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Resources for Newcomers! | ||||||
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This section is dedicated to help you with your adjustment to Boston and the MGH. We have put together what we consider is the most important information for newcomers, but if you have a specific question or need more details about something in particular, please come to see us at Bulfinch 123, or e-mail us at mao@partners.org
Many of our residents and fellows live near to the hospital not only because the neighborhood is nice and friendly, but also because trainees often need to be in the hospital early in the morning or late at night! Of course, living outside Boston has its benefits, such as less expensive rent and quiet neighborhoods. See below for some options you may want to consider. Most popular areas Charles River Park.
Located next to the MGH main campus. CRP rents studio, one-bedroom,
and two-bedroom condominiums. Visit the Charles River Park website and call to inquire about special rates for MGH residents.
North End. Located walking distance from MGH, and 5 minute shuttle
bus ride from North Station. A traditional Italian neighborhood with
small, quaint apartments and many pedestrian streets. Charlestown. Located directly
across the city of Boston (10 min free shuttle ride from Navy Yard to
main campus). Charlestown residents have access to open spaces, the
waterfront, and startling skyline views. While Charlestown offers a
number of restaurants and shops, you will have the option of traveling
to Boston's Financial District, Theater District, museums, in a matter
of minutes on a water taxi, or a short car ride. Outside Boston Area. The farther you are from Boston, the less a house will cost. Of course, the key question is where to live? Obviously, that depends on a number of factors, including your price range, how urban or rural a community you'd prefer, how important public transportation or highway access is, etc., etc.
Partners Lease Guaranty Program
For more information about the Partners Lease Guaranty Program, please visit the GME website.
Housing finders
Temporary Housing Temporary housing is often necessary to bridge the gap between arrival in a new community and finding a permanent residence. This interval can extend from a few days to several months, so any short-term move needs to be planned accordingly. Even though most of the short-term places are furnished and equipped with basic utensils, we recommend that you bring personal items such as hangers, toiletries, blankets, twin-sized linens, towels, cooking utensils, etc. See below for some temporary housing contacts.
Furniture, parking, groceries and more... No furniture? You can buy it, or you can rent it! If you just moved to the Boston area and need to furnish your house
fast and economically, the following links may be helpful:
The Basics! We know moving to a new city can be very difficult, especially if your are moving with no more than a couple of bags full of clothes! So, here are some resources you may need. Where to buy your kitchen supplies, bed linens, towels...?
If buying a TV or electronics, BestBuy should be your first choice, it has very good deals all the time, you can buy a 21" TV for less than $100. For used, inexpensive items, take a look at the local classifieds in the Boston Craiglist, (http://boston.craigslist.org/). Since June and July is moving season, you can find extremely good advertised in the news boards of your building or the local laundry. How about electric, gas and telephone services?
But what about cable and land lines? Maybe you'd like to get one of the media bundles that include cable, phone and internet, i.e. Verizon offers the three of them for 99 dlls per month. You can find a similar offer from RCN, plans starting from $82.99. Check out their websites to make sure you get the most updated info before making a final decision. But this is not all! If you want to get cheap movie passes, special discounts in restaurants and selected events, get a new cellular or even rent a limousine, you should definitely go to the MGH Perks Program webpage! MGH offers discounts and programs from organizations and retailers in the Boston area and nationally. You'll get an email every week with the most recent perks. Parking You cannot park at the MGH parking garage if you are a resident UNLESS you live far away (outside the Boston area). There is parking available in the Museum of Science ($100-120 per month), Government Center ($80, subsidized by MGH), Charles River Park ($280 per month), etc. There are several neighborhoods in Boston - Beacon Hill, Back Bay, South End - all with residential and metered parking. No Parking in the North End.
For garages, there is the Boston Common garage - centrally located
right underneath the Boston Common. Their website is here: http://www.mccahome.com/garage/default.aspx
It also has a rate schedule: Non-Garage options... You can park at one of the T-stations. You can go to http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/schedules_subway.asp for information. Click click click and you will eventually get to the street information and station details about parking, etc. You can also look for parking spaces for rent at http://www.bostonparkingspaces.com/ In Quincy & Braintree (Red Line) you can park at North Quincy, Wollaston, Quincy Center, Quincy Adams, Braintree - for anywhere from $3.50-$5.00 a day, including Monday - Marathon Monday is a holiday so there should be parking. One note of caution - the redline to Charles/MGH takes about 30 minutes from Quincy Center and 45 minutes from Braintree, runs every 20 minutes on the weekends. I don't have a car... Will I need one? Boston is a public-transportation friendly city! Trains, free Partners
shuttles CNY, the Longwood medical area, and Back Bay, commuter rails,
and buses are available from early morning to late nights. If you need
to go outside the state, Zipcar
is a very affordable rent-a-car company, with many pick-up/drop-off
locations around the city.
Also, MGH subsidizes the metro T combo pass with a 20% discount (full price up to $59). All you need to do is to log in your PeopleSoft account (Partners log on, custom pswd), go to Self Service/Employee/MBTA pass enrollment, and add the CharlieCard that works best for you. Grocery Shopping and Supermarkets You'll soon realize you can find anything you are used to buy in Boston, from ethnic food mom-and-pop-like shops to organic food supermarkets (like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's). Try using Citysearch to locate the nearest one to you at http://boston.citysearch.com/.
If you don't have time to go grocery shopping, you definitely should
try Peapod.com, (Stop and Shop).
It's an easy way to order your groceries online and have them delivered
at your door. Tip: Try combined shopping with other residents living
in your same building, so you can split the delivery fee of $6.95 if
your order is over $100 (cheaper than taking a cab and going to the
market). Looking for fresh vegetables?
Getting there: Haymarket is right around the corner from Quincy Market. On the subway, get off at the Haymarket stop on the Green and Orange lines or the Government Center stop on the Blue and Green lines.
What can you do in Boston? Living in Boston is worth it! Boston, home of the Patriots, poets, and America's first public park, is a thoroughly livable city. Whether you like sports, movies or arts, Boston is the place to be. Below are several websites links to help guide you on what is going on in Boston: City of Boston MGH also offers weekly Perks to all employees, which includes discounts to movies tickets, special events and local activities. What else can Boston offer? Looking for a professional organization to get involved with or a networking event? Check out the following websites: PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SOCIAL/NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES DIVERSITY RELATED LINKS
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First
things first... let's find a place to live!
Beacon
Hill and Back Bay. Located walking
distance to the MGH main campus. For nearly two centuries, Boston's
historic neighborhoods of Beacon Hill and Back Bay have maintained their
village-like identities within a large, dynamic urban context. Authentic
18th and19th century facades and roadways look much as they did a hundred
years ago.
Jamaica
Plain. Jamaica Plain, or "JP" as the locals call it, is
a classic "streetcar suburb" that has evolved into one of
Boston's most diverse, dynamic and ethnically diverse neighborhoods.
Hyde and Jackson Squares have significant Spanish-speaking populations
from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. This blend of cultures is reflected
in local businesses, such as the many different restaurants that line
Centre Street, one of its main thoroughfares. Residents and visitors
enjoy walking, biking, and running along Jamaica Pond situated on the
Riverway, part of Boston's Emerald Necklace. 
Housing costs in Boston are quite high and the housing market is tight.
We have been looking for ways to ease this burden. The Partners
Lease Guaranty Program is intended to help residents and clinical
fellows at MGH, BWH and Spaulding when the landlord requires advance
payment of up to two (2) months of rent (security deposit and/or last
month's payment) as a condition for entering into a lease. Through the
Program, Partners will guaranty payment to the landlord under specified
circumstances. In return, the resident or fellow agrees to reimburse
Partners for any payment Partners is required to make under the Guaranty.
Rent-A-Center
CORT/Putman
Furniture.
No
matter where you live, you'll find a 
You
will need to call service companies to make sure you'll have them ready
by the time you get here. 
However
tempting it might be, DO NOT PARK in a residential sticker area. YOU
WILL BE TICKETED! Meters are very hard to find but not impossible -
and if you do not regularly put in quarters, YOU WILL BE TICKETED! There
is free parking a few blocks out on the outskirts of the South End but
it's a haul and it's limited.
Getting
from one place to another will take you weeks is now easy with the 
If
you're into organic, try 
Much
more resources will be coming soon!