So you're moving to Worcester

Since I am moving to Worcester I decided I'd love to make a post that captured locals favorites and tips, modeled after the post on /r/Boston.

EDIT: It's not perfect, but i appreciate the help. Most of the things on this list is a copy paste of what was provided below, so see the comments for who provided what info.

FIRST THINGS FIRST:

• It's "Wuss-tah" "Wus-stah" "Wis-tah" however you'd like, but not "War-chester", just to start ha
• Join this Worcester Go List for Worcester goodness (they have a daily digest as well)
• Greendale mall is not worth the trip unless you want to go to Best Buy ... apparently GRIME is a great consignment shop
• Learn to parallel park.
• Panhandling is now illegal, yet they'll still be people doing it. Dont give them anything, ive watched someone get a ticket for doing so.
• Be careful about the hospital you go to- Memorial is a teaching hospital. You may not know if you have a doctor or a student, and there have been horror stories. Try St. Vincents. Its close to everything and they actually know what they're doing.

NEIGHBORHOODS:

• Still hoping for people's feedback for below; check out this crime map to give you an idea on different areas. Zoom out to see all of Worcester...
• North Worcester: "The Summit, nice residential area, easy to forget you're in a city. The Greendale area is denser but still nice. Great Brook Valley (between Lincoln St and Mountain St) is a city housing area and has a unsavory reputation that I have had no reason to validate."
• East Worcester:
• West Worcester/West Side: More suburban, can feel isolated to some. Could be good for those looking for the suburban life with "city" really close by.
• Central City:
• Downtown:
• South Worcester: "Stay away from Vernon hill after dark, if you must travel through there, stay in the car and keep your doors locked. "

GETTING AROUND:

• The MBTA trains go to Boston
• "On buses: it's now a hub and spoke system that doesn't go everywhere in town, so check before you assume you can take the bus. The WRTA is getting (I think) more user friendly, particularly with the ability to check when the next bus is coming on your phone. And the Charliecard you use on the Boston T works on the RTA, as well." - taocn

ATTRACTIONS:

• Woo Card (for discounts)
• Hanover Theatre
• Worcester Art Musuem
• Ecotarium: unique indoor-outdoor museum, closed on Mondays
• DCU Center
• The Palladium: concert venue

GOOD EATS & DRINKS

• Shrewsbury Street sans Ralph's Diner

• Dalat for great cheap vietnamese. They're family run and they have bubble/boba tea.

• "Wholly cannoli is pretty awesome, and they do good sandwiches too."

• Safari cafe is great. And the woman who runs it super nice.

• Pizza: "Ciao Bella is the best pizza in worcester, and it's better than blue jeans while still being just as cheap. They do pretty good italian here as well, and their tiramisu is fantastic." "Palace Pizza on Southbridge street is seriously underrated." "Brick Oven Pizza Factory on Maywood for $6 large cheese pizzas and NY-style "Disco fries".

• "Bahnan's has an awesome little falafel place and are dirt cheap. There's a neat mideast/greek supermarket attached to it too."

• Drinks: "The Armsby Abbey is the best place for beer in the area. And they do a great brunch. They're a little pricey for the area, but they're the only "pricy" restaurant around here that's actually worth the money IMHO. Dive Bar has an awesome beer garden open during the warmer months." "Marty's on Canterbury Street is a decent place for a cold beer." "Nick's is a fantastic cabaret and Vincent's is a great little hole-in-the-wall bar."

• Coffee: Bean Counter - "Best coffee is definitely the bean counter. They've got wicked good cakes (with real buttercream!) too. They're a little overpriced in my opinion, but it's comparable to starbucks and it's just as good if not better."

• Diner: "The Goldstar diner is a great "traditional diner" experience while being dirt cheap (seriously, you can get a full breakfast for 4$ here)."

• "But for my money, Lou Roc's has the best breakfast food. Try the bacon cheddar belgian waffles. And ridiculously good eggs benedict. It's more expensive than gold star, and it always has a line, but it's totally worth it and still manages to be reasonably priced."

• "O'Connor's had ridiculously huge portions, the best stocked bar for hard alcohol in the area, AND has the best dinner in the area IMHO."

• "Ralph's kind of sucks, but the atmosphere (a real rockabilly/ punk paradise) makes it worth it." <-- lots of people disagree?

• "One love has AMAZING chicken. Serious."

• "Fairway beef is worth mentioning as a great traditional butcher shop that is ridiculously cheap if you buy large cuts."

• Grocery: Wegmans is by far the best grocery store in the area (This is at the Northborough/Westborough line). Price Rite and Aldi's for cheap.

NEARBY:

• And one of the best things about Worcester: within a half-hour radius there are almost a dozen disc golf courses, a couple of them are world-class. The Vibram Open happens every summer and attracts the world's best players.

• If you have a car you are near a thousand awesome day and weekend trips. A few biggies: Newport, RI, Boston, North Shore (Newburyport, Plum Island, Salem, Rockport), Burlington, VT, The Bershires, White Mountains, Portsmouth, NH, Cape Cod, Acadia National Park, Portland, ME, Providence RI, and more.

• Beaches: Salisbury Beach State Park Narragansett RI

• Outdoors: White mountains, Green Mountains, Berkshires, Surfing in Rhode Island, Frisbee golf (so many places), Moore State Park, Rutland State Park, Orchards all over, skiing at Wachusett Mountain, Purgatory Chasm, Hike Worcester for local trail maps

Thank you to everyone who helped me construct this- enjoy!