The September 1st move is a Boston tradition. Corresponding with a deluge of university students returning for the fall semester and moving off-campus or switching apartments, the day sees thousands of Bostonians in transit, navigating their new neighborhoods in brimming U-hauls from dawn till dusk. For the unprepared with a Sept. 1 lease start date, this can be a nightmare. Starting now, here are three things you can do to preserve your sanity. Register parking for your van.
If your destination doesn’t have a driveway, reserving a parking spot in front of it can shave time and keep your blood pressure out of the danger zone. Head to boston.gov’s moving guide and follow the steps to get a permit online or in person. The base fee is $50, plus $20 a day if you’re taking up a metered spot; you should also post flyers on the block at least two days before you move, to let your new neighbors know the space is yours for the day. See if you can move in earlier.
If the traffic weren’t enough to deter you, a report from apartment and renting app Sumu finds that the average cost of a moving company in the Boston area surges just before Sept. 1. Consider reaching out to the tenant currently living in your new place. They might offer to move out earlier if, say, they have vacation plans for the last week of August. Plan to avoid disaster on Storrow.
Google “Storrowing” or ask anyone who’s had the top of their moving truck peeled back by any one of the low-hanging overpasses. Chose a cargo van or a 10-foot truck if your moving journey takes you along Storrow (or Memorial Drive, on the other side of the Charles); if you can’t downsize, avoid these roads altogether
How to prepare for the movepocalypse
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