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Moving to San Francisco
Inquisitor77
2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club ChampionA fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
My job recently moved to San Francisco, so I'm looking for advice from anyone who actually lives in the city on anything and everything you can think of that might be useful to me. Currently I live in Walnut Creek and take BART into the city every day, but I'm not very fond of the hour of travel or of having to get up at 6:00am just to get a parking spot. Also, I'm not fond of living in Walnut Creek in general, for the obvious reasons that I'm a 27-year-old single male, and I'm not an avid fan of suburbia or cougar hunting.
My job is literally two buildings away from the Montgomery BART station, and I would like to live within a mile or two (walking distance), although taking public transit (as long as it doesn't take an hour) is definitely an option. My current is $1,300 per month of total living expenses (rent, utilities, special fees, etc. etc.). I would definitely prefer to live alone, as I've grown tired of living with other people over the years, and really just want my own space.
I've been searching mostly Craigslist off and on and while there are definitely places in my price range, I get the feeling that there are secrets to living in SF and finding housing in SF that only people who actually live there know.
I have come to plumb the depths of those secrets.
My job is literally two buildings away from the Montgomery BART station, and I would like to live within a mile or two (walking distance), although taking public transit (as long as it doesn't take an hour) is definitely an option. My current is $1,300 per month of total living expenses (rent, utilities, special fees, etc. etc.). I would definitely prefer to live alone, as I've grown tired of living with other people over the years, and really just want my own space.
I've been searching mostly Craigslist off and on and while there are definitely places in my price range, I get the feeling that there are secrets to living in SF and finding housing in SF that only people who actually live there know.
I have come to plumb the depths of those secrets.
Inquisitor77 on
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You might try oakland instead. Downtown OAK is actually lots of fun, and still easy distance to the city.
If you're looking for places in the city, I'd probably recommend SOMA, since anywhere else in the general area of Montgomery is going to be way WAY out of your price range.
I lived near Civic Center at a place called SOMA Residences and it wasn't bad, for SF living. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably look in the Castro or Noe Valley instead, but that's looking at about the same length of commute as downtown Oakland, only slightly less convenient.
I wouldn't bother looking in Nob Hill, honestly. It's going to be too expensive (unless you get ridiculously lucky or end up in The Tenderloin.)
Or maybe somewhere in the Panhandle/Hayes Valley area? While this is a good time to be renting, 1,300 may be on the lower end of the spectrum for most places in SF.
Edit - for what it's worth, I've got two friends who bus to the FiDi from Outer Sunset every day, so it is possible.
Yeah I didn't mean Nob Hill as in next door to Grace Cathedral but lower Nob Hill like Pine, Bush, Sutter streets - TenderNob if you will.
The N-Judah will get you to work from the Inner Sunset or the 38 Geary from the Richmond but I'd really recommend getting a bike for your commute.
"But what about the hills?". There's a great route called The Wiggle that will take you from Market up to the Panhandle. From the Panhandle the whole western section of the city is yours. The ride is almost completely flat and heavily traveled by bikes. It's a really enjoyable way to start or end your work day.
I'm wary about living anywhere outside of the immediate vicinity, or within walking distance of a nearby BART station (i.e., Civic Center). If I have to ride BART for longer than 15 minutes, I may as well live in Oakland, as someone mentioned, since I could get more bang for the buck there. But if you guys think it's a better deal than Oakland, feel free to tell me I'm an idiot and that I should look into it more.
I'm not sold on living in the city per se, but I feel like since I'm spending so much on transit costs, and I'm strongly feeling the pull of living on my own, this is probably the best time to do so. I don't want to live SF just to live in SF - if my job didn't move there, I don't think I would even consider it at this point. I moved from Fremont to Walnut Creek for work, so moving to the city is the next logical step at this point, especially given all the other factors I described before. Like I said, any advice you can provide about my situation, or living in the city in general, that any of you can provide would be helpful.
At this point I'm really just trying to collect as much information as possible, so I can make the best decision moving forward.
Thanks again, everyone!
PS - Also, I sweat like a mofo when I do any physical activity (it's how my body operates), so biking or anything more strenuous than brisk walking will likely necessitate a change of clothes or a shower before I step into the office, which is pretty much not an option. I work in consulting, so I have to do at least "business casual" from M-Th.