I’m moving to Boston -what should I know?

You will want to get a parking sticker for your car. It allows you to park in Back Bay on-street parking and not get a ticket. The car probably has to be registered at your address to get the sticker. Go online to see.

If you didn't go to Harvard, you'll be considered trash.

Boston permits “left turn on red”. If you are on a one-way, turning left onto another one way, you can proceed through the red light after first making a momentary full stop. It might be a state law because I think Cambridge allows it, too.

Feel free to jaywalk.

We have rotaries here. The trick is to charge on in, and hope for the best.

Pot is legal here.

Smoking a joint and jaywalking through a rotary is not recommended.

I can’t stand Guy Fieri but he was right - the lobster ravioli at Rino’s Place was one of the best meals I’ve ever had (I say that as someone who dislikes lobster). Definitely worth the long wait.

Get rid of the car if you don't need it for work and you don't own your space.

Boston has two zoos. Three if you count PTown.

You will be towed if you don't abide by Street Sweeping regs and move your car when necessary. The tow company usually has a fleet of trucks waiting nearby for the instant that a car can be towed.

I hope you make a lot of money, OP.

Boston has a subway system, but not a rapid transit system. It’s often faster to drive a car on an errand, rather than use the subway.

So many universities full of hot, preppy white boys.

Rude, homicidal drivers. The cold will make your dick fall off.

Boston has the worst drivers of any city in America. My friend used to call me crying because of how recklessly Bostonians drive (she is from Chicago FYI).

People from New England aren't known for their friendliness. If you walk into a gas station and say hi to the cashier, they'll go "you're not from around here, are you?".

The Bay Area looks outward. New England looks inward.

You'll find out why they call Massachusetts drivers Massholes. Psychotic, entitled, reckless, and dangerous. Please don't buy a car.

If you don't have friends there already be prepared to be lonely f..they aren't the friendliest of people. Join a group, try rowing, floor hockey, a running group...anything that will get you to interact without other people...going to a bar will lead to nothing.

Ha - the first thing I was going to as OP is if he's bringing a car & half the posts are about this.

I had a car there, and I never got into an accident - but after a couple of weeks, I upped my insurance company and up the coverage to the max with all kinds of offerings I never heard of before. It really made me concerned & I had to drive into Cambridge often with students crossing the road while reading... literally right across Mass Ave - for MIT people. Harvard Square is a lot further down, and students tended not to do that over there.

OP - what specific things do you want to know? Just places to eat? Is that really more helpful than open table or yelp? I can tell you one of my favorite restaurants is Sorellina, by Copley Square, but there are a million Italian restaurants there. It's worth one trip, at least.

You're gonna wanna be white before you move up there

Are you a blue blood, OP? We will accept up to 6% French blood. The rest has to be of British extraction.

Winters suck.

Don't "charge into rotaries, and hope for the best." Learn to drive safely and slowly through them. Please.

Don't pick up a Massachusetts accent. It's the least sexy accent in the entire U.S.

You'll hear a lot of "That movie was wicked cool!" and "Your car is wicked awesome!". Don't ever say 'wicked'.

Very good pizza, but not as good as NYC.

Happy moving. Good luck and have fun!

[quote]Boston permits “left turn on red”. If you are on a one-way, turning left onto another one way, you can proceed through the red light after first making a momentary full stop. It might be a state law because I think Cambridge allows it, too.

Isn't this true in most places? It's certainly legal in California.

Three thousand a month and up for a one bedroom rental, nice costs more; $700K will get you a starter condo; nice costs more. $150K will get you a garage parking space (plus $131/mo condo fee.)

It's "Cop-ley Square" as in "Cop", not "Cope-ley" as in "Coping."

It's "Trehmont," not "Treemont."

Cambridge is a different city. Do not be misled.

Everything is complicated. Nothing is simple.

There are three gay bars left. Four if you cross the river.

Don't ride a bicycle. We will kill you. We won't mean to, but we won't see you and you'll be just as dead.

Tip Keytar the Bear well if you see him performing.

You can cruise the Mall, the Block (working girls), the Esplanade, and the Fenway (the gardens, but others have reported success at the ballpark.)

The cops aren't assholes if you're white.

Try to avoid the Green Line.

As a rule, boys from MIT will make more money in this economy.

There is no decent deli. You must go to Brookline or Cambridge.

Pot is legal as of July 1st.

The cars already in the rotary have the right of way.

I’ll second Rino’s. Some of the best Italian-American food in the COUNTRY. No one’s chicken parm comes close.

R21 must not be aware of Monica’s in the North End. The best Italian sub in the COUNTRY. Their other sandwiches are excellent as well.

It’s a very expensive place to live, but research the many free activities on offer. Start at the Boston Public Library. One of the most beautiful and helpful in the COUNTRY.

Go to Belle Isle Seafood for the best tail-only lobster roll in the WORLD. Bring a lot of cash.

If you need any more tips, let me know.

R21 is not your go-to guy for restaurant reviews, but Monica's is not the same kind of deli.

In the U.S., 37 states and Puerto Rico allow left turns on red only if both the origin and destination streets are one way. See South Carolina law Section 56-5-970 C3, for example. Four other states, namely Idaho, Michigan, Oregon and Washington, allow left turns on red onto a one-way street even from a two-way street. In Washington, freeway on-ramps are considered one-way streets for the purposes of the left turn on red law. The following states and territories ban left turns on red: South Dakota (unless permitted by local ordinance), Connecticut, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, the District of Columbia, and Guam. New York City also prohibits left turn on red lights, unless a sign indicates otherwise.

You'll need a coat.

The South End is the old Gayborhood that is now mostly gentrified, and borders Back Bay.

South Boston is a completely different place. It abuts the South End on the opposite side from Back Bay.

I had so many nights with friends at Cafe Sushi in Cambridge. It's really good. I loved that place. It was just quiet & nice in there. The same owners have high-end sushi places in other locations, but this one is reasonable & has a mix of students and Cambridge people. The Fukushima disaster happened while I lived there, and (having gone there dozens of times & talked with the owner) they mentioned how they were going to have to get a lot of new suppliers & things might come off the menu.

They have a couple of cooked dishes (which are actually good). The restaurant / diner below that is not good. I forgot the name. Cambridge food is generally not that great, but I like this place.

Then you can walk across the street to JP Licks or Berry Line for dessert.

My favorite pizza is either Big Daddy's (but I don't think they'll deliver to Back Bay) - and Upper Crust (who had Brazilian slaves making the pizza for the first few years). This is a very LONG ass article about it, but they do not do it anymore & naturally the prices went up.

the winters are long and arduous. Don't try to look trendy, dress for warmth. It's a damp cold. Invest in a good pair of boots because ankle-deep slush is at every street corner. The city salts the streets, right? That'll ruin your car and any leather footwear you have. Cast iron radiator heat is the best.

Hope you're interested in sports. After a long drought, Boston teams are pretty darn decent in the last 10-15 years.

Miss Charlotte Vale (of the Back Bay Vales) lived there.

Bring your Speedo for Santa, first Saturday in December, usually, on Newbury and Boylston Streets

When driving don't use your turn signal. When other drivers find out where your going they'll cut you off.

toilets at the Harvard coop are good for cock

also science bldg. toilet at harvard

R31 See, we don't get this: You're signalling, which probably means you're taking a left into traffic because no one signals the rights. Why would you? So you have to stop before you turn. We're just going along, doing our thing, not needing to turn at all. We just want to do what we're doing and go where we're going. You want to interrupt us? So we should just stop what we're doing because you - "Mr. (Ms., Mx, Zhe, et al) Important Who Wants To Make A Left And Thinks The World Waits For Him (or her, or they)" - want to take a left?

Nah.

This is al very helpful. I won’t be bringing a car. I do have a bicycle. How can Boston only have 3 gay bars??? That’s depressing.

On the highway, a left turn signal tells the person behind you to pull to the left and speed up. I’ve taken to pulling to the left anyway, despite there then being only a few feet between me and the sped-up, approaching car. It really pisses them off, but I think “what should they have expected?”

R35

They think the same thing: "WTF are you trying to get in front of me for?" You beat 'em this time but they're on your tail and they're staying there at least as far as New Hampshire...

Sounds like Boston is full of closet cases based on tall the "hot spots" DL posters seem to know about.. Who still cruses parks these days?

There’s good cruising at the Cask and Flagon. After watching those drunk heifers splatter vomit all over the floor those sports brahs would take anything else home.

Yeah, R36, I make sure I won’t have to stop at an upcoming traffic light before doing something like that.

echo r27’s sentiments about Cambridge food in general, but Orinoco offers great flatbreads and the best sangria i’ve ever had served up by good-looking venezuelan papis.

go before the patio refreezes!

Hundreds of men last Saturday, R37. Maybe thousands. Beautiful public park system. Safe, well-maintained, and welcoming around 2 in the morning on a nice night. What's not to like? All within 5 - 10 minutes on a bike. If you live.

There are nights/pop-ups and a couple of mixed places, but in answer to R34's: "How can Boston only have 3 gay bars??? it's because it's post-gay. That and the weather, Grindr, working 60-70 hours a week, and school keeps people home at night.

[quote]Maybe thousands

i call shenanigans.

[quote]There are nights/pop-ups and a couple of mixed places, but in answer to [R34]'s: "How can Boston only have 3 gay bars??? it's because it's post-gay. That and the weather, Grindr, working 60-70 hours a week, and school keeps people home at night.

Yet you all make time to cruse parks. Sure Jan.

[quote]Hundreds of men last Saturday, [R37]. Maybe thousands. Beautiful public park system. Safe, well-maintained, and welcoming around 2 in the morning on a nice night. What's not to like? All within 5 - 10 minutes on a bike. If you live.

I guess I am just not into closet cases in their 60's, 70's and 80"s.

Five hundred or so in the Fenway alone. Hundreds on both banks of the Charles, sporadically, to be sure, from the Science Museum to JFK/N. Harvard Streets. Prolly more up by the bird sanctuary, reduced though it is now. A hundred on the beach and field across from TJ's and Microcenter on Mem Drive. Tourists, locals, and convention-goers now; summer school starts next week so more people have already or are moving in. I wasn't over by BU, downtown, the Medical Center or anywhere near Kendall, Union, or Davis, all of which bear investigating once one has one's bearings.

It's only half the year when there's leaves on the trees, but yeah, thousands of horny guys looking or at least available to get laid in the parks in the dark. More on weekends or after a ball game or a concert. What's the point of hosting a quarter of a million students - roughly half of whom are male and aged 18 to 25 - every year otherwise? Not to mention the local talent.

R44

Not elderly closet cases. Horny guys in their 20's and 30's, mostly.

Native Chicagoan, living here in Boston for 3 years.

Everything so far about cars is true. Boston drivers are the most aggressive and rudest in the country. I have lived in Chicago, New York, DC, LA, and I am telling you, Boston makes those idiots look like pikers.

Back Bay? Holy shit, they better be paying you a mint.

Cops treat EVERYBODY like shit, White and Black alike. Every small suburb has their own police force and they are ALL assholes.

They pronounce names of streets, towns, politicians, in a really weird way here. Wouldn't matter except they pretend they don't understand if you fuck up the names. For example, Billerica would seem to be pronounced "Bill Erica" but is actually pronounced Bill Ricka. Ask someone best way to get to Bill Erica, and they will act like you are asking for directions to Mars.

Cost of living in Boston is insane. Food shopping is totally racist. There is a chain called Market Basket which is about 30% cheaper than the other stores (Stop n Shop, Shaws, Wegmans), but which is heavily patronized by Brazilians (huge number of Brazilians in Framingham) and Hispanics; racist white people look down on Market Basket. Butter costs $5.50 a pound at Stop n Shop; it costs $3 a pound at Market Basket. Market Baskets are not, to my knowledge, in Back Bay. We do have Aldi's!

Public transportation in this city sucks. It is outrageously expensive, inefficient and unreliable. In the winter, trees fall onto tracks, trains stall, buses break down. In Chicago, people know how to deal with snow and sleet. No snow days for schools, no one misses work for snow. Here? Entire institutions tell people they are not required to attend work/school the next day if 5 inches of snow are forecast. Be prepared to have a lot of days snowed in.

People here are not friendly. THAT is putting it mildly. Someone here suggested you join groups. Yes. Do not expect to make friends here easily.

As I said, I have lived all over the country. I plan to live somewhere else again. I hate Boston. Let me recommend the southeast or the Intermountain west. The east coast feels just totally unhappy. I think most Bostonians are not aware of their unhappiness. They just assume the whole world is this miserable.

R47, fellow Chicagoan here. Where else have you lived in the US, and what cities did you love?

Judging from that Atlanta thread, don't move there, OP.

Would anyone here prefer Washington DC to Boston?

What a bunch of sad Boston gays. You are tying to impress em with the number of closet cases? Ha,ha, good luck with that.

I would, R50. But I’ve been in Boston so long, any change would be good for me.

[quote] People here are not friendly. THAT is putting it mildly. Someone here suggested you join groups. Yes. Do not expect to make friends here easily. . I agree with r47 on this. If you are going for grad school, then you have a built in network / way to make friends. I stayed in Boston after my friends graduated & it felt like a very different place without the same people around all the time. It was hard to meet new people at that point, though I tried going to alumni things & that was okay. I'm not sure what the solution is to this is, but the same kind of thing happens in a lot of big cities. When people have their cliques, they're done looking for other friends. This phenomenon just seemed more pronounced there, with the exception of an alumni network or maybe some other kind of professional network you might join.

My formatting was screwed up...

[quote] People here are not friendly. THAT is putting it mildly. Someone here suggested you join groups. Yes. Do not expect to make friends here easily.

I agree with [R47] on this. If you are going for grad school, then you have a built in network / way to make friends. I stayed in Boston after my friends graduated & it felt like a very different place without the same people around all the time. It was hard to meet new people at that point, though I tried going to alumni things & that was okay. I'm not sure what the solution is to this is, but the same kind of thing happens in a lot of big cities. When people have their cliques, they're done looking for other friends. This phenomenon just seemed more pronounced there, with the exception of an alumni network or maybe some other kind of professional network you might join.

Anyone with a car will get a humongous amount of tickets, but... there are almost no moving violations. Cops don't want to hold up traffic to issue a ticket. I once drove down a ony way street by accident, did a three point turn over two sidewalks and then waved to the cop who watched me do it. Yeah the drivers are nuts and might give you the finger but no one is stopping to get out and fight you. It's all about moving along. "Nothing to see here."

People form their social groups in college, tough for a new comer. Join groups, do volunteer work. Find a local bar.

Comm Ave not Commonwealth Avenue

Dot Ave not Dorchester Avenue.

Fenway is a street as well as a ball park. The Riverway is a street.

Learn to love baseball. Don't attempt to go to the July 4th on the Esplanade for the first year.

Don.t attempt to drive a tall truck on Storrow Drive. Plan to get out town for Labor day weekend when the students come back.

Visit The museums. WORLD CLASS-=========

Hey, OP, Boston may have few gay bars, but in less time than it takes to drive from East LA to West LA, you could hit up a pretty good selection of gay bars in Providence. It’s under an hour by car, easy parking in Providence, and those bars are all in walking distance of each other. Plus, there are great restaurants in Providence.

I know you said you had no car, but you can go by train or zip car.

Is Boston more unfriendly than Seattle?

R34/OP - Boston can be a really fun city to visit and is also very pedestrian IMO (outside of the HELL of January through April), but it is very limited with the bar scene. Even a decade ago when I last spent a week there, the scene was DEAD. Sex apps have killed the bar scene country-wide, but Boston never really had one to begin with. Mark my words - no scene whatsoever. Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, etc. all have thriving clubs and bars - so the apps have not killed everything.

The unfriendly thing seems to go hand in hand with the closet case thing. Just sayin.

Los Angeles just opened 3 new bars last year in downtown. The gay community is actually alive and thriving. And they are nice places, not shit hole dive bars.

Please come to boston.

The “unfriendliness factor” is much more pervasive than you may assume. In Boston & the northeast in general, if you’re not the RIGHT kind of lily- white, Caucasian who comes from very old money and holds an Ivy League degree, you are treated like SHIT.

Oh, and the winters SUCK. Just sayin’. Learn to tolerate bone-chilling cold. Wear layers.

The only place I've never liked.

Rotaries? WTF don’t they call it a roundabout, like everywhere else does?

We call those Traffic Circles

Well, six minutes. A dl record.

Bump

I grew up in Boston proper, and have lived in Chicago, London, and the Back Bay, on Marlborough Street. I agree with almost everything everyone has said. You can not overstate how miserable it is to drive and find parking. I never thought the T was safe; I've had friends mugged during the day on it. It is expensive as fuck! The one thing I kind of disagree on is the unfriendliness of the people. I don't think they are unfriendly and rude so much as direct and blunt. I have made friends pretty much everywhere I've lived, but not in Boston. It is impossible. People are very insular, they don't look beyond the clique they've known all their lives, and, if you're new, well, you just won't have any friends. I went to grad school in NH, and a lot of my friends moved to Boston after graduating. They are mostly just friends with each other, and very few of them have made other friends, even after 20 years of living there. I have never seen that in other cities, but it is incredibly odd. I am 100% serious: if you need a lot of friends, Boston is not the place for you.

You do get used to the snow and cold -- at least I didn't mind it. The trick is to not fight it; if it's cold, it's cold, if there's snow there's snow; carry on -- but driving and parking in it IS impossible.

Boston has its flaws, but I still think it is the best city in the world. People in the downtown areas are mostly intelligent and liberal, and the city does everything right. I would love to move back to Boston, but it has gotten out of this world expensive. I could not afford to live there anymore, and I don't much care to live in one of the suburbs. I hope you have a wicked pissa time there, OP.

I have a car and never get tickets. You just have to internalize the parking rules, and then learn to follow them.

For example, Monday is street cleaning day in Back Bay. Cars are required to be moved on cleaning day, either in the morning or afternoon. This means that the number of parking spots on the street are reduced considerably on Mondays. So, Monday is awful day to run errands with the car, because, when you return home, there may be no free spots.

Similarly, I usually don’t take the car out on evenings, because the limited number of parking spots on the street fill up and don’t turn-over as frequently after dark. It’s like musical chairs, with parking spots instead of chairs.

Parking is difficult. Don't live in the Back Bay or, if you do, don't have a car if you're not prepared to pay for a space or willing to deal with the parking restrictions. Anywhere in Boston, but in the Back Bay in particular, you and a lot of other people are competing for a limited number of spaces - the city was built before cars were invented. They aren't willing to tear a lot of it down to build more parking spaces. Bitch about it all you want but that's the reality here. Use a Zip Car or Uber.

R62: "if you’re not the RIGHT kind of lily- white, Caucasian who comes from very old money and holds an Ivy League degree, you are treated like SHIT." Absolute bullshit. Who is gonna treat you like shit? Atul Gawande was just named the CEO of the Amazon/JP Morgan/Berkshire Hathaway healthcare startup which will be HQ'd here. Biogen's CEO is Irish. Robert Kraft owns the Patriots: Jewish. Henri Termeer, CEO of Genzyme before he died last month was Dutch. The mayor is the child of Irish immigrants (and a recovering alcoholic) who was an construction worker before he became a city councillor. The mayor before him was an Italian-American who had a high school diploma until UMass gave him a degree when he was 60. His nickname was "Mumbles." The mayor before him was an Irish Catholic from Southie and kind of a lush. One US Senator is a woman from Oklahoma who taught at Harvard Law School and claims Native-American ancestry. The other one is an Irish-Catholic who's a triple Eagle from Boston College. The Governor is a WASP, but he was born in Elmira, NY so hardly a Boston Brahmin. The Dean of Harvard Medical School is an Irish-American named Daley. The Dean of Harvard's Business school is Indian-American (Nitin Nohria.) The incoming president of Harvard is Jewish. Money doesn't care about your race, nationality, religion, gender, or sexuality. It cares about how smart you are. Perception always lags reality. WASPs haven't been a factor in Boston's financial, social, or political life for at least fifty years.

It is hard to make friends, but it's your problem to solve. Those of us who are from here obviously have the family and friends we grew up with, went to school with, and with whom we work. Our plates are full. And there are a lot of us: people who are born here have a tendency (low out-migration) to stay here. Why? I'm gonna take a wild guess and say some of it, anyway, is because we're happy here. It works for us. That's not to say you won't be welcomed if you make the effort, but it's incumbent on you to do so. Don't sit around waiting for the welcome wagon. Like any place that's successful, it's stressful because you have a lot of competition and some of 'em, anyway, are as smart (or attractive or personable) as you are. Maybe even smarter or prettier or nicer. Cream rises to the top. I've lived in NYC, Florida, and California and abroad. I didn't find it easy to make friends, but I managed, and I certainly didn't think people were going to drop what they were doing just because I showed up in town. If you play sports, sign up for a team (great gay sports leagues - at least a dozen for tennis, rugby, football, baseball, rowing, bowling, swimming, skiing, etc.) or volunteer to do something useful - teach someone English as a foreign language or volunteer at a shelter. If you're doing it to get a date or a line on your resume, people will figure that out pretty quickly. If you're sincere, people will figure that out pretty quickly, too. BTW, when you make friends here, chances are they're for life. You may or may not like that, but it's true.

I wouldn't say they do everything right (the T, the traffic, and the public schools are sub-par) but I agree with R69 when he or she says: "Boston has its flaws, but I still think it is the best city in the world. People in the downtown areas are mostly intelligent and liberal, and the city does everything right." I've seen most of the world. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

And Karen (below) has a few words for our student visitors, too, you Intahlowpahs...

I LOVE that song, R61. Thank you for posting it.

OP, this is important, on the chance that you ever drive in Boston - in some neighborhoods, like Southie and Charlestown, anyone who snowshovels-out a public parking spot on the street may place a orange cone, or piece of furniture, in that spot, and effectively claim ownership of the spot, for as long as they dare. Usually, the City removes the street obstacle after a few days. But - you never park in a reserved spot because the “owner” will vandalize your car.

Some sections of the city do not do this (Back Bay, South End). Individuals in those neighborhoods may try it, but their claim of ownership is usually ignored.

I moved to Boston after graduating college a long time ago. I was a Navy brat growing up, so I’ve lived all over the country. (Due to family issues, I had to move closer to home about 5 years ago…meaning NY)

I agree with everything said thus far, but I will add a bit to the unfriendliness of the people. In my experience, what would appear as unfriendly to the rest of the country is considered as guarded unfamiliarity by the locals. It’s not impossible to make friends in Boston. It will just take a lot longer to do it. And believe me, once you’ve made them, they will be loyal friends for life.

It’s considered “bad form”, to try to assert ownership of spots in neighborhoods that don’t have that culture.

r71, you beat me to it, re: the friends for life!

I love Karen from Meffa (that's Medford to you intahlopahs).

I've heard it's difficult to make friends with local Boston people, but once you do, it is for life. However, in Seattle, the locals are weirdly "polite" but if you try to be friends with them, they will act like you are trying to molest them and you have ZERO chance of ever being friends with them (not surprisingly, Scandinavia is supposed to be the same).

Has anyone here lived in Washington D.C. too? I hear that DC is more diverse and less insular than Boston

Learn how to pronounce these places:

Dorchester

Gloucester

Worcester

Bonus City: Marlborough

[quote] R65: Rotaries? WTF don’t they call it a roundabout, like everywhere else does?

Rotaries are not Roundabouts, nor Flyovers. See attached.

R80:

Dorchester = Dawchestuh

Gloucster = Glawstuh

Worcetser = Wustuh

Marlborough = Marlburrah

Now, your turn:

Quincy

Marblehead

The "alphabet streets" starting with Arlington

This sums up the locals.

Now they're friends for life.

Another bonus citiy to learn how to pronounce::

Leicester = Lie-sta

A lot of area places are named using old Indian names, such as “Massachusetts”; “Ogunquit, ME”; and “Quabbin” Reservoir.

R82, What’s hard to pronounce about “Quincy”? Or Marblehead? (There’s a harbor bluff in Marblehead that is named for my ancestors, who once owned it.

I want to expand on R82’s statement about alphabet streets in Back Bay. The smaller side streets that cut through Back Bay, are named in alphabetical order: Arlington, Berkley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford. When getting directions to a place in Back Bay, sometimes the street number is worthless. Instead, just ask, “which cross streets are near you?”

Out of towners think Quincey is pronounced Quin-see buts really Quinzzzeee

R84: the poster above has it right; it's "Quinzee".

and Marblehead is often pronounced "MahblHEAD"

Add to the alphabet streets: Ipswich, Jersey, Kerney, Landsdowne...

Winter arrives late, then stays into June.

Winter cold may be bad, but you can always brush snow off your coat and carry on. Spring is worse, as it’s our rainy season, and being soaked by buckets of freezing rain that descend like knives and forks, is even worse than having to deal with snow.

I can’t believe I delivered newspapers in that weather. Especially since we didn’t have modern waterproof fabrics and boots.

You're moving to a beautiful city with lots of smart and liberal people. There are 3.5 seasons (Spring is usually abbreviated but can feature a dozen gorgeous days sprinkled between April and May.) Summer typically features 3 or 4 heat waves which are horrific but last only 3 or 4 days each. Fall is beautiful. Winter is picturesque in December but swiftly builds in misery, with February and March usually the worst.

Back Bay has historic brownstones and you can walk to South End, Beacon Hill, or across the river to Cambridge if you're ambitious. Newbury Street is one of the major shopping areas but it's a little less 'buzzy' than it once was. The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a recent addition to the city, between the Financial District and the North End/waterfront.

You can catch the ferry to Provincetown during the summer.

Yes you can make friends but Boston isn't one of those places where the bus driver gives you a big hello and shopkeepers greet you exuberantly. Great advice above about joining clubs, sports groups, etc. etc. Find something you like to do and initiate conversations. Get out there and give it some time.

And the driving is extra tough because large areas of the city feature narrow one-way roads and not enough signage. And rotaries aren't too tough, just remember that cars already in the rotary have right-of-way. And don't show weakness as a driver or you'll be roadkill. :)

I once drove into a rotary and was charged-upon by some angry road-warrior coming up from behind me. I later got a ticket by mail as the other driver turned out to be was a police lieutenant. I went to court, and he did not show up. My arguement was that I did yield to traffic when I entered the rotary, but once in, I now had the right of way over the Lieutenant behind me and who wanted to take an exit. He should have crossed my lane behind me, instead of trying to overtake and cross in front of me; and that made Lieutenant mad.

The court asked me what he might have been thinking. I told the court “people just want to go wherever they want to go.” The ticket was dismissed.

Every city has sports fans. Boston has Tommy from Quinzee, our own favorite Deplorable.

[quote]Monday is awful day to run errands with the car

That car is half mine, and I aim to take it!

Enjoy - it's spectacular. Great / spirited / smaht (smart) people. Wish I was back there....in DC now, which is a nightmare. Boston is no more expensive than DC.

You'll need to make 100 grand to be happy...the MA drivers are rude and crazy. the subway system is fast/old but cheap....the buses are awful....all flyover pop sandwiched in...D Bar on the border of Boston is nice...I averaged $80 to $100 for dinner just for me wherever I went...Harvard kids are boring.

A “Boston Left” is when you are at a traffic light, and it turns green. Taking a left turn as soon as the traffic light permits, even it it momentarily blocks the traffic in the lane directly in front and opposite from you, is a Boston Left. It’s harmless. Sometimes, it’s the only way to progress forward.

SHOCKED no one has said this. IF you wear a Yankees Hat, you suck. You probably will be told you suck, and you might get beat up. This has changed a lot since 2003, but don't wear a Yankees Hat and be cocky. BTW Fuck the Yankees they really do suck. And they hate Noo Yawkers, you suck too. Fuck you.

Another oddity no one has mentioned. If you are at a stop sign, and the other adjacent lane has a stop sign, you allow 3 of their cars to go thru, and then you go thru. Growing up there I thought this was the law, then I moved, it is NOT. Remember 3 at a time.

Don't waste your time being reasonable, if you pull into someones parking space they dug out, expect your car to either be covered in snow, all the tires flattened, and or the windshield busted out, if you are lucky. Or you might be killed. Really, especially in Dorchester, South Boston. You are very safe in Newton Wellesley Needham etc but forget it, you cannot afford to live there. They are called the suburbs even though they are 3 miles from Boston.

SPORTS RULES. The Celtics Red Sox Bruins and Patriots RULE the city. you will see sports hats and shirts 365/7/24. If you HATE sports, well, try to make believe you like them a little.

If you drive slowly in a rotary we will kill you, drive fast and exit faster, do not yield to anyone, ever.

You are allowed to kill anyone on a bike, because fuck them anyways.

The clubs close at 2AM, The trains stop running at 1230. Do the Math.

SPORTS RULE,

I grew up there some of the on the whole ugliest fattest worst dressing people you will ever see ib your life. A 5 in California, is a 11 in Boston.

Learn some Yiddish eh? ( I'm a jew don't give me shit)

It's colder in Boston on a moderate winter day, then a FREEZING NYC day. It's the wind and humidity. You will want to DIE. Trust me. Your nose and fingers and toes go NUMB then dead, then turn black, then fall off, but

There are AMAZING hospitals there, so get there quickly to treat your frostbite.

You can barely count the Colleges in Boston there are about a TRILLION. BUT you won't find a parking space until school gets out.

Labor Day weekend, leave town, every school kid moves in. Leave town.

You MUST experience Boston Marathon Day, not hokie at all, great energy, and many people are even friendly!

If you are really sarcastic and a hard ass, people might like you.

Most people I know from Europe say Boston is their favorite American City, and you know what, it is quite beautiful in places but on the whole, the people suck.

It is true, if you make a friend, you have a friend for life, no wishy washy blow in the air kisses, real friends.

Don,t swim in the Charles, ever, BUT it has dramatically changed for the better

learn these words...Clicka, Bubblah, Jimmies, Packy, Bang a Uey, FUCK YOU, YANKEES SUCK.

I have forgotten the rest I love this thread, so Fuck You.

R95. You made a former Bostonian laugh. That was a wicked pissa list.

BTW-- Origin of the word wicked. When West Side Story came out, the expression the gangs used to express approval was "cool." A high school teacher in Somerville dod not want his students to start using words associated with gangs -- even of the Broadway kind -- so he got all his kids to say "wicked" when something was good. It, clearly, caught on. True story. I have not been back to Boston in years. Is it still a common expression?

Bang a Uey...that took me back R95. My friend lived in Quinzee and Saugus and worked in Peabody (Pebudee).

I learned a few of the words/phrases from her, that one I had forgotten. 🤓

Things to do In Boston

Visit the outer harbour islands. Visit the USS Constitution sailing ship.

Make a same-day, round trip, by ferry to Ptown.

See the Bunker Hill memorial in Charlestown. Also the Modern Art Museum in Southie.

See the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Also tour the adjacent Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.

See the Red Soxs.

Tour Old North Church. Then visit the antiquated nearby Copps Hill Burial Ground.

At the end of the day, recharge by having tea in the”Top of the Hub” restaurant on the top of the Prudential building and enjoy the view.

R95 here, thanks for the kind words glad you had a laugh.

I remember always thinking I grew up in the wrong place, I was way too outgoing and friendly to live there, it has served me well now in life, but it sucked then,

OH, BTW People in Boston say Fuck a lot, like Fucking all the fucking time Im not fucking kidding you.

Abso-fucking-lutely!

The interior, marble, staircase entranceway to the old public library in Back Bay is beautiful and will take only 10 minutes.

Interesting as I always meet people who LOVE Boston - but never understood it. Some beautiful suburbs and countryside and the Cape - but the city is kinda meh. And small. Even if I like the politics, I could never live there. I would do Philly before Boston - bigger, more diverse, same historical architecture. Though both have white trash nasty people.

Is South Boston as much fun as they say?

R12, 13 and 14 are correct and have identified the one thing that will sooner rather than later make you hate this place.

And worse than the cold is the 4:09 sunsets early in December. Soul killing.

The Laotian drag queen JuJu Bean lives there. Maybe you can ask her out for coffee.

r100 watch your fuckin’ language!

[quote] R28: The city salts the streets, right? That'll ruin your car and any leather footwear you have.

I developed a practice of replacing my work shoes on a yearly basis, in the Spring, in part for this reason. I wait until the risk of snow is gone, then throw the old shoes out.

R103 Boston is a diverse city. We have tens of thousands of students from across the globe. We have vibrant immigrant communities from Vietnam, Haiti, Jamaica, Poland, Ireland, India, El Salvador, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico. We have a strong gay community that wields significant political power. There are houses of worship across the city representing a plethora of religious beliefs. I see many colors of skin and hear a wide variety of languages and accents all day, every day.

If you choose to live in a relatively small and exclusive neighborhood like the Back Bay and choose to self segregate and be among other rich white people, that’s your prerogative. Meet me at Ashmont in Dorchester on the Red Line and I’ll take you on a tour of my neighborhood. That’ll change your mind about a lack of diversity and probably hit you with a little culture shock, too.

Vicious winters, hot humid summers; very neighborhoody; Back Bay is lovely, so is Beacon Hill. You support the Sox or you relocate. I take issue with the bad rap the drivers get because I lived for some time in New Mexico and nobody's drivers are worse than theirs and that includes a terrible problem with drunk drivers. Boston drivers are mean but at least they seem to know the rules of the road, which is more than can be said about NM drivers. That said, the others are right: driving around Boston takes nerve; best to take public transport and garage the car for getting out of town only. The city has lots of character and NYC is not far away - gateway to the rest of New England, too. Lots to do, a couple of world class art museums and, if classical music is your thing, the BSO and Symphony Hall is worth the move alone. It's like a smaller more manageable NYC. And it ain't cheap, although I suspect if you're moving to Back Bay you aren't hurting.

And the Atlantic is a real presence there even if you're unconscious of it.

I’m from NJ. I’m in Boston monthly for work. Driving is fun. I don’t find it stressful at all. It is exactly like I drive in NJ. We call the rotaries by their proper name - circles. Much like Boston, you enter and exit circles as quickly as possible pretending you are driving a tank.

New Mexico does have the worse drivers. It seems half are drunk after 10 PM.

I don't care how much you are worth, how much you make or how much you love your car: if you are moving to Back Bay (a beautiful and vibrant little hood) - DO NOT drive a car. Honestly, with Uber and Lyft - you are more than covered. Forget the parking spots that are so expensive that they look like a mortgage payment and forget the musical chairs of moving your car constantly to land a spot when not getting ticketed for street cleaning. Just ditch the car. Boston is not all that big after all. (I live in Los Angeles - which IS big in comparison).

Bring lots of sweaters. Heavy ones. Ugly ones.

If you are in any other part of the country, have some fun and ask for:

A "Frappe"

"Jimmies"

A "Sub"

A "Tonic"

A "Bubbler"

This video shows the touristy, summer-time places you'll want to avoid, except the St. Anthony's Festival, of course.

Best thing about Boston is access to beautiful small New England town throughout Western Mass, NH, ME, VT as well as Ptown. Otherwise, you’re stuck in Boston for 9 months of the year - blech.

R114 reminds me. A “grinder” is a regionalism, meaning a subway sandwich. It’s more of a SE Connecticut or RI expression. Pronounced “grind-da”.

Don’t forget to do a day trip to Newport and see how the other side lives.

Here’s another city to pronounce: “Dunstable”.

R116 is right - If you're not from the region, you owe it to yourself to head up to, say, Vermont in mid-October to see the breathtaking foliage. and towns like Woodstock (the "other" Woodstock). And one of the strange upsides to the bitter New England winter is how poignant the New England spring feels. Again, best experienced outside Boston. Maine and MA are about the sea; NH and VT are about the land. But beware of VT especially in the north, in March early April: mud season as all the snow melts. Go up there in May, and head north for the wilder areas, what they call the "Northeast Kingdom". Green beyond belief in spring and early summer.

Is stop and shop the main supermarket chain? And most importantly do they sell booze?

R119, yes, and yes. They deliver through the Peapod subsidy.

We also have Whole Foods, too. Also Trader Joe’s.

they don't sell booze in the grocery stores

you'll have to go the packie

my mistake, i guess they do sell booze in some Stop and Shops, never did in my Stop and Shop south of Boston

Thanks @R120

It’s boring and ugly

You can work for Gillette. They need more Gay blade makers to make their quota.

I have a theory about the jaywalking that is mentioned.

My theory is that, it is so cold in the winter, it doesn’t make sense to wait for the walk light, when the traffic is light and the windchill is -17°. So, people jay walk. We get accustomed to doing it in poor weather, so it becomes second nature throughout the year.

I have a friend from California who visits and refuses to jay walk. He throws everything into an uproar.

Been to Boston twice, but in Winter and only for work. The temps nearly killed me. But, hella freakin' awesome rad Dudes there, bro! I felt at home. Like I could come out of the closet as an asshole-seeming, real, honest, no-BS person. I grew up in San Francisco, and never left. I think we're like Bostonians, except we'll have tantric sex with you before we get all flaky and always cancel plans to get together because we're passive-aggressive, and YOU SUCK, you vapid Twinkl! Go back to fucking Cleveland, and take your hipster tekkie douchebro manbuns with you! (Everyone not from here is from Cleveland or Kansas. Or New Jersey. Same thing.). You want crowded, EXPENSIVE, bad public tranny, and no parking? Where turn signals are a sign of like, rilly, rilly Bad Karma? Come to SF. Our icy "Summer" fog and wind will shrink your cock and balls into oblivion. We don't give a shit how you pronounce local words, but if you call it "Frisco" or "San Fran" -- you will die in a hot tub filled with acid.

Is it too late to change course? Boston fucking sucks. Shitty, aloof, homogeneous people. Boring! Gay scene is PATHETIC. Back bay is charming but charm is ... whatever.

Not OP, but I will be in Boston for a Mon-Fri work trip. I will not have a car, but can certainly Uber. I've been to touristy stuff, but never gay bars there. Are there any bathhouses (for real - I want to check it out), or "dark room" kind of bars? Would anyone who has real experience there know the best gay bars if neither of the above exists?

I haven't been to Boston in a while, but last time I went I don't remember that much of a gay scene in Boston itself. Maybe I was drunk or it just wasn't that memorable?

R129 come to Providence, we have two bathhouses here and i think 5 or 6 gay bars. Boston scene is dead.

R129 About five or six bars from Cambridge (adjacent city) to Dorchester (Boston neighborhood) a couple of restaurants and occasional pop-ups. No baths: the closest are in Providence. Not even peeps. The Fenway was and still to some degree is the summer hookup zone but it's a homeless encampment now. Lots and lots and lots of mixed places for 20-30 somethings that are seemingly fluid, but not many of the old "Mary" gay bars are left. The stripper bar is all fraus in wedding parties.

It's very, very quiet here until school starts. Everyone that can be is out of town. The kids are coming back, so there's that.

Stuck up chilly Queens

Correcting 132: "The stripper bar is all fraus in wedding parties." No, not escaping the reception. The bachelorette parties.

Check out the Stoneham Zoo, north of Boston. My favs there are Javier the Jaguar; and Giselle the Gazelle. And the cute docent.

There's a stork loose tonight from the Stone Zoo.

"Stone Zoo is missing a stork. The Stoneham facility says a white-bellied stork named Las flew away Friday during training for the zoo’s “Birds of Prey” show. It was last seen Saturday morning at nearby Spot Pond."

People have been warned.

Saltie Girl for tinned fish.

R136, I’m on it!

[quote]I’m moving to Boston -what should I know?

They're all going to laugh at you!

belle island seafood? nice ambiance but a 27$ lobster roll hell no. east boston now is for tourists

Belle Isle Seafood is in Winthrop: 1 Main Street. Of course East Boston is for tourists: that's where the airport is. But sightseeing-type tourists? Nah. They just get off the plane and head into town. Eastie's a lot better than it was but what is there to see there except to look at Boston across the harbor?

It's a nice lobster roll but that's what lobster rolls cost these days: Legal Seafoods is $29. The price will come down since the Chinese aren't buying our lobsters anymore and the Japanese are buying the Canadian critters. All the lobsterman deplorables who voted for Drumpf are getting hosed by his tariffs.