I see Nikki too! I love how well she listens to what you want and will make reccomendations as needed. I completely trust her with my hair.

This place is great! We've dropped stuff off a few times now and it's super easy and fairly quick (when they're not busy).

Bay State and Ocean State are owned by the same people and the vets and techs go back and forth between the two. They have different policies, but neither are truly that great.

Source: My SIL used to be an ER vet with them.

I've never had issues with them and have seen them for years. I'm sorry you've had bad experiences though.

I love my dentist, but they're in Shrewsbury. It's called Shrewsbury Dentistry. Dr. Fuller and his team are amazing.

It's on the rise across the US. Car theft and break ins were the main reason my husband and I wouldn't even look at houses without two car garages years back. We keep both vehicles in the garage.

I know not everyone has a garage, but it is odd to me that more people in New England use their garages for storing crap vs holding their cars than back in the Midwest. Maybe it's due to warmer temperatures out here in the winter and/or cooler temperatures in the summer, but it's odd to me.

I'd second Holden, or near it. We live about two minutes from Holden in Worcester on a dead end street. Its quiet, near the highway, and Holden is a nice little town. Worcester is pretty safe, outside a few small pockets, but being in the upper part of the diamond (shape of Worcester) has it's perks in the quiet, family friendly, neighborhood way.

I'm from the Midwest and never did the winter tires thing and have been fine. If you get a good set of all weather tires you're good. Plus, you won't have to switch them out twice per year. And my truck is RWD. Haven't had winter tires for the entire 7 years I've lived in New England.

Roundabouts still work really well. Where I used to live in the Midwest, we had lots of them. I have zero issues getting through Kelly Square now, even when people speed through the roundabout or there's an overly cautious person in front of me.

Just let the speeders go through before you attempt, cause the point of the roundabout is to go when you have space and time. And let the cautious people take their time as again, the point of the roundabout is to go when you have space and time.

As for the hazards, that happens in all places, not just roundabouts, so to me that's a moot point.

I think your issue is with masshole drivers, not the roundabout.

5 Guys. Have never been disappointed with their food or service. We usually go to the one in Lincoln Plaza.

My husband was a chef and I'm a pretty good cook, so we don't like most restaurants. But, 5 Guys makes a good burger.

Kelly Square isn't bad at all anymore. Roundabouts work really well.

>- How are restaurants, nightlife, and recreation in Worcester? Are there enough restaurants where it feels like you can always try somewhere new?

Good amount of restaurants to eat at, but only a few that my husband and I think are worth the money and they tend to be on the pricier side. He used to be a chef, and I've been expanding my cooking skills A LOT since the pandemic, so our opinions could be quite bias.

As for nightlife, we live near Indian Lake so we'd have to take an Uber, or similar, if we both wanted to drink which can make it expensive to go out. We generally just do game nights at friends houses and whatnot, but there are a decent amount of bars and club like bars around.

Recreation is dependent on what you enjoy to do. We like disc golf, hiking, camping, and such but not many good places in Worcester for that. We end up going outside Worcester for most of our recreation, but much of it is within a 30 minute drive of us so it's not bad.

>- How prevalent is public transportation? How do people get around?

We're from the Twin Cities in MN so my opinion may be bias here. I think the public transportation is crap within Worcester. I like that there's the train station so you can easily go to places like Boston, but for places within Worcester, you'll need your own vehicle or an Uber.

>- What are the "good areas" and "bad areas" of Worcester? Where should we avoid? Where do young professionals tend to live/hang out?

It really depends. As mentioned, we live near Indian Lake. We're near Holden, not far from Goldstar Blvd, and not far from WPI. Some people think we live in a bad neighborhood, but it's VERY quiet where we are. We're near a couple busy streets, but we live on a dead end street so we don't get a lot of noise beyond kids playing and people using yard equipment. We hear the trains in the winter, but it's dulled by the trees once the leaves come back.

For young professionals, I'd suggest looking more for the house you'd want and judging the neighborhood second. If you two want kids in the near future, get a house with that in mind. If you don't, get a house with that in mind. There are pockets of super expensive places with mansion like homes, other places with all multi family homes, some with all single family homes, and some with a mix. And think of commuting as well, if you don't WFH. You'll want to be near the highway if you commute as getting around within Worcester can be a PIA and take upwards of 20 minutes to get from east to west depending on the lights and route taken.

>- How easy/hard would it be for us to meet new people within our age group?

Depends on how extroverted you are. We tend to go into Holden more, but we've chatted with people when out and about in Worcester. People are mostly friendly if you choose to start up a conversation. But, if you go out and keep to yourselves, you won't meet anyone.

Really? We have Progressive and pay about $750/year for two drivers on two vehicles. We moved from NH years ago, but had Allstate which was ridiculous at about $1200/year. I'd ask why Progressive rates are so high for you.

I should add, we get a small discount for having our house insurance with them as well, but I think it's only $80/year.

That is so sad. I feel bad for her, the kids, and the husband. PPD can be horrible for some women.

I wonder if she had PPD that was left undiagnosed. She did have an 8 month old, so it would be possible. And she could have trauma from her job as well that could make PPD even worse. Not saying it justifies what she did, but it could help explain how she could snap.

I wouldn't drink it either way. DD's coffee is all sugary and nasty.

You can't seem to explain the "0 actual" for current and previous readings, so 🤷‍♀️

>there should always be a reading, even if its an estimate it will tell you what the estimated usage is

Well, there isn't.

>if there is not any usage information I would definitely contact them and ask why.

I have. They say its because I have a smart meter so it doesn't show my usage. This is one of the reasons I think they're trying to screw me on my electricity bill.

>I have no explanation for that.

Then, I don't think you know more than the "average person" and really shouldn't act like you do. You can help someone without sounding condescending and as if you have the "utility worker" version of the doctor complex.

Well, if my current and previous readings show as "0 actual" what amount of kwh should I be getting charged for?

There is no breakdown. It literally says "0 Actual" for both current and previous. No readings anywhere on the bill.

I was told they pull an electronic reading once per month on my cycle end date because I'm close enough to one of their centers. In all my previous bills, the current reading says "0 Actual" and the previous reading says "0 Actual". So, if those are actual readings, I shouldn't be charged anything, right?

Ah, I see what you mean. It says actual. In all my prevuous bills, the current reading says "0 Actual" and the previous reading says "0 Actual". So, if those are actual readings, I shouldn't be charged anything, right?

Well, once I have bills with this new meter, I'll update you. We can see how big of a difference it makes. And when I contact them for credits, I'll let you know what they say. You seem to have too much trust in them for no reason.

Thank you for all the info! Based on the new meter's readings over the last almost 48 hours, I do think we were being charged for WAY more than we used. I'm still going to talk to my husband about the sensor though. We might wait to see how the next full month with the new meter goes, but this could come in handy.

I didn't know you could do that. Is this something I can get at Home Depot or Lowes?