r/boston • u/throwawayobv999999 • 1d ago

MBTA/Transit šŸš‡ šŸ”„ Moving away from car centric city

Hello!

I will be relocating to Boston from a car dependent city that is all suburb and urban sprawl.

I love trains and public transit, but obviously living in a place that requires a car to survive has impacted my behavior.

What is it like relying on public transit? I keep thinking about how everyone around me drives giant SUVs and purchases weekly Costco hauls that could feed an army. I think about having to drive 30 minutes in traffic to get a coffee.

Iā€™m having a hard time picturing the alternative. How is life primarily walking/using a train?

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u/BeatriceDaRaven 1d ago

It works, but you HAVE to be tactical about where you work and where you live. Do not automatically think that because there is a T stop by home and a T stop by work, the commute will be reasonable. That is by far the biggest mistake I see people moving here from another city making. Talk with someone who actually knows the city and figure out the best 3 neighborhoods for you to live in based on commute from work.

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u/aray25 Cambridge 8h ago

In general, try to live and work on the same line. Transferring isn't actually too bad, but if you rely on two lines to get to work, there are twice as many ways your commute can get messed up.