Beacon Street:
Catch the C line next to Mary Ann's and you can't help but notice all the brownstones lining Beacon Street. The apartments here and in Cleveland Circle are the closest things you'll find to true, cosmopolitan apartments. Students can live alone or with a few friends among young professionals and local folks in narrow brick and brownstone buildings.
Katie O'Leary, BC '07, who lived in one such building, said she liked her newfound privacy but felt strained not being able to roll out of bed 10 minutes before class. "Not being able to wake up late was a negative," she said, "but having my own room was a definite positive."
O'Leary, in spite of her distant solitude, did find cheer in the area's many restaurants and in-and-out places. Hunting for a late-night snack never fails here, and Store 24 and CVS provide convenient outlets for everything a college student could want. With the C and D lines only a stone's throw away, and cabs continually lingering, the area provides easy access to the city. Things suddenly aren't so distant with these many outlets. Getting to Boston College is slightly more arduous, with the nearest stop at Roggie's.
When the area blossoms in the spring, you're bound to run into friends frolicking around the reservoir parks, playing soccer or throwing Frisbees. Unfortunately, you can no longer patronize the dilapidated movie theater behind Applebee's for a (not so) classy night out as it has closed its doors. The hustle and bustle along Beacon generates a constant flow of students, but nothing more than Mary Ann's. So if you're 21 and like cheap beer and a quick bite, stop in. And if you don't mind getting up early and rubbing shoulders with Boston's young professionals, then Beacon might be your spot.
Proximity to BC:*
Food/Drink:*****
Social Scene:****
Quality of House/Apt:****
Radnor Road:
If you like weathered houses, nuns, and a raucous weekend night, then Radnor Road is the spot for you. It runs behind the nearly studentless brownstones on Commonwealth Ave. between Foster and South Street and offers two types of houses: a couple of modern duplexes - complete with fake siding and garage space - and three spacious houses that loom atop foundations from Sinatra's heyday.
Some consider one of the houses the "Taj Mahal" of Radnor because of its manicured front yard, high ceilings, and wooden ski-house interior. The other two houses more accurately reflect the relaxed, negligent air of student life, with the jungles that are their front yards.
Aesthetic differences aside, the tired houses and duplexes that populate this student enclave are a social magnet for students looking for an off-campus party.This has led to many a disagreement with the 12 nuns who live across the street and the long-time locals who have no problem expressing their feelings about loud-mouthed students.
Radnor is well-located, only a 10-minute walk to campus, right next to the T, and just five minutes from Moogy's Breakfast and Sandwich Shop, a place for making Saturday- and Sunday-morning headaches fade away.
A note to students living here: Be quiet when you're cutting through the convenient alley between the brownstones and houses, or the otherwise gregarious landlord might pick up the phone and bring the blue lights.
Proximity to BC:****
Food/Drink:***
Social Scene:****
Quality of House/Apt:***
Foster Street/Gerald Street:
If you want a house close to campus, then look no further. The landlords - who usually prefer renting to girls - own the colorful wooden homes that flow down Gerald Street with crowded driveways and unkempt yards. More plain-looking homes line the left side of Foster Street. Most houses are typically set up as duplexes, but if you have enough people, anything's possible.
Both streets typically feature more homey acommodations like decks and backyards, helping to make weekend reading sessions and regular parties more enjoyable. Just remember to be considerate of the older neighbors peppered along the street and stacked in the rear of Commonwealth Avenue apartments: They don't like noise.
"Most of the student housing is clustered together and surrounded by the permanent residents," said Gerard Zopfi, a former Foster Street resident and BC '07. "These permanent residents had the tendency to not differentiate between the separate apartments and would blame us for incidents far beyond our control."
As long as you're careful, though, living here is usually very easy. It is only a short walk to campus, or, if you're lazy, a quick ride on the BC bus from the Greycliff stop. "It was the closest walk to campus that I know of," said Amy Gaither, a former Gerald Street tenant and BC '07.
For regional entertainment, amble down Foster Street until the hill levels out and yields Rogers Park. Here you'll find tennis and basketball courts, a baseball diamond, and plenty of dogs. Past the park runs Washington Street, a great spot for food, spirits, and amenities. "The location is great because it's right in between campus, Cleveland Circle, and Washington Street," Zopfe said. Location, location, location.
Proximity to BC:*****
Food/Drink:***
Social Scene:****
Quality of House/Apt:****
Commonwealth Avenue:
Students live up and down Commonwealth Avenue. The accessibility and convenience is undeniable. Between campus and Chestnut Hill Avenue, you'll only find apartments, and some of these brick buildings don't even rent to students, lest they be tainted with youthful disrespect.
Student-friendly units do, however, flow forth from South Street and continue down Commonwealth Avenue. Lurking over the tree-covered
BC bus stop at the corner of South Street is the turreted apartment building that stretches down Commonwealth Avenue to form the 1950s block. "It's great because it's only a half a mile to campus, a half a mile to the circle, and just 20 yards to the bus stop," said Naveen Kailas, a former 1957 Commonwealth Ave. resident and BC '07. "The negative part would be the sketchy professionals and old people living there," he added.
If you want to avoid working types and peevish geriatrics, then you'll have to cross over Chestnut Hill Avenue until you get to the 1700s. This block has long been a student region, but the houses are usually worn down from years of hosting rowdy students and their friends.
"We had a lot of space," said Mason Bates, a former 1778 Commonwealth
Avenue resident and BC '07. Although the space allowed for many a festivity, Bates didn't relish the commute to campus. At this point on Commonwealth Avenue, the BC bus stop at Bluestone Bistro is the most accessible. The T is also an option, but don't forget your Charlie Card since the MBTA ended free outbound. (See Kinross/Northern Chiswick/Wallingford description for more on this area of Commonwealth Avenue.)
Proximity to BC: varies
Food/Drink:****
Social Scene:*****
Quality of House/Apt:****
2008 Woodie Awards
