SperlingViews - Brookline, Massachusetts

lots of use of public transportation[read more...]

Yes, you have no need for a car here. There are ample restaurants, dry cleaners, book stores, a theatre, parks, Boston University, 10 minutes from downtown Boston, and FENWAY Park! Its reads like a D R E A M. Until you arrive, and the 100 degree temperature variance kicks in (WAY too hot shifts quickly to painfully cold). Although what remains of the 'seasons' is ---- ahem... October (aka Autumn-enjoy). Its downhill from here kids). Now the fun begins. You find yourself amongst quite possibly the most outlandishly rude population Ive encountered while living on three different continents. Brookline is an awful mix of old - cheap-and bitter to...BU coeds. Who (btw) deserve only the best, have a deep sense of entitlement, and who really were hoping for a Harvard degree. Oh well. Don't even consider moving here unless your paid A LOT (even then I would think hard about it). And don't bother asking for anyone else's opinion here as they don't believe in eye contact, speaking to neighbors, or the words thank you.[read more...]

Coming from the Midwest, I still cringe at the housing and other costs despite having been here 4 years. I miss the wide open spaces (there's people everywhere I look, and houses don't have spaces between them?!), but have gotten really used to the narrow streets and the feeling of being in the middle of hustle and bustle. Parking, as previously mentioned, can be very painful. It will not be a problem if you 1. live close to the T and 2. you work downtown. I don't work where there's good public transportation access; as a result, parking causes me an ulcer daily. If you, like me, enjoy the familiarity of large national chain stores every once in a while, then you're going to have to get used to not having good access to any. On the other hand, if you enjoy exploring restaurants and stores that are one-of-a-kind and very unique, then you're going to be in heaven (I imagine). I'm a doctor and my wife's a lawyer, in the very beginning of our careers. Even though we live comfortably, we certainly don't have much left over once rent and various taxes/condo fees are paid. Having a hard time saving for a down payment for a house (no wonder the population is going down. What kind of young people can afford to move in?) Otherwise there's no crime (lived in St. Louis, so I never feel like I need to lock the door). Lot of places to hang out. Near enough to downtown and the nice malls. Finally, I hate all the potholes all over the greater Boston area. What the heck? Oh, wait, all the money went into the Big Dig that's still not complete in spite of pouring huge amounts of extra money and after a concrete block killed a woman when it fell on her car in the tunnel... Sometimes you DO wonder where all your tax dollars went.[read more...]

Coming from the Midwest, I still cringe at the housing and other costs despite having been here 4 years. I miss the wide open spaces (there's people everywhere I look, and houses don't have spaces between them?!), but have gotten really used to the narrow streets and the feeling of being in the middle of hustle and bustle. Parking, as previously mentioned, can be very painful. It will not be a problem if you 1. live close to the T and 2. you work downtown. I don't work where there's good public transportation access; as a result, parking causes me an ulcer daily. If you, like me, enjoy the familiarity of large national chain stores every once in a while, then you're going to have to get used to not having good access to any. On the other hand, if you enjoy exploring restaurants and stores that are one-of-a-kind and very unique, then you're going to be in heaven (I imagine). I'm a doctor and my wife's a lawyer, in the very beginning of our careers. Even though we live comfortably, we certainly don't have much left over once rent and various taxes/condo fees are paid. Having a hard time saving for a down payment for a house (no wonder the population is going down. What kind of young people can afford to move in?) Otherwise there's no crime (lived in St. Louis, so I never feel like I need to lock the door). Lot of places to hang out. Near enough to downtown and the nice malls. Finally, I hate all the potholes all over the greater Boston area. What the heck? Oh, wait, all the money went into the Big Dig that's still not complete in spite of pouring huge amounts of extra money and after a concrete block killed a woman when it fell on her car in the tunnel... Sometimes you DO wonder where all your tax dollars went.[read more...]

Expensive. Low value.[read more...]

i have spent all 26 years of my life in brookline and i have very mixed feelings about the place. pluses: great accessibility to boston, cheaper rents than downtown apartments, excellent restaurants, lots of intelligent people, phenomenal public schools, accessibility to public transit minuses: horrendous parking situation, uptight and controlling town residents, excessively left-wing political views, weather, high housing costs, slow driving due to far too many traffic lights on main streets. yes, brookline is a great location. it has any kind of restaurant you can imagine within just a few miles, some of the best public schools, and you don't need a car to live here (although it certainly is nice.) for families, it a good place to live - if you can endure the exorbitant housing costs and crummy weather. for a young single person such as myself, however, brookline leaves something to be desired. the overnight parking ban is a major hassle, to say the least. it forces you to rent a spot ($100-$200/month) - if you can even find one, that is. rents are cheaper than downtown boston, but still quite high overall. yes, the weather is dreary. and then there's the people...very intellectual (to the point of being snobbish), excessively left-wing (and, mind you, i am a registered democrat), and very uptight and in-your-face. if you park on the street within 5 feet of someone's driveway, or let your dog off the leash at a park (even if it's minding its own business), chances are someone will have something to say about it. people in brookline are intent on telling you how to live your life and will not take "no" for an answer. my friend has a dog that is not neutered - as he intends to breed it - and on more than one occasion he has had high-strung brookline ladies walk up to him and tell him that his dog needs to be fixed. brookline also has an abundance of type A personalities. many people are super go-getters who put their work above all else in life. in summary, would i recommend brookline? if you have a family and don't mind the negatives...yes. if you are young and single...you could do worse, but you're probably better off moving to cali.[read more...]

Schools and ammenities totally trump an parking complaints. Restaurants are better than Cambridge and the cost of living, shockingly, is actually lower than Cambridge. Quality of life is excellent and arguably worth the price, especially with kids.[read more...]

Brookline has very little crime compared to most places. One main reason is no one is allowed to park on the street from 2am to 8am, my street doesn't even allow parking at anytime. Also the owners of homes always look out for each other.[read more...]

the most popular eateries for fast food are burrito shops. there is not enough variety here in terms of quick eats.[read more...]

Hi. Brookline is expensive but safe. Parking is exorbitant. The meter maids are on it like snipers in the army. The vibe here is one step below "touristy," on the way to "hard gritty reality," but it's still a thousand miles away to South Boston. Brookline is a fine place to live if you are loaded and don't want a ton of vibrant culture. It's predicatable, safe and clean. Viva! Anthony[read more...]