Help! New Resident Seeks Charlestown Primer
What do you think an incoming resident should know about?
Late last week, we received an email from a woman named Alexandra who will relocate to Charlestown at the end of the month.
"I don't know terribly much about the area," she wrote. "I've been reading Charlestown Patch a lot in the last few weeks and have found it really helpful... but I'm wondering if you've ever done some sort of relocation guide or hosted a forum or run a series of helpful articles or something."
Well, we haven't published that kind of article since I've been in charge, and my search of the archive found nothing of sort published under Kristi's watch.
So, I thought I would throw the question to you: what should Alexandra know about Charlestown before she starts hauling furniture into her new place?
Alexandra Roberts
12:35 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
Don't go to Sullivan's, Tangerino is awesome, don't let the valet guys scare you off. The 93 bus is never where it's supposed to be (I've lived here for 2 years and every time I go to the 93 stop, I end up having to take a cab to where I am going because it never shows up). The ferry is very convenient to downtown.
Lisa Schievink
1:27 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
To new comer Alexandra: As far as the restaurant's and bars go try it out. If you don't like it then you never have to go back but alteast you can say you tried. :-) The town just like any city has it's good points and bad. I would suggest maybe learning the history of the town. In ref to the 93 bus, it is not the only means of travel in the town. There are two bus lines which are the 92 and 93. Everyone knows the 93 is def more reliable than the 92. With that being said the buses run more during the rush hour and less in the afternoon. Also if your the type of person who doesn't mind walking you can catch the orange line at Sullivan Station or Community College. The ferry is also accessible via the navy yard.
Parking in the town is very hard to come by and you must have a resident sticker to park on the city streets.
If you are an animal owner there is a dog park.
Owen
12:59 am on Sunday, March 18, 2012
What's the problem with Sullivan's? Do you have something against blue color type bars? The working class in general? Hmm?
Joseph
1:13 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
Welcome to Charlestown! Ferry from Navy Yard to Long Wharf - great way to get into Boston. Zumes for coffee and breakfast sandwich. Warren Tavern for a pint and burger. Navy Yard Bistro is an excellent restaurant. Use Ace Hardware instead of HD. Foodmaster is expensive, shop elsewhere (especially for fruits and veggies). Don't save a parking spot if it only snows a couple inches. Never move a chair from a shoveled spot. After a couple days, the spot is no longer yours-even if your neighbor thinks they own the spot for the entire winter. Make sure you clean the sidewalk after shoveling out your car. Trash and recyclables on Wednesday. Don't be startled by the people going through your trash looking for cans & bottles. Majority of them are harmless, but you can't stop it so buy a shredder for personal stuff if you feel uncomfortable. Jenny's for pizza and they deliver! 92 bus doesn't come as frequent as 93. You're only a 15min walk to the North End. If you're going to TD Garden, go over the locks. Get to know your neighbors. Grab a beach chair, a book and enjoy the Bunker Hill Monument, just watch out for all the dog pooh. You'll love living here.
Caitlin Walsh
1:51 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
What's wrong with Sullivan's? We're talking about the one on Main Street right?
Joseph
3:50 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
Absolutely nothing - The bottled beers there are very cold.
One more point Alexandra (new resident), if you celebrate Christmas, buy your greens, tree included, at the Boys & Girls Club on High Street. They usually go on sale the first weekend of December.
Danielle Fitzgerald
2:21 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
Welcome, Alexandra!! As the Mayor's liaison to Charlestown, two websites that I recommend you check out to get started are My Neighborhood (http://www.cityofboston.gov/myneighborhood/), where you can find some basic city services, and to activate the street sweeping notification (http://www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping/). You are now a resident of a great community, so enjoy getting to know your neighbors!!
Alexandra Mandzak
4:53 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
Hi all! Thank you so much for all the helpful hints, tips, and tricks so far. I really am so excited about moving to Charlestown and you are all doing so much to help alleviate what little trepidation I do have!
Sean McKenna
5:03 am on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
I could see the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce (http://www.charlestownbusiness.com/) hosting a semi-annual "Welcome Wagon" event ...
Judy Mattson
4:16 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
I like The Ironside Grill for their food---great chowder
Suzie
11:29 am on Friday, March 16, 2012
If you have trouble with the buses, check out NextBus. It uses GPS to tell you where the buses are and when the next one is coming. http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/stopSelector.jsp?a=mbta