Living in Allston, Boston

Harvard Avenue's secondhand shops, thrift stores, and a dense strip of restaurants representing a dozen different cuisines give Allston its main commercial spine, with Brighton Music Hall's standing-room stage hosting touring bands most weeks a few doors from Commonwealth Avenue. The Charles River's Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path runs along Allston's northern edge, a paved route past crew boats and turtles that connects toward Cambridge and the Esplanade. Herter Park's amphitheater, tucked along the river, hosts free outdoor concerts through the summer, and Ringer Park's ball fields give the neighborhood's denser blocks a stretch of open green space. Packard's Corner marks the western gateway into Allston where Commonwealth Avenue and Brighton Avenue split, close to Boston University's western campus. The Green Line's B branch runs the length of the neighborhood along Commonwealth Avenue, with Packard's Corner, Harvard Avenue, and Griggs Street among its closest stops.

Allston's apartment turnover runs high given the neighborhood's proximity to Boston University, and the first days of September bring a scramble of moving trucks and curbside furniture that clogs the sidewalks for a stretch each year.

A plate from one of Harvard Avenue's restaurants, a set at Brighton Music Hall, and a ride along the Charles make for a night and morning that show off Allston's mix of food, music, and river access.