Bay-area bound

[trochee]

[ETA: Unlocked post now (and specifics removed); please feel free to point your Bay-area friends here!]

It's official as of Monday afternoon: we're going to the Bay Area. imtboo has been admitted to a San Francisco school for her chosen field.

School starts August 21 for her, so we'll be moving out of Seattle and down to the Bay Area in that first week of August, more or less.

I will be finishing up my dissertation at a desk in a research lab in Menlo Park. But D's school is downtown -- right by the Civic Center BART stop. Unfortunately, this means that one of us will be commuting a long way on the CalTrain and/or the BART. At the moment, it looks like it might be her, since at at least for the first semester she'll only have classes two (very full) days a week, while I'll be at ResearchLab five days a week.

Any suggestions or comments, from people who live in the Bay Area (or who have lived there) about places to live -- or to avoid? I think the East Bay is out for us -- the commute to Menlo Park is insane -- but we're considering paying more to live in the city, or paying less to live on the Peninsula. Any recommendations?

Bay Area roll call:
apollinax or bicoastal?
lunacow?
evan?
xaosenkosmos -- you've already sent us comments, thanks!
damidnara?
cleverpig?
I'm sure I've missed people in this roll-call. Anybody else?

Comments

the bay

[monkeyzul.livejournal.com]

there is some wisdom to snagging a place down in the peninsula BUT if you are moving from seattle i suspect you'd be happier in the thick of things. there are definitely some nice spots to be had that are relatively commutable up in bernal/diamond heights/noe valley (via a combo of bus and bike), or you could check out potrero hill. parts of PH are AWFUL but there are some cute up-and-coming areas that are proximal to caltrain or at least a busride away. definitely pay a visit and ask around the neighborhood before you do the Potrero thing.

i live in the east bay, and the only neighborhood i think i'd move to the city for is hayes valley. it is a little overpriced but REALLY cute and tons of fun. it sounds like it would be almost on top of imtboo's school, and there are a ton of muni stops that could shoot you over to caltrain with a quickness.

the east bay is my absolute favorite but if you are commuting to menlo park that would be awful. many people love the mission, but it is a little dirty and loud for my tastes (and i'm 28, have a penchant for loud music, and people refer to me as "the bad monkey"). avoid the marina and nob hill unless you love sorostitues and bankers. the richmond has some really nice areas but is farrrrr from everything. and no matter what anyone tells you, the tenderloin is NOT charming and the "local color" does NOT make up for its shortcomings.

Re: the bay

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

When i went to see the school and apply, I stayed at a really cheap lovely hotel in Hayes Valley and completely fell in love with the neighborhood. So much amazing food and cute stores. It felt very neighborhoody and yet was close to so many things.
But alas, only Bart there. No caltrain for J to commute from.

Re: the bay

[monkeyzul.livejournal.com]

oooo BUT! the Muni T line is accessible from the Van Ness (Market and Van Ness) stop and you could either go one stop east, catch the BART to Milbrae and pick up caltrain there OR you could Muni to 4th and King and get CalTrain there.

also - 4th and king is totally bikebale from hayes valley, if you are a bike person. not sure if you can have bikes on caltrain (i think you can) but you'd definitely be able to lock it up.

despite the hills, SF is an eminently bikeable city, on the whole...

Re: the bay

[bicoastal.livejournal.com]

Totally true. You could do that - Muni or bike to Caltrain, that is. Or, if you got a car, the highway is also close by, just down Octavia. So you could live in Hayes Valley.

There's secure bicycle parking at the 4th Street Caltrain.

Re: the bay

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

True it is super easy to get to the highway from there. J and I did it last time. It took seconds.

Re: the bay

[trochee.livejournal.com]

it's true the highway is very accessible from Hayes Valley. But I'm not sure how that helps me with my commute much, right? I mean, unless I want to drive to Menlo Park every day :( .

Driving to the Caltrain seems like it's the worst of both worlds, unless we lived on the Peninsula. But driving from the city down to a Caltrain parking spot sounds expensive and traffic-prone.

But I might be missing something. Am I?

Re: the bay

[trochee.livejournal.com]

thanks!
my brother used to live in the Mission, and it was loud and crowded and, well, dicey at night.

I am hoping that sorostitues is a typo, and not some elaborate pun on George Soros.

and I had the same impression of the Tenderloin that you did. So did imtboo, IIRC.

Re: the bay

[monkeyzul.livejournal.com]

sorostitutes = sorority + prostitute. i think every recent frat boy and sorority girl in the US is required to spend 2 years in the Marina doing missionary outreach to all the crappy bars there.

Re: the bay

[trochee.livejournal.com]

... except you can't call them "elder".