Now you want to go about finding an apartment. You want to get a place on the red line [the local subway] because then you can go see people and people can go see you. The best place to go is Davis Square, because its cheap, fun, and on the red line. Harvard is fun and on the red line but not cheap, Porter is cheap and on the red line but not fun, so I recommend Davis, Inman, and Central, in that order. Underneath the table I sneak my notebook and pencil out of my pocket and begin secretly taking notes.
Now the thing you want to get is one of these triple-decker houses converted into apartments, where the top floor is slightly smaller than the other two. And then youll be in exactly the same place as VisiCalc when they started it in the top floor of a triple-decker in Davis Square. (Actually, Paul later told me VisiCalc was started in the neighboring town of Arlington.) Yeah, but you dont want to code like VisiCalc, Trevor says, that stuff was rotten. Well, it made money, didnt it? Paul replies.
Less flippant: Davis is a nice place to be. Take a look at a map though. There is good space available in Arlington which is one T-stop down from Davis (Alewife station) and it isn't hard to find something closer to the T for the same money (worst case scenario walking home from Davis at 2am - 20 minutes). Plus if you are in walking distance of Alewife you are in walking distance of one of the few bowling alleys in MA (I don't count candlepin).
cheap food, rowdy college neighborhood, T accessible, close to bars (sounds like you'll need it)