Last weekend really felt like summer to me for one key reason, and it wasn’t the weather… it was the abundance of yard sale signs I passed on my morning dog walk. I love a good yard sale, but sadly, many of us city-dwellers don’t have much of a yard on which to display our unwanted treasures. Fortunately, there is a solution…
I recently got the following email from Cambridge’s Recycling Director by way of my neighborhood listserv:
UNWANTED FURNITURE? OUR SUPER FRIENDS CAN RESCUE IT!
Arrange a free pickup of your good-condition furniture. Moving and can’t take it all with you? Plan a few weeks ahead. Visit CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture for our interactive list of organizations and details on pickup and drop-off options. These groups taking living, dining and bedroom furniture…and put them to good use. Groups with a star (*) also take mattresses in good condition. Plus, they’ll pick up your stuff for free!
- Salvation Army* 1-800-SA-TRUCK or use their online form
- MA Coalition for the Homeless* 781-595-7570 x13 or albenny@mahomeless.org
- Aid to Incarcerated Mothers* 617-536-0058
- Boomerangs 617-309-7220 or use their online form
- MIT Furniture Exchange 617-253-4293 or fx@mit.edu (free pickup for large donations only)
- Epilepsy Foundation 888-322-8209 or use their online form
For more info, visit: CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture
CALL THEM AT LEAST A WEEK OR TWO AHEAD TO ARRANGE A FREE PICKUP
Waited until the last minute? You can sell or give stuff away through boston.craigslist.org or freecycle.org. Postings are free, most do better with a photo and it’ll be gone in no time. If it’s a ripped, torn, stained, about-to-fall-apart mess…unfortunately it probably is trash! City trash crews will pick up ONE piece of furniture per week from residences served by the Cambridge Department of Public Works. Remember, it’s heading to the landfill or incinerator if you choose this route, so, if it’s usable and is in good condition, please see what you can do to arrange a rescue! For more info, visit: CambridgeMA.gov/Furniture.
CLEANING OUT YOUR CLOSET?
Don’t throw it out. Click here for a Google map of where to donate your stuff in Cambridge with clothing drop boxes, thrift stores, consignment shops and second hand stores! You can donate clothing and textiles that are torn, stained, broken or missing something, to Goodwill, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Got Books/Clothes, and Planet Aid. These groups take clothing, shoes, belts, purses, hats, linens, stuffed animals, and fabric scraps. Just no dirty rags, nothing wet, nothing soiled, no carpets, no rugs, and no mildewed items. If it’s not wearable, damaged clothing is recycled into wiping rags and everything else is processed back into fibers used to make paper, yarn, insulation, carpet padding, and sound proofing.
You can also find more detailed info in the Cambridge Chronicle’s recent write-up of the campaign.
As regular readers know, I am in love with Union Square. Did I not also love my own Area Four neighborhood, I might just have to pick up and move there right now… especially since the owners of Area Four *the restaurant* are going to be adding a new location right across from the Market Basket. And with this week’s opening of Bronwyn… well… it’s tempting!
But if I can’t live there, I am at least very happy to be getting a lot of great listings there :) Here’s a preview of my latest, which will be listed in MLS later this week:
7 Church Street, Unit 2, Somerville — 2BR/1ba condo with parking — will list at $369,000
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- eat in kitchen
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- living room
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- living room
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- bedroom 1
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- bedroom 2
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- exterior
Will post details once we’re officially on the market — stay tuned!
Progress! The much-anticipated extension of the community path (a.k.a., “the bike path”) is finally having its official groundbreaking — Monday, May 13 at 6 pm. This leg of the project will bring the path from Cedar Street to Lowell, the second phase of a plan that will ultimately extend all the way to North Point in Cambridge. Not sure how long all that will take to come to fruition, but for now, the Cedar-to-Lowell branch will provide great new access to Davis Square for Spring Hill & Winter Hill dwellers. Go Somerville!
Welcome to another pre-MLS sneak peek at a great Spring Hill condo I’m bringing on the market this week. This is the third of three units I will be selling in a great 3-unit association on Hudson Street — the other two were very well-received when I listed them in 2012, and am sure this one will get just as much interest. So here’s the deal…
33 Hudson Street, Unit 2, Somerville — 1BR/1ba, 823 SF condo listed at $329,000
Beautiful, spacious condo in the heart of Somerville! Great flowing layout with living room, dining room, eat-in-kitchen, bedroom, bath & private back porch. Unit features gleaming hardwood floors, high ceilings, many windows, a modern kitchen and bath, in-unit laundry, newer systems and great basement storage. Association also has a shared front garden and back yard. Excellent Spring Hill location around the corner from Highland Kitchen, The Armory, the bike path, and just one mile to Davis, Porter and Union Squares.
Year built/converted: 1900/2005
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Living area: 823 SF +/- per master deed
Parking: on-street permit
Condo fee: $125/month
2013 Taxes: $3,128 without residential exemption
Download floorplans for 33 Hudson Street, Unit 2 here.
So many great places in this vibrant neighborhood!
- Highland Kitchen – fantastic neighborhood pub & restaurant, famous for its Sunday brunch, plus events ranging from live music to karaoke to (yes, it’s true) spelling bees!
- The Armory – so many great things rolled into one space: a café, the Center for the Arts and the Somerville winter farmer’s market
- 3 Little Figs – come for breakfast, lunch, or just coffee & a made-from-scratch treat!
- O2 Yoga – popular local yoga studio with a full schedule of classes seven days a week
- Somerville Community Path – walk, run or ride your bike into Davis or connect to the Minuteman Trail and continue on out to Arlington or even Lexington
- The Somerville Museum – community-based cultural institution offering visual arts and historic exhibitions as well as musical and dramatic performances
Plus direct MBTA bus service to Davis Square and Kendall/MIT (Red Line), Lechmere (Green Line), Sullivan Station (Orange Line) within a few blocks, and just one mile to Davis, Porter and Union Squares!
Take Your Dog to the Beach!
April 27, 2013
Was very happy to find this great blog resource listing dog-friendly beaches around Boston. And since it’s so gorgeous out today, thought it would be the perfect day to post it. So here you go — Dog Friendly Beaches Around Boston by Jay Stebbins.
Note that the picture here is of my dogs Paloma & Satch in Puerto Rico, so this would not be one of the beaches “near Boston” but it’s such a cute shot I just couldn’t resist :)
Property of the Week: Gracious Fresh Pond Colonial
April 18, 2013
This house has all the best of its original 1920s character, some updates from, I’d guess, the 80s, and a few amazingly modern features. With white walls and gleaming wood floors, it’s the perfect blank canvas for anyone who wants to customize a home to their own taste. But what I love the best about this home is hard to describe — it just felt good being there. So I suggest that if the specs meet your criteria, do yourself a favor and check it out in person. I’d be happy to set up a showing, so please get in touch!
65 Larchwood Drive, Cambridge – 3BR/2 full, 2 half-bath, 3037 SF, listed at $1,895,000
Download MLS listing for 65 Larchwood Drive here.
Listed by Gaby & George Whitehouse of Coldwell Banker.
Somerville Beat’s Conversation with Mayor Curtatone
April 18, 2013
I really love Elyse Andrews’ Somerville Beat blog, which is great for keeping up with the events and cast of characters in the city. Thought I’d share her recent post of a conversation with my favorite mayor, Joe Curtatone. Enjoy!
