New Englanders I Need Your Help - The Choice has Been Made!

It's been a very long journey with obstacles and a lot of sighs, but I'm starting to hear back from the colleges I applied to. Three out of the four are located in the North East:

SNHU is in Manchester, NH - (Accepted, and into program)<--Deposit sent.
WNEU is in Springfield, MA - (Accepted, and into the program I wanted)
Emerson is in Boston, MA - (No Answer until May 15th at the latest)

So inevitably, in early to mid-August I will be traveling out there to move into my dorm and get settled across the country. While I'll miss living here in the PNW, I am eagerly excited for this long awaited adventure to find my Great Perhaps. Two of the three colleges listed above will need me to take my car - they are very suburban according to student reviews so having wheels is apparently very handy.

What I mostly need from you guys is tips on living in the North East. I'd appreciate basically any tips you have, even if it might seem obvious or silly. Even if it's clothing suggestions for my packing list, or items that come in handy at college. Having only ever lived on the West Coast, this will be a great adventure that I'm super pumped for.

Thank you for all of your wisdom!

Sweaters. Boots. Gloves. A shovel in the back of your car.

Good luck, man.

I made a similar journey up this way to search for a new career, and the severity of the weather didn't bother me until the beginning of February. We've gotten like 36 inches of snow in the last 15 days >:( I heard it never gets much below 40 in Seattle, so if you don't have boots/gloves/coat/hat they are recommended. I haven't gotten boots yet, and I have to walk at half-speed sometimes on the way to work because I don't want to slip on the ice.

I've only been up to Manchester to drop off and pick up people at the airport. People tell me it's a nice city, some of the people I work with commute from there.

I haven't found a lot of food I like up here, but you probably aren't accustomed to southern home cookin' so the transition might not be so jarring.

People drive kind of nuts. I think frustration on the roads gets pent up because of the traffic and the weather so when the roads are actually open, people go nuts.

Blind_Evil wrote:

People drive kind of nuts. I think frustration on the roads gets pent up because of the traffic and the weather so when the roads are actually open, people go nuts.

That's more of a Massachusetts problem though. It wouldn't be much of a problem if Dominic goes to NH.

I imagine most of the bits of advice you'll get right now will be winter related.
Definitely make sure you have warm clothes, a good jacket, winter boots, a hat that covers your ears (or earmuffs). Be sure to dress in layers if you're going to be outside in the cold for any amount of time. Nicholaas's suggestion to keep a shovel in the car is a very good one. I'd add keeping a set of dry clothes in there as well for snow storms. It's a good idea to keep a bag of sand in your car during the winter too. The weight will help out, and if you ever get stuck, you've got sand on hand to help you get out.
If you do bring your car, try to make sure you've got a place you can park that's not on the street. During snowstorms and the subsequent cleanup, they usually enact parking bans where your car will get towed if it's left on the street.

Outside of seafood there's no real distinct cuisine.

For the summer, if you go anywhere rural, bring bug spray, as the black flies and mosquitoes are really bad.

Lots of good tips already, but this is pretty much the trump card of tips:

Stengah wrote:

Be sure to dress in layers

Then you'll be prepared for the inevitable crazy day when it's sunny, rainy, snowy, and night. Simultaneously. Don't question it, just accept New England weather.

Nothing really to add other than the layers, bug spray, and snow shovel. Any further advice probably depends on where you end up moving to.

I've got the majority of my winter clothes that will work from all the times I've gone up in the snow.

Thanks for the tips so far! I'll update the OP when I hear more.

A preemptive Welcome! Seconded on the layers. It makes winters manageable. Also, if your place gets cold I strongly recommend a down comforter. If you end up in Boston landlords tend to crank the heat here so you probably won't need it, but it made my first apartment here tolerable.

Springfield is a bit run down, although Hasbro has (or had?) some operations out there so there are some board gamers around. Boston is a great place to be a young person. Not sure about NH.

Aside from the common winter complaints, New England can be a very nice pace to live. In general most of the infrastructure and cities feel older, lived-in, and occasionally grungy. We had a recent job candidate who was really turned off by that, but it has a weird charm. If you need any more specific advice feel free to PM me.

All things equal, I'd go Manchester over Springfield, if it comes down to it. Manchester's a neat little college town if I'm remembering it right. Springfield's a dirty, Rust Belt city with all the problems of a real city and none of the amenities. Think Spokane without the charming parts. Then again, it's been ten years since I was in the area, so maybe it's changed a bit.

edit: I may be getting Manchester mixed up with somewhere else.

My hope is for either Manchester or Boston. Those are the two colleges I prefer at this point. But I'll know further later. It also helps I already have some college friends in Boston, so that's a plus too.

A big reason I applied to so many colleges on the East Coast was for the historical feel. And a new environment.

There's some great history in Boston (not to mention great food, too).

Springfield is dangerously close to "drive to my house for game nights on thursdays" territory.

Just sayin'

Dominic Knight wrote:

SNHU is in Manchester, NH - (Accepted, waiting on word if I got into specific program though)

They do online learning now or something (they advertise on TV here in the PACNW) and every time I see this acronym I think:
DEATH BY SNHU SNHU!

Find out where the block heater on your car is.

Look up online the recommended gear for a winter emergency kit, and fill it.

Get a car charger for your cellphone and make sure that it is *always* charged if you are driving in the winter.

Eezy_Bordone wrote:
Dominic Knight wrote:

SNHU is in Manchester, NH - (Accepted, waiting on word if I got into specific program though)

They do online learning now or something (they advertise on TV here in the PACNW) and every time I see this acronym I think:
DEATH BY SNHU SNHU!

I've seen the advertisements, and while online learning is nice, I actually desperately need a change of environment. That's what tipped the scale to campus life.

rabbit wrote:

Springfield is dangerously close to "drive to my house for game nights on thursdays" territory.

Just sayin'

I will keep that in mind during the decision making. I'm known to make some epic Pro/Con lists, so that will certainly be a reason to choose Springfield.

Coming from the Northwest you may also need sunscreen so you don't spontaneously combust on your arrival.
- (He says from Portland)

Good luck!

Does a Prius HAVE a block heater!? I'll 2nd Mudbunny's suggestion, with the proviso you'll probably need to get one installed. I doubt pretty sincerely it came standard. They're not horribly expensive, but with that little engine it's going to be doubly important.

I can help with a good winter preparedness kit. And before you go we'll make certain to hook you up with the east coast Enforcers gang too. I will miss having you so close, but if nothing else I'll see you at PAXEast.

If you're in Boston, or Manchester, gaming groups abound. And you should definitely try to attend Unity Games, and insert yourself into the mix to meet some people for potential gaming groups.

momgamer wrote:

Does a Prius HAVE a block heater!? I'll 2nd Mudbunny's suggestion, with the proviso you'll probably need to get one installed. I doubt pretty sincerely it came standard. They're not horribly expensive, but with that little engine it's going to be doubly important.

I can help with a good winter preparedness kit. And before you go we'll make certain to hook you up with the east coast Enforcers gang too. I will miss having you so close, but if nothing else I'll see you at PAXEast. ;)

Don't worry, Mom. The Prius is only going if it's Manchester or Springfield. Boston won't require Trixie to come along.

Excellent. I look forward to seeing the East Coast Enforcers and getting to know them. And hey, if there are years where Tweedle M can't come with you to East, I can always be your lacky those times.

Rahmen wrote:

Coming from the Northwest you may also need sunscreen so you don't spontaneously combust on your arrival.
- (He says from Portland)

Good luck!

Thank you! I'm pretty good on the not combusting. Despite being from the Northwest my genes are plenty used to the sun, so I don't really burn. But I'll make sure to be prepared either way.

jonnypolite wrote:

If you're in Boston, or Manchester, gaming groups abound. And you should definitely try to attend Unity Games, and insert yourself into the mix to meet some people for potential gaming groups.

I plan on it, but thanks for the tips! I'm excited to get some gaming in the future - not that I don't get enough in now. But with a new mix of people will be pretty awesome.

Last I checked, the only thing Springfield has going for it is the Theodre Giesel sculpture garden.

momgamer wrote:

Does a Prius HAVE a block heater!? I'll 2nd Mudbunny's suggestion, with the proviso you'll probably need to get one installed.

Weak sauce. My stock 2007 Prius handles winter here perfectly fine :p

(I also don't know much when it comes to car parts so feel free to ignore me.)

shoptroll wrote:
momgamer wrote:

Does a Prius HAVE a block heater!? I'll 2nd Mudbunny's suggestion, with the proviso you'll probably need to get one installed.

Weak sauce. My stock 2007 Prius handles winter here perfectly fine :p

I have a 2001 Prius, I think that's what Mom's concern is about.

momgamer wrote:

Does a Prius HAVE a block heater!? I'll 2nd Mudbunny's suggestion, with the proviso you'll probably need to get one installed. I doubt pretty sincerely it came standard. They're not horribly expensive, but with that little engine it's going to be doubly important.

You might not need a block heater. You might be able to get away with using nothing more than a thermal blanket to keep the oil from congealing.

Dominic Knight wrote:

I have a 2001 Prius, I think that's what Mom's concern is about.

Ah, didn't realize they were that different. Ignore me!

Winter preparedness isn't just for the car. It's for you, too. A girl needs a proper hockey stick, for example.

And heck yes I will need evil minions.

momgamer wrote:

Winter preparedness isn't just for the car. It's for you, too. A girl needs a proper hockey stick, for example. ;)

Proper hockey stick, Mom, I'm dying of laughter right now. That was perfect.

shoptroll wrote:

Last I checked, the only thing Springfield has going for it is the Theodre Giesel sculpture garden.

momgamer wrote:

Does a Prius HAVE a block heater!? I'll 2nd Mudbunny's suggestion, with the proviso you'll probably need to get one installed.

Weak sauce. My stock 2007 Prius handles winter here perfectly fine :p

(I also don't know much when it comes to car parts so feel free to ignore me.)

Weirdly, the basketball hall of fame is the one (American) sports hall of fame that actually makes its hosting town feel even seedier. Why is that?

It's not possible to make Springfield feel seedier than it was in the 80's. It's better now than it was then, let me tell you... Even walking from the train station to the Peter Pan station was something one did in groups...

Man, I'd offer suggestions but I fear they'd all be bad. I moved to Foxboro area 18 months ago, from Edmonton, AB (northern canada). So my recommendations for here are "get a place with air conditioning, make sure you're comfortable in crowds, and pack up all your winter clothes".

I haven't taken my winter coat out of storage in 2 winters here...

A lot more rain here, and make sure you have a GPS for your car.

-la Rapiere

I'm from Rhode Island and I have no idea what you guys are talking about. Winter here is rather tame and when we are going to get hit with something you know about way ahead of time. Winter survival kits? Thermal blankets? Shovel in the car? This is New England not Alaska.

Boston is as good as it gets for historical value. I take my kids there every few years. Even if you don't go to school there it's worth the drive just to take the Freedom Trail tour and to see Faneuil Hall Market.

Kommissar wrote:

Boston is as good as it gets for historical value. I take my kids there every few years. Even if you don't go to school there it's worth the drive just to take the Freedom Trail tour and to see Faneuil Hall Market.

Faneuil Hall is a must. Every time the wife and I go down, we stop in for some pizza, fries, and street entertainment.