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Once you’ve made the leap to living in Boston, you will find yourself confronted by questions, questions, questions. The food is different. Houses are constructed differently. Services are provided differently. It can be quite bewildering.

So in an effort to help you cope, we’ve constructed a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding life in your adopted home. If you have a question, write in. If you have a good answer, write to us with that as well!

I’m just beginning to furnish a new condo I’ve bought in the Back Bay. I can’t find any of the modern furniture styles I prefer. Everything here seems overstuffed and stuffy.

We commiserate. American furniture design, quite honestly, has lagged behind the sophisticated designs you find in Europe and Asia. Fortunately, well-designed, sleeker, “Euro-design” has become easier to find in Boston, even in the city’s more mainstream furniture stores. In the Back Bay, Montage offers contemporary European furniture from Acerbis, Alias, B & B Italia, Cassina, DeSede, Fiam Italia, Matteo Grassi and more. In the South End and Cambridge, Design Within Reach offers mid-century classics from designers like Saarinen, Eames and Bertoia. At a lower price point, stores like West Elm and Bo Concept offer pared down simplicity. For those who like Asian antiques and imports, Mohr and McPherson in the Back Bay and Devi Home in the South End are two favorites. And don’t forget, there’s always IKEA!

Bread in America is soft and gummy. Where can I find really good, crusty, European-style bread?

If you’re in Fort Point or the South End, you’ll want to go to Flour. Long lines on weekends attest to just how good the breads and pastries are. In Brookline, everyone loves Clear Flour Bakery. If you don’t live near any of these bakeries, most people can find acceptable Euro-style bread at Whole Foods, located in Beacon Hill, Fenway, Brighton and Cambridge. (see below).

Where should I go grocery shopping?

Hands down, the answer to this is Whole Foods. Whole Foods offers the most consistently fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and meats, but you’ll pay a pretty penny for it. There’s one located in Beacon Hill and another in the Fenway. Another good option for cheese, condiments and packaged food is Trader Joe’s. (There’s one on Boylston Street in the Back Bay and another on Beacon Street in Brookline.) Most neighborhoods also offer outdoor markets at least one day during the week. There is also Haymarket square near Quincy Market in downtown Boston for fresh local food. In general, however, small neighborhood markets offering fresh food and local produce are difficult to find in the United States.

This may seem like a crazy question, but can a bidet be installed in an American bathroom?

Sure. I have an Italian friend who ripped out her bathtub and replaced it with a shower stall so she’d have room for a bidet. Bidet’s can be found online here. One word of warning, however: most Americans are unappreciative of the rewards of having a bidet, so if you rip out a bathtub to install one, you may find buyers balking when it comes time to sell your home.

(For Italians Only): Where do you find real tomato sauce without sugar in it?

You can find real Italian Parmalat sauce (with alimenti written on the bottom of the package!) at Whole Foods.

Where can you find a good cup of coffee that doesn’t cost $6?
Hmm… you can’t.

Why do subway cars make so much noise?
Because most haven’t been changed since the T was first built in 1897. This, however, should change pretty soon. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has ordered 94 new trains for the decaying trains of the Blue Line. It has also approved the purchase of 75 new double-decker commuter trains. So hopefully pretty soon, some of the creaking will stop.

Why don’t people open their windows more often? The concept of airing a room on a daily basis, even in winter, seems to be quite foreign here. By letting fresh air in, we not only refresh an otherwise stale room but avoid all sorts of airborne conditions, such as colds.

You are right. Americans are not in the habit of airing out rooms daily, as is the custom in much of Europe. I don’t have a clearcut reason as to why this is so, but I suspect it has something to do with the cost of heating, fear of burglars for those who live on lower floors in the city, as well as the idea that leaving the windows open could import dust and pollution from outdoors. Also, people seem to rely on air-conditioning for airing and cooling, and turn less to opening windows. Since living in Europe, I myself have gotten into the habit of airing out rooms regularly, even on cold winter days. There’s nothing better for freshening up a room!

I’ve just moved here from Italy and I am totally confused about beds and bed linens! How does a double bed and queen size bed compare to a “matrimoniale” in Italy? 

You are right to be confused. Bed size standards are completely different depending on which country you are coming from! A bed that is called a “matrimoniale” in Italy, more or less corresponds to a queen size bed in the United States. (In the U.S., a queen is 152 cm by 203 cm. In Italy, a matrimoniale is 160 cm by 200 cm.) In general in Europe, mattresses are longer. The U.S. queen size bed also corresponds to what is called a “king” size bed in the UK. An American “king” size bed corresponds to a UK “super king.” These are the general mattress sizes by region: American “double” or “full” 137 cm by191 cm. In Europe, a double would be 140 cm. by 200 cm. An American king is 193 cm. x 203 cm. while the European king would be 180 cm. x 200 cm. Singles in the United States are wider and shorter (perhaps to accomodate wider people) at 97 cm. by 191 cm. The European standard is 90 cm. by 200 cm. (In the UK that’s 91 by 191 cm.) In short, when moving to the United States, don’t bother bringing any bed linens with you. They won’t fit!

I come from a country where I understand very well the rules of shopping. When I need towels and sheets, I go to a linen shop. When I need perfume and cosmetics, I go to a shop specializing in perfume. Here, I have no idea where to find these kinds of things, since linen shops don’t seem to exist, and neither do shops specializing in perfumes, or so many other things!

Shopping in America is very different from shopping in Europe or many other places where small, family-owned businesses specializing in specific goods are common. Instead, America is now dominated by huge, big-box chain stores that substitute for the small specialty stores that once predominated. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Sometimes, prices can be less. And sometimes, there can be more variety in offerings. More often, though, your number of shopping options diminishes so rapidly that you are stuck with just one chain store that neither has great variety nor moderate prices. For linens, a couple of large chains dominate Bed, Bath and Beyond and Linens-N- Things. You won’t find very specialized offerings at these places. Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn are two other chains where people find home goods. For perfumes and cosmetics, there are the large department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s or Lord and Taylor, or chains like Sephora, which specialize in perfumes and cosmetics. It can be a little demoralizing because you really have to look hard to find small shops with unique things. Check out our neighborhood picks on each neighborhood page for advice and suggestions about smaller, non-chain stores that offer good shopping. On the other hand, if you just want everyday items like cosmetics, towels, kitchenware, etc., you can go where every other American seems to go these days… Target.

Please feel free to submit your own good questions. And if you have answers to anyone else’s questions, please let us know.