HumphreyC

Hi everyone

Just thought I should post and introduce myself. My name is Humphrey and my American OH who I have been married to for 3 years now wants to move back home to New England (she got pissed off with the U.K). So after years of being irritated with the UK expats who post all over the online editions of UK newspapers about how the mother country is going to the dogs through crime and immigration (oh the irony) and about how their move to OZ / New Zealand / Dubai was the best thing they ever did, I'm now about to join the tribe. Bit nervous about moving and the inevitable culture shock. At least I know plenty of people in Massachusetts (my inlaws and various people scattered around) and I happen to really like the place; although I'm told the winter either makes or breaks you!.

Anyhow that's about enough from me. Looking forward to posting here and contributing to the community.

H

Jerseygirl

Hi...welcome.

Below is a link to BE's US forums...the Marriage Based Visas forum my be of particular interest to you right now.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=57

sambapink

Welcome Humphrey

HumphreyC

Thanks

I'm guessing this is going to be a quick an easy process with no administrative headaches whatsoever....just like getting my wife leave to remain in the U.K *shudders at memory of being shouted at by UK immigration officials for not having gas bills in joint names for march 2007*

Jerseygirl

It's best to ask your questions in the Marriage Based Visa forum...there's plenty of folk in there who will help you through it.

meauxna

Checking out your blog, I think you're going to do just great!

Welcome aboard, and the 2 links in my siggy will get you started with your immigration stuff.
Get those gas bills in order!

Bob

Welcome to BE

There's a few threads about Mass that might be useful and even some info in the wiki, I'm in the metrowest area so that's where most of the info is on but oh well

Any ideas on where your heading? Not Quincy by any chance?

Anyway, there's quite a few folks scattered around Mass, mostly around northern area though and a few in the burbs of beantown

HumphreyC

Hi Bob.

Good to hear from you. I have checked out some of those MA threads and seen you around on them. Hope you like Metrowest/Berkshires. I have been driven through there a couple of times (Williamstown/North Adams/Greenfield) and been down to Northampton to see my wife when she was studying at Smith. Seemed like paradise to me (although I am told that the economy isn't too hot and Springfield is a bit sketchy). Still I would love to live out there if I could.

Nah, not Quincy, I did go down there once to take a harbour cruise, which was nice except for the piss poor live music they had and the inedible food. I'm actually going to be in the central region (Worcester county). This is because my wife's family is scattered around in Gardner, Fitchburg, Ashburham and Townsend. My OH is moving first and is going to live with her mum in the suburbs of Fitchburg. I'm quite fond of 'the burg' despite it's post apocalyptic mill-town rep (if you haven't been there, here's a photothread http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=165351 - note the 'Bob the f*****g builder graffiti) but I imagine we will be trying to get a place somewhere close in either Ashburham or Winchentucky (Winchendon ; i'm told in-breeding is rife here, sounds a bit like Norfolk). Course I might be living in none of those places as it depends on where my job is.

Where abouts in the Berkshires are you?

Bob

I'm not quite that far west, that's about 2 hours away...but the missus has cousins that live out there, lovely area, especially in autumn and a lot of great craft fairs if your into that sort of thing....bugger all for jobs though which is a shame.

I only mentioned Quincy as someone on another jobs board was moving there and wondered if you were the same bloke

Looks like you won't be to far from Worcester...which is errr...it has the DCU centre which has pretty decent events even if parking is shite at least

Fitchburg, college murder capital that, the only college which fairly has a high crime rate because of the college rather than being on Boston common and next to China Town etc....

Though if you can wing it, go to Westborough, one of the nicest towns in the state to live in apparently and good location for getting around, as is Northborough.

I'm just off Rt-9 between Framingham and the W's

HumphreyC

Ah metrowest!, I was totally in the wrong ballpark (as they say). In all likelihood I'm going to be further west than you are to start off with as I'll be in the much overlooked central region.

Yeah, I guess it's the Stoke on Trent of Massachusetts. Not totally bad, but not really great either. Some nice hoods, lots of empty factory buildings, loads of run down triple deckers and a fairly desolate downtown. But they are spending a lot of money there (City Square etc..) so who knows. Wouldn't want to live there though. After all I was told the area I lived in in Nottingham was 'up and coming' and there were still 4 murders in the year I lived there; not to mention the kids riding around on mini-motos delivering drugs.

Yep, that's the burg! I remember the first time I came over to visit my OH the summer after we had met at uni. The immigration officer looked at where I was going and said something like 'What the hell are you going there for'. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the low, especially by it's better off neighbour Leominster. Actually it has improved a lot in the years I have been going there to visit inlaws; there's even a cocktail bar and a cigar lounge on main street now which would have been unthinkable 5-6 years ago. It remains stubbornly run-down a blue collar but the people priced out of the Boston metro area are starting to have an impact. Having said that, the drug crime and bad school system put me off. Call me picky.

Yeah I have made a list of places and Westborough would be somewhere near the top of my list. Looks very nice indeed. I think mooching off various inlaws in Worcester county is my best bet when I first get over. Then looking possibly looking to move somewhere further in.

I really like the look of Natick and the Framingham suburbs, but I think 'metrowest' will be out of my price range for some time. I mean, they aren't anywhere near as bad a property is in the South East of England but by U.S standards the Boston metro area is quite steep, unless you want to live somewhere crap like Revere, Lynn or Murderpan.

Bob

Framingham, after Milford...little Brazil...bit of a dump...northern part of the town is nice, but the commuter rail is the shit one going to north station....but they do have one of the best chicken wing places around.

Rent ain't that bad there though considering. Maynard is cheap, but there's really nothing going there except google and a handful of bars and over zealous cops.

Rent dips down in price massively once you hop over I-495 around the Marlborough area....but then saying that, there's a few bargains to be found in some of the small towns like Holliston etc, cute places, not much to do....oh the burbs

tonrob

Welcome to BE.

I'm a bit further west again very close to Springfield, but head out to Boston fairly regularly for beery (ahem, I mean shopping) weekends or when the Six Nations is on etc.

Funnily enough in the 5 years I've lived here I've not spent too much time in Worcester...

HumphreyC

Thanks Tonrob

Good to see I'm not the furthest west. I'd love to be out that way if I could find a job but I'll probably be central Mass/Boston metro.

Your post intrigued me though as I thought I would have to give up on watching the Six Nations when I moved. It is the only British sport I can persuade the missus to watch and even then it isn't much fun as the wench has decided to support France. Where do you go to watch it?

H

tonrob

If you want to go out, then you are limited to a relatively small number of Irish bars that show Setanta Premium. The Setanta website has a venue finder, but you also need to call ahead to make sure they are showing the matches. Luckily there are up to half a dozen bars in Boston that show rugby internationals, but know there is a $20 charge to get in when the rugby is on (no getting round this). One of the bars is walking distance from what is probably the only proper British-style (ok - it's Irish) chippy in New England!

At home, the normal Setanta channel available via Dish Network has the Six Nations, but it's not live. There are free live rugby streams of variable quality available at http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=sports and you can also download after the fact via BitTorrent sites (much better quality and generally uploaded the day after the match). Chips must be home-made...

HumphreyC

Nice one

If I'm going to raise a family in the States I wouldn't want them to miss out on the pain and humiliation of supporting England.