Transition Tuesday: CT to Boston

• February 11, 2014

Man oh man, moving involves a LOT of transitions. It seems every moment I figure out how to go about one of them, another pops up! It’s like I’m Hercules fighting the hydra.

But every little step forward, even if it’s just printing a blank form (here’s looking at you Mass RMV), makes me feel better. As does talking it out. So let’s talk about the many transitions involved in my upcoming move from Connecticut to Boston. Oh, and I’m asking you guys for advice, so advise away!

Apartment

I got approved for the apartment that I put in an application for on Saturday! I overnighted the signed lease yesterday and I got a call this morning to tell me it’s official. THE APARTMENT IS MINE! My parents and I are taking a trip to Boston this Saturday to get my keys and move in a bunch of my stuff. The big move will take place next Saturday, and will involve transporting furniture like my bed, dresser, desk, a table, chairs, and more. And if there is anything at all that you have needed for your apartment that you never would have imagined…please let me know because I’m sure I’ll forget to buy a bunch of stuff I need! And I will be posting photos as soon as I can!

Car

I wanted to just start off with resident on-street parking but I need a MA car registration to get that, and looking up the process for transferring my registration from CT to MA was almost enough to give me a panic attack. Just seems so involved and I don’t know when I will have the time or the mental energy for that “adventure”. So I’ve been looking into renting a parking space near my apartment, at least for the first month or two, until I get settled and am ready to tackle the registration process. I’m seeing a fair amount of $99/month offerings so I’ll likely be reaching out to folks this week about getting that going. I know 100% that I want my car in Boston because I want to be able to come/go from home as I please, and I don’t want to depend on someone else for a car in case of an emergency. Any thoughts on Boston parking, from residents current and past, are welcome! At least I know I won’t be using it too much, because my walk to work will be about five minutes and I’m so freaking excited about that.

Therapy

I need to find a new therapist so that I can continue my recovery; currently I see one here every one or two weeks. She has early Friday morning appointments which have been hugely beneficial for me in not missing work when I meet with her, and I know that finding a time slot like that again will be difficult. And finding a therapist in general is hard…I’ve already reached out to several, but many are booked up or just outside the city. I’d like to avoid driving as much as possible so right now I’m focusing on those close to where I’ll be living/working. We’ll see if I’ll need to expand my search, but I want to get a first appointment set up as close to my move as I can so that I don’t encounter a gap between my therapy in CT and in Boston. If anyone in the Boston area can recommend a therapist who specializes in ED treatment, please feel free to do so via comments or email!

Medical

I’m due for an annual trip to the lady doctor next month so I’ll have to cancel my CT appointment and find a new OBGYN quickly, because those appointments fill up so quickly! I also am overdue for a dermatologist skin check and a dentist visit…and eventually I’ll need a physical in 2014. If anyone has recommendations for a dentist, dermatologist, OBGYN, and/or physician in the Allston/Brighton area please throw them at me!

Bank

My little CT credit union won’t be accessible at ALL in Boston so I need to switch banks. I really have enjoyed being a member of a credit union but I’ll probably just switch to a “big bank” for convenience sake and so that I can avoid potentially having to switch banks (because of a move at least) ever again. Any suggestions for “big banks” (with a fair amount of Boston locations) to switch to? Does it even matter?

Gym

Oh the gym. There is a Boston Sports Club a block away from my apartment and I’m tempted to just throw my hands up and say, “Hello new gym!” but I’m going to do a little shopping around. As I mentioned previously my non-negotiables are group fitness classes and a stair master. So far I’ve got a nice sized list of gyms to look into, like BSC, Commonwealth Sports Club, Healthworks, Beacon Hill Athletic Club (apparently no stair master though, ah!), Benefitness, and Bodyscapes. Please send more my way or your opinions on these if you haven’t already done so! Many of you have, and I’m super grateful.

Library

This bookworm absolutely needs to make getting a new library card a top priority! Once I can get proof of address I will be making my way to a Boston Public Library location to do just that, and I’m glad that there are two branches fairly close to where I’ll be living.

Cable/Internet

I hear Comcast rules the roost in Beantown so I’ll likely be using them though I’ve heard dismal things about their customer service. Internet is quite important to me (honestly cable is too…sitting down at the end of the day to eat dinner while watching TV is my reward for each day of working/gym). So I’ll probably be making cable and Internet set-up one of the first things I do, even before going to get my car registered – judge me all you want.

I’m sure there are more transitions (like moving my 401K) that are not mentioned here but honestly, these give me PLENTY to do as it is! I’m so thankful I’ve got such a supportive network of folks both in CT AND Boston who are really to help me out and advise me.

If you’ve ever moved, what was the toughest transition for you to make?

Which would you do first – transfer your car registration, or get cable/Internet set up?