Cambridge Lights

Image courtesy of Cambridge Lights

During the holiday season we do deliveries for Cambridge Lights, a Christmas tree delivery company servicing Cambridge, Boston, Somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Brookline and the greater-Boston area.

Not only does Cambridge Lights deliver Christmas trees, they hang lights, wreaths, garlands and other holiday decorations. At the end of the Christmas season they'll even pick up your tree and recycle it for you. They have a lot to offer during the very busy holiday season. The best part is, if you want, they'll string lights on the tree for you, giving you more time to wrap presents and drink some delicious egg nog!

If you'd like to speak to them about a Christmas tree delivery or having some lights hung around your house give them a call at 617.600.3204. You can also e-mail them at info@cambridgelights.com. They'd love to hear from you and we'd love spread some holiday cheer by dropping off a tree at your house!

Local Businesses We Love

We're back from our hiatus (it was a busy summer!) and ready to blog.

This one isn't about moving, because, after all, all work and no play makes for some cranky movers. Instead, we want to focus our attention on some local businesses we use on a regular basis because we love working with them and/or patronizing them. Definitely check these out when you're in the neighborhood.

image courtesy of google maps

- Cambridge
Iggy's Breads of the World - Delicious. Its almost embarrassing how often we go in here. Sometimes twice a day...
Basil Tree Catering - We moved them into their new space just down the street from us and they have some great breakfast and lunch options
McGeoghean Waste Systems - We've been using them for our dumpster rental for years.
Verna's Donuts - The best glazed doughnuts on the planet.
Newtowne Grill - A regular after work spot for a long time.
Redemption Tattoo - More than half of us have been in here at least once to get tattooed. You can't go wrong with any of the artists.
Porter Square Books - If we need a business related book we call here. If they don't have it, they'll order it and it'll be there fast. Great for all books, not just business!
Bob Slate Stationer - We used to go to their Porter Square location, now we head to their Harvard Square spot. We get everything from binders to custom stamps here.
Middle East - Most of our movers either are in or have been in bands and have played either the Upstairs or Downstairs. Its a great place to see a show and grab some tasty Middle Eastern food.
TT The Bears - Another venue many of our guys have played at.
Plough and Stars - We eat here, we drink here, we play shows here, we see shows here. We're here a lot.

- Somerville
Ace Wheelworks - We've got a lot of cyclists at the company and this is where most of us go to get the best bike stuff around. 
Highland Kitchen - Great specials and drinks, nice staff (we've moved a lot of them) and spelling bees!
Diesel Cafe - There's some hard to resist caffeinated beverages in here, even if it is hard to find a place to stick our trucks so we can run in!
Redbones - Another after work favorite for a long time. 

- Arlington
Dudley Automotive - Ed and the guys do a fantastic job keeping our trucks in great shape. Stop into the Barbecue Barn right next door for some grills and accessories.

This is by no means an exhaustive list or even a greatest hits, just some places we'd recommend you check out if you're new to the area. For more comprehensive lists of local businesses in Somerville and Cambridge check out Somerville Local First and Cambridge Local First. 

Graduation Schedule 2012

image courtesy of librarydoriot.wordpress.com

Its that time of year again. Below is a list of the graduation dates for some of the schools in the Boston area. This list is by no means comprehensive. If you are planning on moving in or around Boston on any of these dates be aware of traffic and possible parking issues. Congratulations to all of the 2012 graduates!

- May
Emerson College                              May 14th
Lesley University                             May 19th
Suffolk University                            May 20th
Boston University                             May 20th
Tufts University                                May 20th
Boston College                                 May 21st
Harvard University                           May 24th

- June
MIT                                                   June 8th
                  

The Busy Season Approaches

image is our own!

Moving in the Boston-area (and perhaps everywhere else) is a very seasonal business. Winters are slow and summers its hard to keep up with demand. Part of this has to do with the leasing/university schedule in Boston and part of it is just that its not that pleasant to move when its very cold and possibly snowy out.

Every year, sometime in April, is when we start to get busy. We have hit that point this year. The phones are ringing more, the inbox has a lot more e-mails and we're filling up the calendar.

If you are looking to use a moving company sometime this summer or to move yourself with a rental truck we have some recommendations:

1. When you know you are going to move start planning. Call truck rental places to book a truck if that is your plan. If you're using a moving company call around to get estimates as soon as you know you're moving.
2. Think about moving van permits. On very busy days during the summer moving van permits can become unavailable due to someone else requesting a permit for the same address.
3. Know what days are busiest and if you have any flexibility with your move date. Traditionally, the first and last days of the month are the busiest. The 15th is also usually fairly busy. Weekends are also very popular. If you have a specific day in mind and you know that the landlord's or your schedule doesn't allow for any wiggle room about that make sure you call to make reservations as soon as you are able.
3. The above applies particularly for September 1st. Everyone in the greater Boston-area knows that is the hardest day of the year to try and move, whether you're doing it yourself or using a moving company. That day books up FAST, so keep that in mind when planning.
4. Last minute moves are hard to pull off in the summer, at least for us and most likely for any truck rental places. While during the winter we can often schedule you within a day or two, during the summer we tend to book up at least a week or two in advance, sometimes more. It never hurts to try, though, so if you do have a last minute move or change of plans definitely give us a call or shoot us an e-mail.

Being prepared is the key to any low-stress, happy moving experience of any kind and even more so in the summer. If you have any questions about moving this summer please give us a call (617.864.0620) or e-mail us (help@intelligentlabor.com). You can also check out our excellent, revamped website for tips and information. We'd love to help you move!

Navigating Cambridge and Somerville in a Truck

Here's another helpful post from our owner, Ezekiel. If you're planning on renting your own truck for a move in Cambridge or Somerville this information will be a huge help!

image courtesy of dreamstime.com

Getting from North Cambridge to Somerville in a truck can be tricky. Almost all the roads that go from Massachusetts Ave. towards Somerville west of Porter Square are one-ways or no truck routes. This even applies once you get into Arlington all the way to the intersection of Massachusetts Ave. and Rt. 60. The best route to know is Davenport St. in Porter Square. It's a short street that runs from Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge behind the Porter Square shopping plaza back to Elm St. Somerville. Located on that street are the loading docks and commercial parking for the shopping plaza so it can also be a handy place to turn around if you've missed a turn.

Website Upgrade!

We've just completed a major overhaul to our company website. We're really proud of how it turned out. Here are just some of the changes:

- More information about moving van permits and how they work
- An expanded link section with links to businesses we work with and organizations we belong to
- Information about how and what we recycle
- A section about how we participate in our community
- An expanded section on our rates, including rush rates, extra charges, insurance, and disposal

Go take a look and tell us what you think! We'd love to hear from you about ease of use, comprehensiveness of information, etc. We think we've now got best site for a moving company in the Boston area!

Places to Fuel Up with Diesel in the Cambridge Area

Our owner, Ezekiel, was kind enough to write this post about fueling up with diesel in Cambridge. This is great information for all of you who are moving yourselves and/or renting your own trucks.

image courtesy of whitfieldoil.com

There's a bunch of places to get diesel if you're running low while in the Cambridge area. Of course, prices are going to be cheaper at the big pilot stops on the highway, but here are some options if you're in a jam.

The Hess on Massachusetts Ave., westbound outside Porter Sq. (2055 Mass. Ave.), is easily accessible if you're heading westbound. The parking is a bit tight for tractor-trailers, but most straight jobs won't have a problem. They're usually the lowest prices in the area. Access to and from the eastbound lane however, is problematic.

Chico's Sunoco in Fresh Pond is moderately priced (not the best but not too bad) and is open 24 hours. They're located on Rte. 16 in Cambridge between the two Fresh Pond area rotaries. They have a good parking lot that's not too bad for pulling into and out of. Again, trailers might get a bit tight. They can usually fill tanks on both sides at the same time if you park just right. Their windshield washer fluid and squeegees are also usually in good shape, even in the winter.

There's also a Hess with diesel in Allston, right off of  Interstate 90 at the corner of Cambridge St. and North Harvard (219 Cambridge St. Allston). This has the easiest access to the pumps (good for any size truck) and is right by the 90 on ramp.

Why We Blog

image courtesy of financiallysmitten.com

Our main goal in blogging is to get information out to anyone looking for moving tips in general and for information specific to Intelligent Labor and Moving. We do our best to offer timely, educational posts on a variety of moving related topics.

Some Boston moving or Boston mover blogs I've found (using those search terms in Google) are little more than a way to use the latest top search terms to make their names come up first in the results. Its a good marketing strategy for sure, but not usually very on topic. Other blogs I've found using those same search terms have been very helpful and up-to-date. We strive to be the latter. We want people to be able to come to this blog and find information that will be helpful to them, whether they're using us for their Boston/Cambridge/Somerville/Arlington/New York City/etc move or not.

So far our most popular posts have been "What if My Furniture Doesn't Fit?" and "Parking in Towns That Don't Issue Moving Van Permits." We've covered a lot of other useful topics, too, but if there's ever anything that you feel we've missed and would like us to explain, please let us know. We strive to make the process of moving with us as transparent as possible and that's part of why the blog exists. Of course, anyone can also get in touch with us by phone at 617.864.0620 or by e-mail at help@intelligentlabor.com. We're happy to answer any questions you have.

Graduation Schedule 2011

photo courtesy of http://www.aps.org/publications/capitolhillquarterly/200805/education.cfm

Boston and the surrounding area are known for the amount of colleges and universities shoved into a small amount of square miles. Whether you love it or hate it about the area most of the year you'll definitely despise it if you plan to move on commencement day and didn't realize it.

To avoid such unhappy mistakes, here's a list of colleges and universities and their commencement dates and locations so you can plan your May move accordingly. Just get through the graduations by imagining how quiet and peaceful the city will be all summer...

- Boston schools
Northeastern              May 6th            10:30 AM           TD Garden  
MGH Institute           May 13th           2:00 PM             Hynes Convention Center
MCPHS                     May 14th           10:00 AM          Seaport Convention Center
Emerson                    May 16th           12:00 PM           Citi Performing Arts Center
Mass Art                    May 20th           1:00 PM            Evans Park (Mass Art Campus)
Suffolk                       May 21st           9:30 AM            Westin Copley Place
Suffolk Law               May 22nd          9:30 AM            Boston Convention Center
Boston University      May 22nd          1:00 PM            Nickerson Field and all over BU (and Camb.)
Boston College          May 23rd           10:00 AM          BC campus
UMASS                     June 3rd             9:30 AM            UMASS campus

- Cambridge schools
Harvard                      May 26th           2:30 PM             Harvard Yard
MIT                            June 3rd             9:30 AM            Killian Court (Mem. Drive)

- Medford
Tufts                           May 22nd          9:00 AM            Tufts campus

Keep in mind that these are all STARTING times for the ceremonies. Traffic and ensuing headaches will start much sooner than that. Also, this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the schools in the area and their graduation dates. If you don't see a college of university on here but you know you'll be moving to or from that general area check out their school website for dates and times.

Parking Permits- Cambridge

Well, we've covered how to go about obtaining parking permits for Boston, now we'll tackle Cambridge.

If you'd like us to get the Cambridge parking permit for you we can do that for $45, including the cost of the permit. As with Boston, telling us if you live on a street with meters and what those meter numbers are is very helpful. Unlike Boston, we don't put these signs up for you. The City of Cambridge puts up the signs. So, if there is an issue it is best to call them up about it even if we are the ones who requested the signs for you.

Cambridge is the easiest city to get parking permits in if you're looking to save some money and want to do it yourself. All requests can be made online or in person. Either way you will need to provide your name, your telephone number and you e-mail address. You will also need to provide the name of your moving company (hopefully us!) and our telephone number. You do not need to list a contact person, fax number or e-mail address for us if you are requesting the permit yourself. Beyond contact info, the City of Cambridge wants to know the date(s) you need the permit for, the address you want the permit for, how big the truck will be (we'll provide you with that information) and what the parking is like at that location (resident permit, metered, etc). Once you fill out the form you'll pay the fee. This can be done with credit card in Cambridge. The base fee is $25. The price increases based on things like length of time the permit is requested for and whether there are meters being covered. Also, each address you are requesting a permit for requires a new application. For instance, if you are moving within Cambridge and you need a moving van permit for each location you need to fill out the form twice, once for each address.

The most important thing to remember when trying to get a Cambridge moving van permit is that they require 4 business days to process the request. If you try on a Friday (when they close at noon) to request a parking permit for Tuesday, you'll be denied because that's only three business days. This fact is important both when you're asking us to get a permit for you or when you are requesting one yourself. Either way, the latest you can submit a request is four business days in advance of the move. Unfortunately, just because we're a moving company doesn't mean we get any special privileges when it comes to that deadline.