Change your mind and move to Philly, I’ll help you unpack!

Insurance: MA has got to be the worst state for auto insurance. My understanding was that it was legislation based on the crazy-ass drivers. ;^)

Mobile phone: I had good luck w/ AT&T while I was in Boston. Didn’t spend a ton of time in Brookline with that, however.

Call big D, he really is like renting a forklift. He is a genius at truck loading, full 3D tetris. You would need to get him back from Boston.

Michelle, you don’t want to come up to Boston for the weekend? Seriously? I can put you up, and it’s not like you don’t need to come up and see the place anyway… :)

Insurance: We are the only state in the country that has fully-regulated insurance rates. Meaning that any company who sells insurance in MA simply charges what the Commonwealth tells it to charge.

This, of course, means there can be no competetion among insurers based on price. When I moved to MA, my hometown insurer, USAA, told me to just go to a local agent and take whatever they gave me, as it’s all the same.

The purpose of this insane system is to keep insurance costs for city drivers down. Good for people in Boston (who might have to pay almost twice as much in an unregulated system) and too bad for the folks out in the Berkshires who subsidize my rates.

It’s a system that will likely remain for years to come because there are guaranteed profits for agents and insurers built into the system. (I once met a local insurance lobbyist whose full-time residence was the Four Seasons.)

When you move here, you’re in luck, because Stacy’s dad owns an insurance agency and he’ll set you up.

Car: You’re right. It’s a hassle, but your insurance agent does most of the legwork. (E.g. they have runners who take the stuff to and from the registry for you, etc.) So, if you buy a car in NY, just bring it up and meet with an insurance agent. They’ll do the rest.

Phone: I have Cingular; works as good as anything else, so far as I can tell.

Let me know if there’s anything I can do.

Steve:

On behalf of Jason, thank you. I know that all of your information will make him feel much better! (Not to mention the thanks we owe you for the whole apartment thing! :) )

hi jason -

i’m moving from SF to LA right now and i have a lot of the same questions as you do. why isn’t there some kind of web site where people review cell phone coverage? I’ve used epinions and letstalk.com, but they both seem spotty and crank-dominated.

here’s what may be good news: i found some folks to unload my (possibly too small 14ft) truck in LA through emove.com, which the emove people liken to e-bay for movers. it’s reasonably priced. it seemed to work for me, although i haven’t seen the results yet.

best of luck with your move,

holly

Why not just hire a moving company? Fully insured, no back breaking labor, no hassle with friends, and they know how to pack a truck.

—Sam

mobile phone: We’re on Verizon and it’s the best as far as I can tell as far as coverage is concerned. (Although figure it as a love-hate relationship with them - because I think they know this and their customer service sucks). AT&T was good - but coverage was spotty, and our entire town was in one of it’s “dead zones” :| BUT they do have a “trial” period - so you can try it in the areas you’ll most likely spend your time in - see if coverage is good and if not, get your money back. Welcome to MA :D

As far as finding someone to unload, post an odd-job ad at http://boston.craigslist.org/ … and if you’re moving in Cali, Holly, you’ve got many more craigslist choices than that.

I have AT&T and live in Brookline. I used to have a TDMA phone and it was fine everywhere except my apartment. I would have to stand by the window to make a call with it. Also, calls would cut off regularly. I just got a Nokia GSM phone from them and it works much better. I can actually make a call while sitting on my sofa. That said, I’ve heard Verizon had the best coverage around here, but they know it. You should really use the 30-day trial period to test the phone everywhere.

One thing that always surprises new car owners in Mass is the excise tax. This is a tax that your town asseses annually for the privilege of owning a car. It’s based on the value of the car ($15 per $1000 I think), so expect to be hit for a few hundred on the new Subaru the first year.

And speaking of towns… You do have a place to park Suzie, don’t you? Brookline doesn’t allow overnight street parking.

We use Verizon and are pretty happy with it. In Brookline you shouldn’t run across many dead spots no matter which carrier you choose.

The good news about Mass is that you’ll come to love it. It may take a dozen years, though.

I love Boston so much, I’m almost tempted to offer to fly up there just to help! Unfortunately, my current plans are to visit Boston in late July. As for cell phones - I absolutely LOVE my Sprint Sanyo 8100. Just in case you were looking for one with a camera built in.

Jason,

Don’t worry, one of my fellowship applications is to a group in Boston. You will be expected to provide ample housing and entertainment for my time up there :)

www.deadcellzones.com

www.deadcellzones.com has a somewhat comprehensive review of major cell companies and their coverage nationwide.

www.deadcellzones.com has a somewhat comprehensive review of major cell companies and their coverage nationwide.

www.deadcellzones.com has a somewhat comprehensive review of major cell companies and their coverage nationwide.

www.deadcellzones.com has a somewhat comprehensive review of major cell companies and their coverage nationwide.

I’m getting mixed reviews about T-Mobile’s reception in the Boston area. They lock you in for 1 year, so if you don’t like it, you’re stuck.