And Now for a Non-Musical Interlude: An Illustrated Guide to the MBTA

Major benefit to living in Boston: an extensive public transportation system. The MBTA (or Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) is the classy way to travel. Affectionately known as the "T," this system includes buses, trains, and the commuter rail system (and maybe some boats. Or possibly spy cars.).  Navigating the T can be tricky, so below you will find a few tricks for the transit lines that are closest to BU.


The Green Line: This line runs directly in front of BU, so it is important. It's made up of a four-fingered claw-shaped amalgamation of four separate train lines (B, C, D, and E), which all converge close to the Kenmore stop and run up to Cambridge. It's helpful to imagine the Green Line as a Wizard of Oz-style witch hand:

Stylized Map of the Green Line

The B-line, in particular, has stops all along the BU campus, as shown.

The downside to BU's location is that it's difficult to get from one "finger" to another, because you have to take a train inbound to the "wrist," and then travel outbound back down the appropriate "finger/thumb." The good part is that the train runs all along BU's campus, so it's easy to travel from one part of campus to another. This is particularly nice in the winter.

It should be noted that Green Line stops are very close together, as compared to Red Line Stops, despite the MBTA's map making all stops look relatively equidistant.

MBTA Map

Reality (Distance in Human Steps)

The Green Line is made up of adorable trolley cars that emerge from underground and proceed to get stuck in traffic, behind pedestrians, and at red lights. The result is that it is often very rewarding to race the Green Line on your bike.

Despite the fact that this is arguably the most frustrating "subway" in the universe, it still deserves props because it is the heaviest-used light-rail line in the country, and also Boston's oldest subway (dating back to days when horses were apparently electrocuted).

The 57 Bus: This is a great alternative transportation option for those students who need to get to BU, but don't want to live in the densely-populated areas close to the B-line. The 57 bus runs the same route originally occupied by the now-defunct A-Line of the Green Line.  Depending on traffic, the 57 runs approximately every ten minutes (!!!!), with additional service during morning and evening rush hours. Like every bus commute, the 57 tends to be highly affected by weather, the mood of the bus driver, road conditions, the moon cycle, and other factors as shown below:

Monday Commute

Tuesday Commute

The best part of the 57 bus:

Other Important Info: Your Google Maps app will likely contain a button labeled "Transit." If you are looking at an area of Boston where the trains run, you can not only see the colored lines, but you can also plan a trip using public transportation on your app.

There are a number of MBTA Apps available, many of them for free. We can recommend MBTA Alerts for buses, but also suggest that you try apps to see which is the most accurate for your route.

Allow plenty of time for your commute, and bring music/reading/games/a book/knitting. This post only discussed one line and one bus, but there is a wealth of transit in Boston and we think you should explore it all!

Arriving in Boston Before September 1st, Volume III: Integrating with Your BU Community

Boston is a great city, and a great place to live. One of the things that makes it so amazing is the constantly evolving energy from people who move to Boston because it's such a great place to live. Once you have joined their ranks and settled in, it's time to make space for yourself in your new neighborhood. Welcome to Volume III of Arriving in Boston Before September 1st: Integrating with Your BU Community.

This is the fun stuff, you guys.

Practice.

You can see Andy Chae in the School of Music Office for a temporary ID card for access to the practice rooms. He will trade you money ($20 right now, but stay tuned as the amount may change in the future) for the card, which you can swipe in either access door in the basement. Money will be returned to its owner, in exchange for the safe return of the ID.

Practicing is an essential part of performing well on your ensemble audition, if applicable. These auditions tend to fall at the beginning of September, before school starts, so this little chunk of pre-September-1st practice time can be very nice to have!

Go to graduate orientation. 

You will learn how to register for classes, meet fellow graduate students, and gain valuable life skills. If you are feeling particularly sociable, see if some graduate students would like to end the day by getting a meal together, or grabbing a drink. It's important (and fun!) to cultivate these friendships early.

Find a job.

Once you have been assigned your BU login information (name and password), you can access the BU Gig Board. This is a great place to start hunting for work in your area of music. The key is being flexible and having fun, answering emails quickly, and not being afraid to play in new situations.

Also, jobs and quickie jobs are listed here, which is (again) accessible with your BU login information. These jobs include everything from office work to test proctoring to nannying. Find something you like to do, send out a few emails or make some calls, and keep a close eye on the boards for new postings. If you are an international student, on-campus jobs are interesting and plentiful.

Explore Boston

This is, after all, a big part of why you made this crazy-awesome move, right? To spend time in this historically rich, beautiful, culturally saturated place? Buy a one-week pass for the bus and subway system and ride a line all the way to the end; better yet, get yourself a Charlie Card for reduced fares and general awesomeness. Walk to Wally's and listen to some great jazz. Treat yourself to a meal at one of the great restaurants in Kenmore Square. Visit the MIT Museum. Take a stroll through Harvard Square. Go to the Granary Burial Ground. Above all, make yourself at home in this beautiful city which is, now, your home!

These are some quick, simple ways to start to settle into your new environment. Have some tips? Anything you wish you had known before? Let us know!

Arriving in Boston Before September 1st, Volume II: How to Handle Your Stuff

Boston is a great city, and a great place to live. One of the things that makes it so amazing is the constantly evolving energy from people who move to Boston because it's such a great place to live. The downside to this wondrous bank of new friends is that moving to Boston can be a nightmare. While one blog post can't totally alleviate the difficulties, we have tried to provide some useful tips to help ease the process. Welcome to Arriving in Boston Before September 1st, Volume II: How to Handle Your Stuff.

Part of relocating to a new environment involves bringing your stuff with you, like a demented turtle with a shell full of furniture. But with leases that start right before school, this can sometimes be much harder than if we were all actually turtles. Here are some tips from those of us with experience to make your experience slightly less crazy.

Where To Stay While You Wait for Your Lease to Start?

$$$    Hotel. Boston is full of interesting hotels; some of them may even be haunted!

$$      Hotwire.com. This site can help you save some money on a hotel room for a few days.

$$      Sites like airbnb or Craigslist can save some green and provide valuable introduction to the locals.*
$        Hostelling International Boston is a good way to reserve a bed- you can cancel with no penalty up to
          24 hours in advance. 

Free!  Stay with friends or family in the area. 

*We aren't endorsing these methods; use at your own risk and be sure to read the terms!

Where To Put Stuff?

This is especially applicable if you have to move your worldly belongings to Boston before 9/1, but can't move into your apartment until 9/1 (the perennial problem with the Boston student experience):

If you can find another prospective BU student, it might be possible to organize a Pod share. Since Pods can be dropped at your convenience where you are headed, this would eliminate the need for storage.

Many storage units in and around Allston and Brighton offer a first-month-for-$1 deal. If you can move your things in and out within a month, you are only responsible for the assorted move-in fees (like the processing fee) and buying a lock. This can be a cheap option for temporary storage. A word of advice based on our personal experience: if you go this route, get a bigger storage room than you need. You won't pay any more for the first month, and it's so much better than finding out, at midnight on a Sunday after a 6-hour drive in a wildly huge moving van (for example), that your stuff won't fit.

If it's possible, signing a lease for August 15th instead of September 1st can alleviate a great deal of stress. Not only will you miss the September 1 move-in craziness, but you may not need to store stuff at all.

Allston Christmas

There are no words to describe Allston Christmas. So instead, here is a picture!

Photo Credit Here!

Allston Christmas is the wondrous/terrifying time in Allston where everybody moves out of, and in to, their apartments all at once. This is a real thing, with its own Urban Dictionary entry. People might walk away with your sidewalk-bound stuff, thinking that you've forgotten it. People might intentionally leave all of their stuff on the sidewalk for others to take. It's a glorious nightmare.

The best way to use Allston Christmas to your advantage? Don't bring any stuff to Boston with you. We say in all seriousness that you can most likely furnish an entire apartment for free by September 1st. Anything you cannot collect on the street can most likely be delivered to you (and we recommend this for mattresses!).

How can Allston Christmas destroy your day? If you start your move into Allston by midday or later, you might be stuck in traffic for hours days.

Where to NOT drive your moving truck:

Storrow Drive, inbound. The bridges are too low, and moving trucks will get stuck underneath them. No, yours won't make it. Yes, someone will try it and get stuck, and subsequently block up traffic all day. In general in Boston, it is an excellent idea to keep your eyes peeled for signs that say "no trucks" or "truck detour" or "last exit for trucks" or "don't you dare drive your truck under this insanely low bridge."

What to remember:

You are moving to Boston to be a part of an incredible community, located in a fantastic city. You will have culture, concerts, amazing food, and in all likelihood, a ton of great like-minded friends at your doorstep. Embrace the process! Nicholas Sparks said that "Nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy," so just keep in mind that this process will be, in the end, very, very worthwhile. 

Arriving in Boston Before September 1st, Volume I: Navigating the Apartment Maze

Boston is a great city, and a great place to live. One of the things that makes it so amazing is the constantly evolving energy from people who move to Boston because it's such a great place to live. The downside to this wondrous bank of new friends is that moving to Boston can be a nightmare. While one blog post can't totally alleviate the difficulties, we have tried to provide some useful tips to help ease the process. Welcome to Volume I of Arriving in Boston Before September 1st: Navigating the Apartment Maze.

Hunting for an apartment in Boston is tough. If you are a musician, your livelihood can add another layer of complexity to the search. For the student new to Boston, there are a few things that are important to consider, and we thought we would share some of our more interesting experiences in the Boston apartment scene!

Know Your Legal Rights: Massachusetts has different rental laws than other parts of the country. Read up on your legalities to help you as you apartment hunt.

Fee/Half Fee/No Fee: In Boston, if you use a Realtor to hunt for your new apartment, you may be charged a fee. The fee essentially pays the Realtor for the work that she/he does for you, and is usually equal to one month's rent. Sometimes the landlord will cover half (or even three-quarters!) of the fee, particularly if the rental date is quickly approaching, or if the apartment is in less-than-ideal shape. The best way to pay no fee is to look for an apartment rented by the landlord her/himself. This makes the search more difficult, but it might be preferable to paying the fee. We like to avoid paying money, ourselves, and use Craigslist to filter our search results. This method means that you need to look every day (multiple times) and email or call right away if you see something you like.

Utilities included/not included: Some apartments in Boston, especially if they are managed by a large company or are in a large building, include heat and/or hot water in the rent. This seems completely useless as you are moving your sweaty self into the place in August, but in February you will be super thankful! Be sure to check which utilities are included before you sign a lease.

Pets: Many Boston apartments specify "no pets." Many more are cats-only, and there are a few magical apartments that allow dogs. Be sure to check your lease or call your landlord before you introduce an animal to your space.

Security Deposit: This is important. Boston landlords are required by law to put your security deposit into a savings account which accrues interest. That way, your deposit can be returned to you along with the interest if the apartment is in good shape when you move out. This is for the protection of the tenant. If the landlord will not be putting your security deposit into a separate, interest-accruing account, this is a definite red flag.

Musical Instruments: Some landlords don't want musicians in their buildings, period. Sadly, this tends to be more true for the private (no-fee) renters. Once, we sent an email inquiring about an open apartment, and the landlord called to say that she had Googled us, knew about our musician status, and wasn't going to rent to us (even if we promised never to play in the house). In our experience, the best bets are to
a) move into a bedroom in an apartment where there are already musicians living.
b) move into a large building rented by a company so huge that they won't care if you are a musician.
c) don't say anything, and keep your practicing at school.
Obviously all of this gets more complicated if you have a piano.

Roommates!: If you want to live with other people, there are certain populations that swear by Craigslist roommates. You can typically find lower rent, interesting friends, and no fee by moving into an apartment that is already occupied. No guarantees implied or expressed, but we know of someone who moved into a Craigslist apartment and (four years later) is married to one of her roommates.

Transportation: If you are attending BU, you will likely be looking for an apartment on the B-Line of the Green Line subway. Keep in mind, however, that there are bus routes that also run directly to BU from Brighton and parts of Watertown. Beware of advertisements that an apartment is "steps" from the train/bus stop, as sometimes "steps" means "1298264 steps." Ask your realtor/landlord to point out the bus or train stop to you while you are looking at the apartment.

Settling: Define your apartment hunt. Write some questions down, and answer them: How much time do you have? Is your move-in date flexible? What is your budget? Do you want to live alone or with others? Are there any make-or-break considerations? Do you want a porch? Do you want utilities included (and does this affect budget)? Are you bringing a furry friend?

Once you have decided what is most important to you, you can structure your apartment hunt much more effectively. If budget is most important, things like space or location can be more flexible. If location is a must, maybe your move-in date can shift slightly.

The best part about apartment-hunting in Boston is the reward of finding a place to hang your proverbial hat in a very cool, historically rich city. Have you lived in Boston before? Do you have any tips?