renee_cook

My husband, infant daughter and I are moving to Cambridge next week. We do not plan to bring a car. However, my parents are coming to help and will stay at a nearby hotel for some of their week-long stay. We hope to do some sight seeing in Boston with them, as well as general looking around to get a feel for our new community. With a cross-country move also comes large grocery store trips & target runs. Do you think we should plan to rent a car for a day or more? Or just rely on public transportation? Or use zipcar?

Also - any opinions about conveniences or how to make the moving process into Cambridge the smoothest are welcome.

travelgourmet

I live in Boston. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider living here (or Cambridge) without a car. Yeah, you can get by without one, but having a car makes life immeasurably easier.

To that end, I'd rent the car, at least for the initial move-in period. After that, a Zipcar might work better as supplemental transportation.

You will need to go somewhere to get cleaning supplies, etc. Easiest/closest would probably be the Target in Everett, which is in a shopping center with Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Home Depot, and a Costco. There is a Target in Somerville, but it is dumpy, small, and not terribly convenient for public transport.

http://www.target.com/store-locator/...e-result-print

If you really wanted to do this without a car for whatever reason, Tags is right on the Red Line and has a pretty good range of household stuff. Right next to a Star Market as well.

http://www.tagshardware.com/

Where in Cambridge? Might help to get a sense of where else to recommend if you are car-less.

cw

I think you might want a car to get familiar with the locale and to stock up on basics. And you'll probably want to travel to a few sights etc. with your parents.

Cambridge is large--a lot depends on where you will be located. Zipcar will be great after you get settled in. Do make sure you can park somewhere near your house if you rent a car. Much of Cambridge requires a resident sticker to park. And do read the rules about metered parking.

DonTopaz

Welcome to town. This is a pretty good place to live, most of the time.

Ackislander

It would be useful to have a car or access to one for the first couple of weeks. Thereafter, there are a lot of issues.

We had a car in Cambridge many years ago when my wife was in school at Harvard. Our garage parking cost as much as our mortgage payment in Oxford, Mississippi.

You do need a resident sticker for overnight parking on the street, and it is only a license to hunt.

A car is very convenient except for that, perhaps a contradiction.

A close relative lives in Arlington and gets along fine without a car.

It would help to know where you are by neighborhood. Cambridgeport, for example, is not as eay as Central Square or Harvard Square.

renee_cook

Thanks, everyone! We will be living slightly northwest of harvard - about a mile i think. I am totally unfamiliar with the area & we move in a couple days! I've been looking at maps, but I grew up in Chicago which is laid out on a grid system so I have some learning to do. Those streets look crazy

We decided to rent a car for a few days to get adjusted & then I think we'll sign up for zip car. It looks like there are lots everywhere!

Do you think that'll be sufficient?
We thought having a car in Chicago was a hassle - it's hard on the car (expensive repairs eventually), snow removal, parking & gas are more expensive & we still needed public transportation passes anyway. not to mention insurance & registration fees.

Any other thoughts or tips?

cw

Most of the streets in Cambridge are resident only parking. That means obtaining a sticker from City Hall. You won't be able to do that with a rental car, so ask your landlord if there is anyplace to park your rental near your apartment.
Having a car can be expensive, as you say, so zip car will probably serve you well after your move. You'll get used to the streets. Because this is an older area, the grid layout is rare. People use main roads as guides--i.e. near Mass. Ave. We also tend to shorten the names of streets, so you'll hear Mass. Ave, for Massachusetts Ave. and Comm. Ave. for Commonwealth Ave. in Boston.
Good luck with your move.

travelgourmet

Do you think that'll be sufficient?

Like I said, I wouldn't want to do without a car in Boston. But many do manage just fine, so take my opinion for what it is worth. I would say that it depends how close certain things are - if you are a short walk from the T, maybe with a grocery store nearby, then you may never miss a car. If you are a long walk from the T, on an infrequent bus line and a long way from a grocery store, then you might curse not having one. It sounds like you will be in a decently convenient neighborhood, so you can probably get by with the T and a zipcar.

Any other thoughts or tips?

Buy a portable GPS. They can be had for as little as $100 and will save you a lot of hassle, this way you can just take it from car to car and won't have to deal with printed maps in an area where directions can be confusing. We have one that we travel with and it pays for itself in terms of saved time and frustration. It will be the best money you ever spent.

travelgourmet

One other thought around parking. Get a visitor parking permit. They can be used for a few days at a time and should solve your needs. Theoretically, they are for your visitors, but I don't think you'll encounter any problems as long as you don't use it for weeks at a time. Doesn't look like you can get it done in time to help with the move, but will help with the zipcar.

http://www2.cambridgema.gov/traffic/VisitorPermit.cfm

gail

Lots of people live in your area of Cambridge without a car, but when I lived in Boston, Cambridge and Arlington I found it mostly a huge convenience - and sometimes a huge pain, especially in the winter.

How far are you from a ZipCar pickup spot? That would make a difference. Also, do you have an infant seat that is easy to install?

Depending on parking, a short-term rental and GPS (buy, don't rent a GPS) will make life easier. Also the Visitor parking pass. For many people, ZipCar and taxis turn out to be cheaper than car ownership costs.

MBTA.com has a good routing tool that will tell you how to get from Point A to B using various forms of public transit, including walking distances and times.