I Moved to Boston and It Rules

Honestly, moving really sucked. We started The Big Move from Atlanta to Boston on July 20th and still haven’t really finished as I write this on October 7th. There are still unpacked boxes and near-daily furniture deliveries.

We drove 1,200+ miles with two cats in a u-haul.

My partner started a stressful new job. I had to put my work on hold so I could get us moved in.

So it’s been a lot! But we’re getting settled now. I lived with my parents for two years in the 'burbs, and now I live in an unbelievably expensive and lush Boston-adjacent town with my partner. It was hard. It was good. It was enduring, more than anything else. Here are my notes on the experience.

- We live in Boston now! After a year of long-distance marriage while we waited for my husband’s green card to arrive, we are finally reunited and living in the real world/Boston (and not my parent’s house. Although I loved living there!).

- Making friends is hard but not impossible. Thanks to one especially well-connected friend who introduced us to a bunch of awesome people, my partner and I have landed on our feet, friends-wise. We’ve done board-game nights, 5Ks, brunches, and Shakespeare on the Common with our new pals.

- Blueground super sucked. This is just a rant about the short-term place we stayed at for 6 weeks. My partner’s job started on July 22nd. Our new apartment wasn’t ready until Sept 15th. Solution? We needed a short-term furnished rental. Blueground SEEMED like the answer to our prayers, even if it was super expensive…until the laundry machine broke (day 5). From that moment on, it seemed like Blueground couldn’t do anything right. Their customer service was terrible. They continually made mistakes. They told us they’d fixed stuff but never showed up. The knives they gave us were rusty. There was mold in the bedroom. If you ever need a short-term rental place, do not book Blueground. 🙃

- I don’t miss the suburbs. In Georgia, I lived in a suburban neighborhood with my parents. It felt like being trapped in a perfectly manicured little bubble. While I’m a huge homebody anyway and didn’t want to leave the house due to the pandemic, it was still really weird after living in pedestrian cities like Oxford and York in the U.K. Moving to Boston feels wonderful because I can walk to the supermarket, the flower shop, the coffee shop, three bakeries, and the subway.

- Moving is expensive. I feel so naive for “discovering” this, but my partner and I have spent an unreal amount of money on this move. First, we paid for the short-term rental which was pricey, but we also had to buy ALL our furniture and house furnishings. Everything from a sofa to a cheese grater had to be purchased. It was not cheap. Plus, when we spent all day moving stuff, we didn’t have the energy (nor plates, pots, pans, or cutlery) to cook at home, so we’d eat out or order in. It added up fast.

- My cats are tougher than I give them credit for! I was so worried for them when we moved! I’d heard cats are really bad with new changes. But as soon as we set up their cat tree, the cats were totally happy, zen, and chilled out. They were back to their normal routine of pestering me, pushing things off my desk, and meowing loudly in the middle of my conference calls within a few hours of the move.

- I missed my work. I love writing, networking, videoing, and answering YouTube comments. I didn’t get a chance to do much of that while I was moving. And I really, really missed it. I’m so excited to get back on track now.

Have you moved? How did you find it? Have you visited Boston, or do you live here? Let me know in the comments!

Story originally published on Medium