San Francisco to Cambridge

Greetings everyone! I am moving to Cambridge late this year, and I'm very excited to learn as much as possible before then. I think the area is great, and I would like a little more local insight, if you don't mind sharing.

About myself.. I am a guy, in my mid-30s, work in high tech, and moving as part of a relocation. I enjoy many things including sports, travel, movies, good food/wine, happy hour, exploring, people watching, the outdoors, gadgets, and I'm interested in doing or learning more about local/national history, ummm and whatever else might peak my interest.

Soo..

What area would you recommend living in if I wanted to be within a 20-30 minute walk to the center of town, within close proximity to a gym and a couple pubs/coffee house etc, able to commute (drive) north and back on a daily basis without San Francisco-like traffic, and overall, just a safe, friendly neighborhood? [I've really come to like the area just between Parker's Piece and Grafton.. Does this area match the above? Any other areas worth considering?]

How about cars? I need one, for sure.. Is there something like a lease program in the UK similar to the US? I'm not sure I want to purchase a car, but I could as I will be there for 3 years most likely.

I will be visiting 2-3 more times before my move, so I would definitely welcome anything you recommend checking out.. any advice.. insight.. etc. Anything and everything would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

Welcome to UKY!

I've not yet made the big move, but when I do, Cambridge may be where my husband and I will end up. 

Welcome to UKY!

Welcome to UKY! 

You might want to check out:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/
http://www.findaproperty.com/
http://www.upmystreet.com/
http://walkit.com/cities/?welcome

The area between the Grafton and Parker's Piece would certainly be right in town, no 20-30 minute walk. 

The area would work, it can be noisy, lots of pubs, and expensive.  But you might be getting money from your company for rent, so that might not be a problem. 

But where are you working?  Is your company based in Cambridge, at the Science Park, somewhere else? 

If your job is town/science park you probably won't need a car.  There is a park and ride and a number of buses that run from in town out to the science park, although they only run until 8:30pm, so if you are working late you are out of luck. 

Welcome to UKY!

Hi & Welcome to UKY!!   

Hi there, I'm moving to Cambridge at the end of summer myself. I don't have any advice yet, just saying welcome!

Thanks so far everyone.

@bookgrl Work is in Histon. Also, I would just like to have a car to explore everywhere. Are there any other areas you would recommend that meet the criteria I spelled out earlier? Thanks!

@mapleleafgirl72 Thanks for the links!

If you just want to rent a car for trips you might be ok.  There is very little parking in the area that you are looking at. 

If you are in that general area there is a bus that runs to Histon every ten minutes. 

I would say that going in that direction in the morning from town can take a long time the A14 is pretty much the only way to get there and it gets shut down due to accidents about once a month or every 6 weeks. 

If the guided busway ever opens, (HA!), then it should be much easier.