Living like a refugee

It's hard to settle in when you're living like a refugee, but we're trying. It's a bit surreal living in a hotel--don't get me wrong, in many ways it's awesome. There's a gym, a heated indoor pool, we never have to wash or change sheets and towels, there's free cable. But it's weird not being able to clean up after myself (no broom, no sponges, they take the trash out), the windows only open two inches, and while I've had studio apartments smaller than this hotel room, it is a bit small for two people and two cats. King-size bed notwithstanding.

Also, this part of Massachusetts is hell and gone from anything interesting. No offense to it, it's quaint and residential and stereotypically New England, but there's not much else. There are the standard big-box chain stores, a mall, a few local restaurants/watering holes, and that's it. We went out to dinner at a place called Kennedy's Pub last night, with DH's coworkers, and the place closed at 10. 10! On a Friday night! DH's biggest complaint so far is the commute--nearly half an hour of weird, windy, narrow residential streets. There's no rhyme or reason to how streets are laid out here.

I've been taking the commuter rail into Boston to interview, and so far the interview process is looking promising. (Although the nearest train station is a few miles from DH's office, in the opposite direction, so I have to be dropped off/picked up at the beginning and end of the day.) I have a job interview lined up for Monday, and all the agencies assure me that it won't be any problem to get back to my old New York salary, or more (I had to take a 35% pay cut to work in San Diego). Boston is a lot cuter than I thought it would be. I'd been to Boston before, but never any real extended touristy visits. I've been spending my interview days walking around downtown/Beacon Hill, exploring the historical sites, the museums, becoming reacquainted with public transportation. Ah, public transportation. I didn't know how much I missed the subway until I got on it again. SoCal's weather is great and all, but there's no hustle, and nothing even vaguely resembling convenient public transpo.

My consensus is that (winter aside) I could definitely live here. Boston's got a lot of great stuff going on, good restaurants, good theater, culture, museums, historical whatnot, and let's not forget the cheap seafood. And the public transportation. We still haven't decided how to work the commuting situation; do we live in Boston and DH reverse-commutes to Providence? Or do we live there and I commute to Boston? Or somewhere in between and we commute in opposite directions? Frankly, I'm all for the first option, but we're going to thoroughly explore Providence and southern Massachusetts to make sure we've covered all our bases.