Boston is a medical hub, encompassing three major medical schools and more than two dozen hospitals. Inhabited by interesting people and unmatched cultural and recreational offerings, Boston is an exciting place to call home.

Our town

A patchwork of some 20 diverse and vibrant neighborhoods, each with their own flare and flavors, makes up the communities of Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline. Transportation throughout the Boston area is made easy with a network of subway trains (the “T”) and bus lines.

Boston is a sports town — home to the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics — but it’s also an arts town. It boasts world-class museums, theaters, the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops, and the Boston Ballet. (The Longwood Medical Area even has its own orchestra, the Longwood Symphony.) In the summer and fall, the city hosts outdoor concerts at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade and Shakespeare on the Common in Boston Common. Throughout the year, neighborhoods throw block parties and festivals to celebrate their communities’ cultures. Boston also has a wide variety of remarkable restaurants and bars to pique your curiosity and satisfy your cravings.

Outdoor activities abound in Boston and surrounding areas. A short drive will transport you to a relaxing weekend in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts or to a breathtaking hiking and biking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. A free day could mean escaping to see the lobster boats of Rockport, tour the mansions in Newport, R.I., peep the foliage of Vermont maples, explore the rugged coastline and lighthouses in Maine, or swim at beaches of Cape Cod and the islands.

Fun with resident stats

• We love pets and we have cats, dogs, parakeets, a parrotlet, and a guinea pig.
• We speak 10 languages (11 if you count sarcasm).
• We had diverse jobs before becoming doctors, including owning a small aquatic plant business, foster care caseworker, waitress, ABA assistant, soccer referee, and pastry shop worker.
• Six of us are parents.

Life in Boston

Some of our favorite Boston activities are:

• gardening in the Fenway Victory Gardens community plot
• ramen at Ganko Ittetsu Ramen
• concerts at Boston Symphony Hall
• going to Fenway Park for a baseball game
• hiking in the White Mountains
• running/biking along the Charles River
• walking around Jamaica Pond
• taking the ferry to Provincetown, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket
• biking to Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum
• watching old movies at the Coolidge Corner Theatre
• eating ice cream with sprinkles at Toscanini’s
• hanging out at M Street Beach
• watching live jazz at the Ellis Room
• sailing on Boston Harbor

Need housing assistance?

The Harvard Housing Office, located at 7 Holyoke St. in Cambridge in Harvard Square, offers listings of apartments, condominiums, houses, and rooms for rent or sale; information on finding a roommate; lists of local, short-term accommodations; lists of movers and self-storage facilities; and more. The office also offers apartments at the Trilogy, 170 Brookline Ave., near the Longwood Medical Area. For more information, visit the website or call 617-496-7827.

Other good sources of housing information:

• Craigslist
• MIT European Club
• Current residents and recent graduates are great resources.
• There are several recommended real estate agents in the area that work closely with physicians.
• As a resident, you have access to many of the Harvard resources, including the Harvard Real Estate Advantage Program, which can help with home-buying and loans.

Lease guarantee program

Boston Children’s Hospital has implemented this program for all residents and fellows who are paid through the hospital to help ease the pressure of the high cost of housing in the Boston area. If a landlord requires advance payment of the last month’s rent and/or a security deposit, the hospital will guarantee payment according to the lease guaranty procedure. In return, the resident or fellow agrees to reimburse Boston Children’s for any payment the hospital makes. For more information, call the HR Employee Service Center at 617-355-7780.

Work/life supports

A variety of programs are available to help manage residents manage work/life/family responsibilities.

• The Longwood Work/Life Liaison: This Harvard Medical School office provides information, resources, referrals, educational programs, and support to those combining work lives with family needs.
• Boston Children’s Hospital Office of Clinician Support (OCS): OCS provides a safe, confidential place to talk for anyone who does clinical work with patients, including trainees. The program assists clinicians with any problem they may have, whether it be work-related or personal. OCS is staffed by mental health clinicians familiar with working in the hospital environment and is available seven days a week.
• Employee Lactation Support Program: This program provides support, information, and lounges for nursing mothers. Contact the program at 617-355-0005.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential services are available 24/365 from our EAP provider, KGA. For more information, visit KGA at https://www.kgreer.com/.

Child care

Boston Children’s Hospital Child Care Center: Located at 21 Autumn St., a short walk from Boston Children’s Hospital, the center is staffed by teachers trained in child development and early childhood education. It provides care to children 3 months through 5 years old. Phone: 617-355-6006.

There are other childcare providers that our trainees have used near the Longwood Medical Area or in their home neighborhoods.