome.
Joe
I can see why having to spend any significant amount of time
away from lovely & fabulous Berkeley may seem like exile! :^) As
an East Coast transplant, I wouldn't trade our li'l Berkeley
bungalow for all the money in the world!
But I lived in Boston for 10 years and assure you that you can
have a wonderful time if you really try. I adore that place,
though (brrrr!) not the winters! This is also the best time of
year to go - Boston summers are fabulous! Sunny and warm with
fresh ocean breezes. Except for occasional & usually brief
heatwaves, you won't encounter the soaking humidity that
pervades the rest of the East Coast.
FINDING A PLACE TO LIVE
First, I recommend that you find a sublet in Cambridge, if
possible. It feels a lot like Berkeley and is a mere hop, skip
and a jump across the river from Boston. I particularly
recommend Porter Square. Brookline is also a very nice family-
oriented area that borders on Boston. Somerville is cheaper &
borders on Cambridge. And Arlington's really nice, though more
suburban. Jamaica Plain is also really neat - and is one of the
more lively & diverse areas of Boston with lots of families,
students and artists - though parts of it are kind of hinky.
Sublets abound through the Cambridge and MIT listings and campus
newspapers. The big rental agencies over there are Just Rentals
(www.justrentals.com) and Boston Apartments
(www.bostonapartments.com). Since it's a college town, realtors
often do handle sublets. You can also check out the classifieds
in the Boston Phoenix (Boston's alternative paper at
www.bostonphoenix.com), the Boston Globe (the main paper at
www.boston.com). There's also the Boston Tab, an outfit that
publishes local papers (i.e. the Cambridge Tab, the Brookline
Tab), but they don't have a Web presence.
PARENTING RESOURCES
When you get to Boston, pick up the Boston Parents Paper (free
at any library or Borders Books & other locations). Despite the
fact that I once had a grunty production job there, I still
recommend it! ;^) You'll find this publication chock full of
helpful information, ads and classifieds. Unfortunately, they do
not have an online presence.
There's also Boston Online (www.bostononline.com), which has a
childrens' section, and Beantown Kids.com (www.beantownkids.com)
which lists events and activities for kids.
Parenting.com (www.parenting.com) and GoCityKids
(www.gocitykids.com) also have sections on kids and parenting.
THINGS TO DO
Your posting does not specify your child(ren)'s age(s) ... But
Boston abounds with historical & cultural attractions & fun
things to do with kids. Especially in the summer. There's the
world-renowned Boston Children's museum; The Freedom Trail (a
nice long walk with historical sites along the way - though in
some parts, the cobble stones can get kind of rough on
strollers); lots of neighborhood festivals and fairs (the
Central Square Fair is my favorite!) with fun for kids and grown-
ups; concerts, movies and other free events at Boston Commons (a
large park downtown) and the Esplanade (the park and recreation
area along the Charles River). Kids also love exploring the
U.S.S. Constitution (AKA ''Old Ironsides'') which dates back to
the War of 1812. Castle Island in Southie is also a nice
beach/park area.
You can also take tons of fabulous day trips. You can drive 20
minutes to Concord (or ride your bike along a pretty biking
trail) to Concord where you can swim at Walden Pond, see
Thoreau's house, and walk over the bridge where the minute men
fired upon the British during the revolutionary war. Or travel
40 minutes to Salem - famous for its charm as well as its
witches.
New England also offers something else that you won't find in
Northern California ... pretty beaches where you can actually go
swimming! The water's kind of cold, but nothing compared to the
frigid Pacific Ocean. Gloucester's a charming old town with nice
beaches. And there's Singing Beach in Manchester, NH - where the
sand makes an odd humming sound when the wind blows. If you want
to stay closer into town, there's Castle Island (which was
officially declared ''Clean'' a few years ago).
And of course, you must see Cape Cod (I recommend Chatham and
Provincetown) and take the ferry to Nantucket! Kids love
throwing bits of bread to the seagulls. Or if the 3 hour ride
seems too long, try a shorter trip to Martha's Vinyard.
There's also Faneuil Hall - a historic, semi-outdoor shopping
area with lots of fun stuff to look at, eat and buy.
Whew! I've already gone on long enough. I hope you find this
helpful & that you & your kids have a great time!
Elisabeth
Try boston.com for the Boston Globe's site with real estate and
rental listings. Craigslist.com also has a Boston section. Most
Boston area rentals go thru realtors, who charge one months fee
to you for their service. To avoid this, look for 'no fee'
listings. If you have kids, I'd highly recommend the Newton
area. Although pricey (but still less than the Bay Area!), it
has tons of families, playgrounds, parks, health food stores,
and lots of rentals. Check out Warmlines on Walnut St in Newton
for chilcare and playgroup connections. The Parents Paper is
available at kids stores and the libraries and has tons of
listings of things to do every month as well as camps,
childcare, and stores (not online as far as I know). Feel free
to email me if you have other questions.
Jen
Joe,
Where in Boston are you moving? Are you affiliated with a
univeristy (on sabbatical?) -if so, go through their housing
dept. We're moving back to Boston (Arlington) this summer. Check
the Boston Globe (online classifieds) and TownOnline
(homefind.com?). Also, BostonApartments.com has some listings for
NO FEE and some sublets. If you have kids, you're going to be
''handicapped'' with the deleading laws. I'm finding that many
real estate agents won't even tell me about a place unless it's
deleaded. Good luck to you!
bccporter
February 2000
My family will be moving to Boston/Cambridge for the summer, and then
permanently in May 2001. We're hoping to find a parents' list like this one,
and are especially interested in any housing tips, specifically a way to find
a good sublet for the summer. Any suggestions welcome
heather
Laura
Good sublets for the summer are usually not a problem if you have
access to Harvard or BU's student or faculty housing offices.
Housing is not cheap there, but it's a bit easier to find
than here and mass transit serves more communities better.
The biggest obstacle to finding housing is Massachusetts'
draconian lead paint law, which drives many landlords to discriminate
against families with children under age 6. (Essentially, it's
illegal to, knowingly or unknowingly, rent out housing with ANY
lead paint to kids under 6. And any place built before 1971 is
likely to have lead paint. De-leading is a huge business with a
100 percent mark-up over standard renovations. So those units are
very rare and rent for well over market rates.) Buying is pretty
much the way to go, if it's at all possible for you.When we left
two years ago, there was no comparable list to ours here. Playgrounds,
particularly the one in Cambridge Common, play a big role in social
networks. The Cambridge Public Library's
storytime was also good for networking. There are places like ArtBeat
and TotStop in Arlington that are nonprofit indoor project and play
areas for wintertime. And parent coop preschools are much more elaborate
than here, with great curricula and parent bodies (and yet less time
commitment). We LOVED Newtowne School on Cambridge Common. If the
teacher Martha is still there, she's not to be missed.
Also, the state of Massachusetts funds Child Care Resource Centers in
every city, which are the closest thing to Bananas. They can give you
referrals to family day care providers and help you apply for child
care vouchers and the like. But it's a real word-of-mouth kind of region.
And child care is more heavily regulated there than anywhere else in the
country, so it's even more expensive than here.
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Last updated: Apr 23, 2006
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