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Moving to the SF Bay Area

Bocete

Bocete

My E string is 36 1/4" long
Sep 30, 2006
924
343
#1
Hey,

I got a job with A Big Software Company (yay!) and will be moving to the bay this fall. I was offered a job in the Mountain View/Palo Alto area. However, they reached out to me about some project I'd be a great fit for, but on their SF city campus. I'll learn about the project soon and that will be a big part of my decision, but I'd like to know about SF day to day life, commutes etc. I'm particularly curious about the different neighborhoods in and around the city.

The rents are about the same around SF and mountain view. I don't do nightlife and would really like a quiet, suburban neighborhood. I'm going to live with my girlfriend, no pets, not looking for a yard, just peace and quiet. I'd like to be able to commute by roadbike, ideally 10-15 miles.

I biked around east bay before and I liked some of the neighborhoods, and the rent is cheaper there compared to the city, but doesn't seem very safe from what I can see online. Anybody lived there before?

Thanks!
 
#3
I live there now.

There are lots of safe spots in the East Bay, just as there are dangerous spots in SF - I really depends on where you are. SF rents are sky high - it's one of the most expensive places to live in the country. How big a place? Will you have a car? How far do you want to commute? Do you want to live in the city or in suburbia? Not to be difficult but before a ton of people start throwing out their favorite towns it's important to know exactly what you want. There is so much variety around here as far as how you want to live, and there are a lot of really nice neighborhoods. Cost is definitely a factor and almost anyone will cite that right off the bat. I never minded the cost because I didn't want to live anywhere else. It's absolutely beautiful in the bay so in some ways you get what you pay for.

I live in the East Bay in Alameda. It's an island just next to Oakland, and it's quiet, safe and close to pretty much everything.
 
#4
Stewie26 said:
I think this is a question for SloBake.
Click to expand...

Oh I know he'll chip in :D

Daveypoo said:
I live there now.

There are lots of safe spots in the East Bay, just as there are dangerous spots in SF - I really depends on where you are. SF rents are sky high - it's one of the most expensive places to live in the country. How big a place? Will you have a car? How far do you want to commute? Do you want to live in the city or in suburbia? Not to be difficult but before a ton of people start throwing out their favorite towns it's important to know exactly what you want. There is so much variety around here as far as how you want to live, and there are a lot of really nice neighborhoods. Cost is definitely a factor and almost anyone will cite that right off the bat. I never minded the cost because I didn't want to live anywhere else. It's absolutely beautiful in the bay so in some ways you get what you pay for.

I live in the East Bay in Alameda. It's an island just next to Oakland, and it's quiet, safe and close to pretty much everything.
Click to expand...

Rent is important but not too important. I'd pay to get what I want.

I don't need a big place, a small one bedroom apartment or condo would be perfect.

I am not looking for nightlife or going out opportunities. I am looking for a reliable night's sleep. In that sense suburbia would be better, but I don't need a family house or a yard to maintain, and don't worry about school districts.

I own a car but would consider selling it if I were coming to SF. I wouldn't commute by car even if I kept it, I don't mind public transport and love biking.

I looked at Alameda, it seems nice. Is it safe? And it looks like it's possible to bike over the oakland bay bridge?
 
#5
Welcome to the Bay Area, one of the America's most obscene housing markets!

For the East Bay I would recommend either Walnut Creek or Lafayette, if you don't mind a 40 minute train ride each way.

Inside SF, Outer Sunset near the Ocean is really nice, the Richmond District, not to be confused with Richmond, CA.
 
#7
You can basically divide the bay area into two zones and that division line is the Oakland/Berkeley hills. On the west side you won't need an air conditioner very often. On the east side you will. The temperature can be as much as 40-50 degrees different on a particular day during the summer months. On the other hand, Mark Twain once said: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco", so you better like fog. Welcome to the Bay Area.
 
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#8
Bocete said:
Oh I know he'll chip in :D



Rent is important but not too important. I'd pay to get what I want.

I don't need a big place, a small one bedroom apartment or condo would be perfect.

I am not looking for nightlife or going out opportunities. I am looking for a reliable night's sleep. In that sense suburbia would be better, but I don't need a family house or a yard to maintain, and don't worry about school districts.

I own a car but would consider selling it if I were coming to SF. I wouldn't commute by car even if I kept it, I don't mind public transport and love biking.

I looked at Alameda, it seems nice. Is it safe? And it looks like it's possible to bike over the oakland bay bridge?
Click to expand...




Alameda is beautiful and quiet. There is a pretty hefty police presence that tries to keep Oakland at bay, and for the most part they do a good job. I live in a 2 bedroom here with my wife and 2 kids and pay about $2200.00 a month. I basically feel like I'm being raped every month, but it's my favorite place in the Bay Area as it's so close to everywhere. There's no direct BART (local subway) access since we're an island, but there are lots of buses and there are plenty of BART stations in Oakland that aren't far. For the last few years I commuted into SF daily and the whole trip door to door took about an hour. The actual ride on the bus was only about 25-30 minutes, the rest was walking to the bus stop, waiting and walking to the office, etc. They just built a new Oakland half of the Bay Bridge, and you can bike halfway across the bay, but not all the way across as the SF side doesn't have any pedestrian lanes. You can take your bike on the bus and on BART most days, so biking is not typically a problem.

I wouldn't get rid of your car entirely around here - it's easy to get to and from SF, but anywhere else is touch-and-go. Also, there is so much to do within a short drive that it makes owning the car worth it, assuming you have a place to park it of course.

In a lot of ways it's like anywhere else - you'll find the folks who love it to their dying breath, and you've got the haters too. My biggest issue lately is that the music scene is really struggling. There is so much talent here but the venues keep closing, and there's a lot of pay to play or "great exposure" type gigs. Making money as a musician is rough around here and has been for awhile. But there are always great acts coming through town, and since SF is such a high profile city it's almost always a stop for the big bands.

I dunno - what else do you want to know?
 
#10
Nothing to really add but I will say I'm in SF now vacationing and I'm having most fun. Great break from the Georgia heat. Spent the first night in the Mission then took the family to Muir and Stinson beach. Second night stayed in Sausalito. That little town seems pretty cool. Now I'm kicking back in a hotel right across the street from the Fisherman's Wharf, bout to get my seafood on. Tomorrow I'm gonna hit some skate spots with my son and Monday visit with some friends from back home that moved out here a little over a year ago (for work). Haven't been here since 99 seems like there are quite a bit of new businesses. Anyhow best of luck to you.
image.jpeg

Forgot to mention my 8 year old has been sporting his Cavs hat since we landed:woot:
 
#14
Thanks for chipping in, guys :)

I think that not being able to bike between east bay and the city is a no-go for me. I can take the bike on bart but that just wouldn't be it. I guess I'm going to explore south - Dali City and whatnot.

By the way, $2200 for a two bedroom doesn't seem that bad to me, considering what I've been told. I expected a single bedroom apt to go for that much.
 
#17
Bocete said:
Thanks for chipping in, guys :)

I think that not being able to bike between east bay and the city is a no-go for me. I can take the bike on bart but that just wouldn't be it. I guess I'm going to explore south - Dali City and whatnot.

By the way, $2200 for a two bedroom doesn't seem that bad to me, considering what I've been told. I expected a single bedroom apt to go for that much.
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Where I live you could rent a 4 bedroom 2,200 sq ft house and still have enough left over to pay PG & E for $2200 a month
 
#18
You can bike from anywhere within San Francisco and it is a great way to get around. Make sure your company has safe feature place to park your bike. Most companies do. Get a really good bike lock, I suggest the German made Abus mini. Get pinheads on your wheels or put your lock through the back wheel and run a sturdy cable through the front wheel. Bike thefts here are out of control.
What niehboorhood is your office in?
The mission district, Potrero hill and Bernal Heights have the best weather. The Sunset and the Richmond are nice and quiet but they get a lot of fog.
Alameda is a great town but I wouldn't recommend Treasure Island. It has gotten pretty rough there and the whole island sits on top of toxic waste. It is illegal to dig deeper than three feet.
You should be able to get a one bedroom or studio for 2 to three thousand. Start looking now, housing is scarce. Be careful of con artists on Craigslist.
I would love to get together for a burrito or some coffee when you get here.
I will start asking and looking for a place for you. Let me know when you are moving here and if you have more questions. PM me if you want.
 
#19
Bike is a great way to get around San Fran. The famous hills are really concentrated in the north east section of town. There are parts of SF that are as sleepy as any suburbia you can think imagine. I'm thinking specifically of the Sunset and Outer Sunset neighborhoods. To me it seemed the 'nightlife' was concentrated in various pockets or on main streets, with a lot of residential low-rise buildings in between.

Slobake has some very good thoughts!

OP, going to guess that the office is in SOMA or the Dogpatch. That's some easy bike riding there, the Third street corridor is flat enough. There's a big bike culture there, or -was- when I lived there about 10 yrs ago.

Good luck!
 

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