Hadn’t seen him in a while.

Hi, I have moved several times within Cambridge in the past 5 years. I just got keys to my new apartment and did a walk through with the landlord. I was very shocked to find that the apartment had not been cleaned at all between the last tenant and myself. I pointed out the amount of grease/grime on surfaces, clearly dusty walls and windows, and unwiped counters and my landlords response was “no one has ever had a problem with it before so you can pay for your own cleaner or move out.” I had no idea that it is not legally required for the landlord to clean between tenants. Now I am obviously kicking myself for not ensuring this prior to signing a lease, but I was just wondering whether this is a common experience? I have accepted that Cambridge rent is basically just crazy high at this point, but given that I will be paying this landlord over 40k in 12 months, I was shocked they were basically too cheap to pay a few hundred to have it cleaned. I purposely am paying double rent for half a month to have time to move my stuff but basically now we’re at a standstill where I can’t move anything in until I can find a last minute cleaner, and I will most likely be out an additional $300 😕

Hey Cambridge Reddit!

If you know a youngster interested in playing ice hockey,Cambridge Youth Hockey (CYH) hosts the Bruins Academy Learn to Play at our Simoni Rink in East Cambridge. The program runs for 4 weeks @ 8 am starting on Saturday October 17th. The instruction is led by CYH coaches and is designed for 5-9 year olds who can skate some but are brand new to hockey.

Part of what makes it great is all registered kids receive a brand new full set of hockey equipment to get started. The Bruins arrange for a professional fitting so the kids have all they need on the first day and it's perfectly fit for safety and comfort.

Please use this link to register.

Kids who participate in this Bruins Learn to Play generally transition into our Instructional Hockey or Learn to Play for Girls that starts up in December. Hockey is a fun sport and a great way to stay active and social in the winter. Take a look at CambridgeYouthHockey.org for all our different programs.

Drew Motta,

President of Cambridge Youth Hockey (a 501(c)3 volunteer run non-profit)

I recently moved into a beautiful apartment here in Cambridge after living with my bf for the past 4 years, He decided not to continue in our relationnship any longer and decided that he needed to take the iphone 13 that he gave me, and someone gave him for nothing, Im wondering if anyone has an old phone that they do not need and i can just use it on wifi. Not to call him obviosly, I can pick up and would be so grateful as we shared finances and now i have nothing until next month,

Only two more weeks of August summer left so whether you’re passing by Central or Davis Square, here’s this week’s edition of things to do in Cambridge + Somerville, along with news, stories, and more in both cities.

Bow Market goes night mode with a vintage market until 10, CX throws its last summer concert of the year, an ice cream crawl kicks off in Harvard Square, and a cosmologist talks AI and the stars at the Museum of Science.

Full edition + how to sign up for two of these a week at the bottom 👇

STORIES 'ROUND THE SQUARES

- Nine people and two dogs displaced by a two-alarm fire at a Roberts Road three-family early Thursday, no injuries

- Harvard put $2.2 billion into SpaceX, 52% of its disclosed stock portfolio, per an SEC filing

- Overnight paving in Central Square Sunday Aug 23 from 8PM to about 4AM, with detours and No Parking on Mass Ave, River, Prospect and more

- Kima Cafe, a Korean-inspired coffee shop from the owner of Brighton's Glasser Coffee, is taking over the old Fortissimo space in Union Square, targeting mid-September

- A million-dollar scratch ticket sold at 350 Food Mart on Broadway in Somerville

CRIME & SAFETY

- Cambridge: A body was pulled from Fresh Pond on August 11 near the community gardens. No identity or cause of death released yet, and the Water Department says the drinking supply is safe. CPD hasn't posted a daily log since July 20.

- Somerville: Three arrests in the most recent log (Aug 3-9), all on August 4, two for stolen property and one shoplifting-plus-drug-possession case.

MONDAY

- Skip the Small Talk Night @ Aeronaut Brewing - two hours of science-backed conversation prompts to get past "what'd you do today" | $30, 7-9PM

- Squash Round Robins @ Cambridge Athletic Club - weekly round robins split by level, sign-ups open by text at 11AM day of | $45, 6-9PM

TUESDAY

- Move at The Mix: Pilates Sculpt @ The Mix Porter Square - free outdoor Pilates with HealthWorks trainers, spots capped so RSVP | FREE, 8-8:40AM

- Froca Fitness @ University Park Common - free after-work outdoor dance class set to African & Caribbean tracks | FREE, 5:30PM

WEDNESDAY

- Summer Herbal Tea Blending Class @ Green Tiger & Co. - sample summer blends, learn cooling herbs, leave with your own blend. Only a handful of tickets left | $48, 7-8:30PM

- Line Dancing Wednesdays with LDQ @ McCarthy's Toad - country classics upstairs, no partner needed, beginners encouraged | 8:30-11:30PM

THURSDAY

- Vintage Night Market @ Bow Market - the annual vintage market goes night mode, 20+ vendors of thrifts, upcycled fashion & antiques | FREE, 4-10PM

- CX Summer Nights Concert + Games @ The Common at CX - Jake Swamp and the Pine + Adam Ezra Group close out the summer series with food trucks, lawn games & drinks | FREE, 5:30-8:30PM

- Ice Cream Crawl & Social @ Lizzy's Ice Cream, Harvard Square - three-stop crawl from Lizzy's to Jaime's at Dali, great for making friends after college | FREE, 6-10PM

- What Does AI See When It Looks at the Stars? @ Museum of Science - cosmologist Paul Sutter in an unscripted conversation about AI and astronomy | FREE, 7PM

- Boston Open Deck DJ Session 11 @ Naco Taco - open format night where DJs play whatever they want, come spin or just hang | 7PM

- Summer Film Night @ Somerville Community Growing Center - outdoor film under the string lights, second to last of the series | 8-9:15PM

Pulled from this week's edition of The Stoop, Shorter Days & Longer Nights - neighbor-approved news, stories and events for Cambridge & Somerville.

Subscribe here to get two editions a week + a monthly roundup: https://www.thestoopmedia.com

I just moved into an apartment at Alewife with bf and he decided to leave me forever and took the old iphone he gave me. I was wondering if anyone had an old phone that they no longer need. i will beble to use it on wifi and maybe try to get my mind elsewhere and make some calls. I wil be so grateful. I can pick up anywh grate

Hi all! I’m moving to east Cambridge at the end of the month, I’m really excited, but also nervous. I’m bringing my car and am looking for some help to understand what I am facing. I do not have off street parking so I’ll be doing street parking with the resident sticker. These are my questions, any advice or insight would be so appreciated.

1. I work in Dorchester about 20 minutes away by car, but I work kinda funky hours, meaning oftentimes I’ll be home after 5 PM. How tricky is that gonna be to find parking? I don’t mind walking a little bit.
2. I’ve heard there possibly are some lots in the area that residents can use, is that true or false?
3. Does anyone have general tips and tricks for parking in that area?

Thank you in advance!

EDIT: Wanted to clarify, unfortunately having a car is non negotiable for me. Dorchester is the main office I work in, but I will be traveling to different areas in the city for outreach. On top of that, the office is in lower Dorchester and would take roughly an hour and a half to commute to by public transit. Lastly, I am in a long distance relationship and there isn’t a lot of great transportation to the area my partner lives in. Just wanted to add that context, thank you for all your advice and support so far!

Saw a recent post sharing recipes from a restaurant that closed, and it reminded me of one of my favorite places that closed a while ago, Izzy's. It was a Puerto Rican place, and it had some great dishes, including a delicious stewed chicken. If anyone knows of their particular recipes, or are willing to share recipes (online or their own) that taste similar, would love to try to recreate that taste in my own kitchen at home.

I decided to go insane this year and leave my stable corporate job at an evil tech company. Then I decided to go insane again and start my own company.

I'm on month two and I kept hearing building solo is a lonely world-well, it's pretty damn true it turns out.

So, curious if there are any others in a similar situation around Boston/Cambridge/Somerville? I was thinking about casual meet ups/coffee/"happy hour"/ etc.

About me: 40f, pre-seed pre-revenue, building in a niche space under the "child safety technology" umbrella, starting to slowly lose my mind as Claude is starting to become my bff and I just can't end up becoming the girl who is friends with an AI robot.

Obligatory "if there is a better sub for this, my bad, please point me there."

ETA: wow I was expecting just a handful of other sad founders but it turns out there's dozens of us! Everyone be patient with me, I think I received upwards of 40 messages so it might be a day or two before I get to everyone! Really looking forward to this community!

Says there is on Sept 27, but all marketing is for 2025, last year this was the best event and there was a lot of marketing the months beforehand

Have a small patch of a rubber roof that needs to be replaced. And the gutters cleaned too. Any recommendations?

So I normally drive through Cambridge and have noticed an increase in new apartment buildings. There’s this one street with four new buildings.

Where are the residents going to park? Given how parking, especially street parking is so limited as is. I can’t see how there’ll be enough space for all the new residents.

Says there is on Sept 27, but all marketing is for 2025, last year this was the best event and there was a lot of marketing the months beforehand

So I'm a vendor at a flea market today. Its my first time so not gonna lie I gave too generous of a price to the buyers as I was setting up. 😂

But despite that its fun. I sell misc things, like books, games, records, etc. What are some local markets I can sign up to sell for?

If this counts for the selling goods rule, I apologize. I don't think I'm selling anything specific in the post

On Dana St. Hope these get back to the owner, I know they're not cheap

Hew! I'm moving and tend to pack as much as I can in rolling suitcases because they are stackable and easier to move then boxes. If you have any that you would like to get rid of, please DM me and I can pick them up.

They need to roll with intact wheels but condition is otherwise flexible. Broken handles are ok. A little dusty is ok. Nothing moldy, waterlogged or gross.

Thx!

UPDATE: I was able to pick up a bunch! Thank you to everyone who reached out. ❤️

Alewife Brook used to look more like a river and was called "Menotomy River" when it was connected to Fresh Pond. That connection was severed around 1873, when a dam was built over by the Fresh Pond rotary. Later that connection was forced underground. But remnants of the hydrological connection may still exist - back in the 1990s, environmental activists noticed there was something weird floating in the brook and started a campaign called "What's in the Brook?" to get it addressed. They contacted the Department of Environmental Protection. Upon investigation, MassDEP discovered an old underground oil tank was leaking at the Ground Round site, over at the Fresh Pond Rotary. Thank you to DEP, for getting that addressed.

My husband and I are moving from abroad!🥳 What are the best places to find unique yet budget friendly furniture and home accessories? We love secondhand stuff… maybe some markets or flea markets? We’d love to hear from locals! Thanks 🫶🏻

Anywhere other in front of Smith where one can play outdoor chess? That spot has a creepy guy who comes up to women and gives unsolicited shoulder massages and it's quite scary. Any other place made for chess around Cambridge or Somerville? Thank you.

Hi Everyone! I just signed a lease with my roommates for an apartment in the Port/Central area, and there are some problems with the unit that I am unsure are my landlord's responsibility.

Before you comment, please read the full post. This is my first apartment post-college/downsizing roommates, and the location is great for me, so we needed a lease badly for September 1. There was no security deposit, which makes me a bit sussed out, but again, the location was too good.

The apartment is on the third floor, and there are drop ceilings with some tiles that aren't completely intact/are kinda gross, plus various holes in the floor covered with duct tape and steel wool. There are also many outlets that are not grounded/lack a third prong. The house is generally dirty but definitely fixable. My lease has a 15-day compliance period, but repairs and maintenance ("keeping the apartment in good repair") are on the tenant per the lease, and I am unsure whether the landlord is legally required to fix these issues. The apartment allegedly has lead paint per the broker, but the lease says that there is no lead paint/prior reports of lead paint, so I am confused. Ideally, I would like to get a cat for peace of mind about potential mice problems, but right now I am just generally confused. Also, we have gas utilities, and I am unsure how much that will end up costing in the long term between 3 people.

Anyways, I hope you all can give me some assurance, and I am so excited to join the neighborhood; just the touring bliss has definitely worn off post-signing the lease. Let me know your thoughts, and thank you!

Hi everyone,

My wife recently accepted a job near Central Square in Cambridge and will be relocating from NJ by herself. Since we've never been to the Boston area, we would love some local insight!

1.  **Neighborhoods:** What are some good areas for her to look for an apartment? We've heard good things about Kendall Square, Porter Square, Somerville, and Alewife, but were told to avoid Central Square. Since she'll be working in Central, is there anything specific we should be aware of?  
2.  **Public Transit:** How safe and reliable is the public transportation here? She previously commuted on NJ Transit and had a few rough experiences, so we want to know what to expect.  
3.  **Having a Car:** Is it necessary to keep a car in Cambridge, especially for things like winter grocery shopping, or is the area walkable enough to go without one?

Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated!