One of the most often asked question on Trip Advisor’s Boston information service is whether or not a visitor will need a car in Boston. That’s followed by questions about parking. The same issues are faced by new and long-time residents.
If you’re new to Boston and own a car, you have a few decisions to make that will impact your quality of life. Seasoned residents might want to pause now and then to reevaluate their prior decisions regarding transportation.
Did your home come with parking? Do you want to rent a parking space? Do you mind being part of the nightly procession of cars circling the neighborhood for a resident parking space?

Resident Parking
Some, but not all, Boston neighborhoods have reserved resident parking. You present your Massachusetts car registration, and the required “proof of residency” at City Hall. The city issues a resident parking sticker for that license plate number and your specific neighborhood.
Then, you are eligible to park in any resident parking space in your neighborhood that does not have a temporary restriction for street cleaning, construction, moving trucks, or special events. You will be one of many drivers competing for a space. For example, in the Back Bay about 7000 cars with stickers are eligible for 2000 spaces.

Notification Services
On the city web site you can sign up for various notification systems to remind you to move your car for street cleaning, temporary parking restrictions, or snow emergencies. The parking ticket notification system alerts you to new parking tickets and nags about overdue fines before your car is booted and towed.

Rental Parking
Private parking spaces can be rented in most neighborhoods. These may be in garages but are often in alleys. Many are tandem spaces with two cars parked in a line. This requires exchanging car keys with the other driver for times when the vehicles need to be shuffled for access.
Monthly rent for Back Bay parking spaces is about $250 for a tandem alley space, $300 for a single space, and $350 or more for a garage space with 24/7 access.

Do You Need a Car?
If your daily commute is accessible by the MBTA, you could save thousands of dollars a year by living car-free. Boston prides itself on being a walkable city. About 12.5% of Bostonians commute to work by walking. Another third use mass transit.

Rent Cars by the Hour, Day, or Week
Traditional car rental agencies are located all around the city. And, the car share program, ZipCar, started here. Hundreds of Zipcars are parked throughout Boston. Members can rent cars for any occasion, from a Mini Cooper convertible for a day at the beach to a BMW for a business meeting. And, they can rent a Zipcar for as little as one hour or as long as four days.
Last June, RelayRides began a new program that they say, “allows people to borrow cars from owners in their neighborhood.”
While having multiple cars is the only possible decision in many U.S. cities, Bostonians are fortunate to have so many transportation choices. You can weigh time, convenience, budget, and needs to decide if your family needs one car, more than one, or no car at all.

In order to better serve the community, effectively manage costs and focus on its growing list of programs and sports, Hill House recently restructured its staff.
As part of the restructuring, three new staff members have joined the organization, and the executive director role has been transitioned to Ian Moorhouse from David Beardsley. Due to Beardsley’s leadership, Hill House was able to manage the recession’s impact and create an infrastructure for future growth. Hill House thanked Beardsley for strengthening Hill House as an organization and for his dedication and leadership over the past three years
Over the summer, Hill House welcomed Dianne Harrison, Rachel Czubryt and MacEgan Starrett who will join Liza Roman, Jillian Bracken and Brian Koslosky.
After serving as Hill House’s associate director and program director for four years, Moorhouse has been appointed as executive director. He joined Hill House in 2006 after spending nine years with Crossroads for Kids, an organization that provides at-risk youth with summer camps and year round programming. Since his arrival at Hill House, Moorhouse has significantly expanded the number of quality program offerings while revamping its summer camps.
Harrison joined the team in July as the development associate. Most recently, she was the assistant director of alumni relations at her alma mater, College of the Holy Cross. In her role at Hill House, Harrison will oversee Hill House’s fundraising efforts, including the annual live and silent auction, Hill-O-Ween, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 29.
Czubryt joins the team as program associate after helping coordinate this year’s summer camps. She recently graduated from Simmons College, with a dual degree in English and communications. In conjunction with recently promoted program manager and summer camp director Bracken, Czubryt will coordinate more than 120 programs each season while assisting families with registration, program inquiries and building rentals.
Starrett, who was a camp counselor this summer at Hill House, has been hired as the athletics coordinator. In this position, she will oversee all of Hill House’s current sports programs and league, including soccer, basketball, baseball and hockey, among others. Starrett recently graduated from Bates College, with a degree in English.
Moorhouse said staff restructuring would allow Hill House to have an even greater impact on the community and children.
“It takes a village to build a whole child and the Hill House team is committed to playing a critical role in shaping the lives of the children and the families we serve,” Moorhouse said. “I am very fortunate to be leading such a dynamic staff, dedicated board and exceptional group of volunteers.”
Hill House will kick-off another year of programs, events and outreach with the annual Soccer Jamboree on Saturday, Sept. 11. Fall programs and classes begin the week of Monday, Sept. 13.
For more information on Hill House, visit www.hillhouseboston.org or call 617-227-5838 ext. 10.

There is nothing worse than having a barking or whining dog for a neighbor– even for a dog lover. For a dog to be a great neighbor, it takes consistent training and consideration for others by the human half of the team.
Unless you own a single-family home in Boston, your pet is part of a small community that has decided to allow its residents to have dogs. Your behavior, and that of your companion animal(s), will play a role in determining the future of that arrangement. In Massachusetts most landlords and condominium associations may make their own rules about pets.

Barking and Whining
Dogs vocalize for many reasons. They may think there is danger. They hear someone in a hallway and want to warn you. They may want attention and are calling for the person or dog passing by to come and play. They might be frightened, lonely, or bored. They could be responding to other dogs. That means you could have a chain-reaction with many dogs disturbing residents.

Tips for Hushing Dogs
Training your dog not to respond to every noise and to stop barking on command is as important as house training. You don’t want your dog soiling your home. Your neighbors don’t want your dog disturbing the peace.
I like using, “Hush!” for my quiet-down command. It’s not a word that comes up a lot in conversation. If you think about it, that is always a great point in choosing a dog command. I also try to use the word “Naughty” when correcting a dog. Both terms have a gentler, friendlier sound than some of the alternatives. In the end, you want your dog to understand you and obey you, not to be afraid of you.
It’s hard to reward a dog for being quiet. The pup could mistakenly think you are rewarding it for barking. Giving the dog a second command, like “Sit!” can serve as a distraction, redirect attention to you, and make the reason for the praise or treat clear.

When You’re Away
Confining your dog to an interior room or crate when you are not at home is a great idea. Playing a radio, audio book, or music can also help block distracting noises. I have an old iPod loaded with lots of soothing background sound that keeps my dog company when I’m not around.

Separation Anxiety
A dog that is fearful when you leave and cries for you to return takes special effort. With a young pup, the accepted routine is to begin leaving for short intervals and slowly increasing the time away. You can stand outside the door and go back inside to give a correction or praise.
With serious cases you should work with a veterinarian. A vet can help rule out medical problems that might cause the same symptoms.
Sometimes only anti-anxiety medications can solve the problem. The ASPCA has a great resource page on this topic on their website. They say, “The use of medications can be very helpful, especially for severe cases of separation anxiety. Some dogs are so distraught by any separation from their pet parents that treatment can’t be implemented without the help of medication. Anti-anxiety medication can help a dog tolerate some level of isolation without experiencing anxiety. It can also make treatment progress more quickly. “
Looking at your own dog’s behavior, figuring out what triggers barking and whining, changing what sets the dog off, and training are the keys to having your neighbors think well of you and your pet.

Investigate Person
08/16/10 – At about 2 p.m., Area D-4 officers responded to a radio call for an assault and battery in progress outside in front of the Apple Store, located at 815 Boylston St.
Upon arrival, police spoke with the victim, who reported being spit on by an homeless individual begging for change outside of Walgreens, located at 841 Boylston St. According to the victim, the suspect spit in his face after the victim refused to give money to another homeless person. The suspect then fled down an adjacent alley, the victim said.
A search for the suspect yielded negative results. The victim wasn’t hurt during the altercation and refused medical attention.

Bomb Threat
08/19/10 – At about 2 p.m., bomb technicians responded to Firefly Jewelry & Gifts, located at 270 Newbury St., for a telephonic bomb threat.
On arrival, technicians spoke with a store employee, who stated an individual called the store. “I accidentally left a bomb,” the caller said in what the employee described as a “fake Indian accent.”
A search of the area by the bomb squad turned up nothing out of the ordinary.

Larceny, Pickpocket, $50 to $199
08/21/10 – At approximately 2:30 p.m., an officer, assigned to the front desk at District Four headquarters, took a report for a stolen wallet.
The victim stated she was at Starbucks on Boylston Street when her wallet was stolen. The wallet contained a wallet, $100 in U.S. currency, a Florida driver’s license, a University of Southern Florida student ID card, an insurance card, a Visa card and a Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union debit card, the victim said.
The victim said she believed a male suspect who was sitting near her at the coffee shop stole her wallet.