Apartment on AirBnb in Boston, looks good, any downside?
 

Following on from my other thread about things to do in Boston and Cape Cod, which lead onto to places to stay..... Travelling 9th-12th November 2012.

I have now found this apartment in Burbank St. It is not luxurious but looks comfortable for our stay of 2 nights.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/513598.

My DD and DSIL would sleep on the sleeper sofa. It looks close to everything and the owner says their is a parking building not far away.

He said the name of the parking garage is Patriots Parking. I have found out from DD that all their music gear can be unloaded and would not have to stay in the van.

Burbank St is very much in the center of an area known for student housing (Northeastern U, primarily, but other nearby schools as well). I would not expect the area to be especially quiet at night, if that's a concern. The area is slightly seedy, but nothing that would bother people who are used to city living. This wouldn't be my 1st choice of places to stay, but it's not awful, either.

The nearest subway stop is a five-minute walk away, on the "E" section of the Green Line. There's a Whole Foods market within a 5-minute walk.

If prices in the Back Bay or Beacon Hill are exorbitant, my personal preference would be for somewhere in Coolidge Corner, Cambridge, or Somerville. I find those neighborhoods to be a bit more welcoming and pleasant.

Thanks Don, good to know about the area. I have looked in the other places you said but thought it would be better a bit closer to downtown.

That is info about the neighborhood.

With Air BNB- as with any other matching services - you need to do you due diligence to make sure that

1) the property does exist
2) it is as advertised
3) you have a 24 hour landline to the owner in case there is any problem

How many references does the owner provide - and are you satisfied they are legitimate?

13 reviews and a lot of friend, phone number verfied, and if you click on his info, you can easily ascertain his last name and employer through a couple of clicks. - I'd say this owner was as safe as it gets on airbnb,

Wherever you stay DO NOT LEAVE musical equipment in the van!

That is sorted now mztery, it won't be left in the van!!!.

I would have no qualms about staying in that neighborhood. I don't think I'd call that area "slightly seedy" at all. It's just round the corner from Whole Foods, and I park on Westland Ave as well as Hemenway Street or Symphony Road ALL THE TIME in the evening for concerts at Symphony Hall. And I'd walk alone back to my car at 10-10:30pm without giving it a second thought. Or I'd walk alone on Mass AVe from Symphony Hall to the Hynes Convention Center T stop. There will be lots of young people around and out & about esp on Fri/Sat nights, since it's close to Berklee School of Music.

The Symphony T stop (Green E Line) is the closest, but if you don't mind walking slightly farther to the Hynes Convention Center T stop, you'll get more frequent service as that stop is served by Green B, C & D lines.

Thanks yk, it sounds good to me. I think I will book it.

nelsonian, I worked around there for years, and am still in the area a lot. It's a good location and the whole neighborhood is much better now than it was 25 years ago. Though it wasn't awful then just dingier.

My only comment is that the listing says Burbank St. and the map link shows you Westland Ave., a parallel street but much busier. I'd verify the street address and look at the building on Google maps

As Don says, there is a Whole Foods supermarket right around the corner, and I can recommend Woody's around the other corner on Hemenway St. for pizza, sandwiches, and burgers.

I believe the actual street address is Burbank Street. The street view is of Westland. Many times the owner doesn't want his own street and house photographed by the airbnb street view camera and so will choose a nearby street.

His cancellation policy is "flexible", which means you can cancel 24 hours ahead of time, so you can still keep looking. But booking it assures you of a place.

It looks a bit small and tight for four people - the bed and sofa don't look very big either, but then, it's probably convenient for you and you may not be staying there very long anyhow. All the various factors are yours to consider and decide.

We will only be there for a short time, arrive about 5pm Saturday night, and leave noon Monday. There is a very distinct possibility that our DD and SIL will go back to NYC on Sunday evening, or early Monday. The renter has said the sofa bed it not that big, however DD and SIL have been sleeping in the crew cabin of a cruise ship for the last four months, and I think this bed will be bigger than they have been used too!!!!

It all sounds good. You'll enjoy the convenience of the area.