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Old 06-15-2010, 04:17 PM
 
25 posts, read 97,856 times
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So.... I am thinking about taking a job in SF and think that the North Bay maybe the best for my wife and I as we don't want to be "in the city" and we still want to be pretty close to nature.

That said I will be working in downtown, right next to ATT park. I am kind of curious what the commute would look like. Mill Valley is about as far north as we are considering at this point.

Thanks
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Old 06-15-2010, 08:30 PM
 
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Im told the commute is 20-30 min. to that part of town in traffic. I am also trying to decide if I want to live in that area or Lamorinda.

Are there other reasons you like Mill Valley besides the nature and commute?
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Old 06-15-2010, 09:04 PM
 
Location: 38°14′45″N 122°37′53″W
4,156 posts, read 10,987,736 times
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It's a pretty commute over the GGBridge or the Larkspur Ferry which would be very easy to walk to work from the Ferry Building.

Have you been to Mill Valley? It does take a certain attitude to either be into it, or tolerate it, or hate it.
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Old 06-15-2010, 10:55 PM
 
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Default MV to AT&T

I work in Financial District at Market and Front. One of my co-workers commutes from San Rafael twice a week and telecommutes the rest of the time. Her trip is about an hour, point to point and just off the peak hours of the commute. From Mill Valley it's maybe 45 minutes, and perhaps 5 -10 minutes more if you take the ferry. Your actual commute time will largely be affected by when you plan/need to be at work. She prefers the ferry from Larkspur. The big wildcard is the bottleneck provided by 101 and the bridge. Any kind of a traffic incident from Mill Valley southward adds time. You can use a riff on the analogy to price a yacht: add 1000 seconds to your trip for every stalled car or fender-bender between MV and AT&T.

There is without a doubt more open space in Marin County, but how much nature are you seeking? There are significant greenbelts abutting homes in Pacifica, Millbrae, Belmont and even SF if you seek them. And I can tell you from experience that it's a 20 minute trip from Canyon Drive in Pacifica to Lot A at AT&T!
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Old 06-16-2010, 11:34 AM
 
25 posts, read 97,856 times
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I have actually never been to Marin County. At this point I am kind of taking a shot in the dark. Here is the reality.

* my wife and I like easy access to the outdoors (30 minutes or less to get to a good trail head)

* my wife is intimidated by the typical "city" environment and would probably not feel comfortable "in the city"

* We are a 1 car family today so we either need a place where my wife can walk around or where i have access to SF.

* I don't want more than a 40 minute commute to work

Based on everything we read so far we liked the North bay as it seemed to accommodate our needs.

We did look at pacifica but I heard the weather is foggy and cold which may not be good for San Diego tansplants.

In the end I am open to suggestions.
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Old 06-16-2010, 11:58 AM
 
25 posts, read 97,856 times
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would berkley hills be an areas to consider??

I am starting to feel overwhelmed
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Old 06-16-2010, 01:45 PM
 
3,229 posts, read 6,265,566 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thenine View Post
* my wife and I like easy access to the outdoors (30 minutes or less to get to a good trail head)

* my wife is intimidated by the typical "city" environment and would probably not feel comfortable "in the city"

* We are a 1 car family today so we either need a place where my wife can walk around or where i have access to SF.

* I don't want more than a 40 minute commute to work
Quote:
Originally Posted by thenine View Post
That said I will be working in downtown, right next to ATT park.
Your best choice with these criteria will be Peninsula cities with Caltrain access for the commute.

Second choice would be a suburban type area in the city like West Portal with easy train access to downtown. Living in North Bay or Pacifica means buying a second car if you want a normal life.
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Old 06-16-2010, 03:20 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,041,459 times
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Alameda and take the ferry maybe? At least I think there's a ferry from Alameda, I could be wrong.
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Old 06-16-2010, 04:59 PM
 
Location: 38°14′45″N 122°37′53″W
4,156 posts, read 10,987,736 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thenine View Post
would berkley hills be an areas to consider??

I am starting to feel overwhelmed
I don't think Berkeley hills would really fit your criteria, but Albany might. And same goes for Alameda.
Neither are out in the country but Albany does have easy access to Tilden at least. Bus/BART or car to SF from there although the Bay Bridge is a bear...
The East Bay areas of Berk/Albany/Kensington are within a tightly compacted area, but nice. I wouldn't call it "typical city" life, but it is crowded.
Have you looked into West Portal or St. Francis Wood in SF? They feel about the same as the aforementioned East bay towns but are within city limits...

Just a thought.
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Old 06-16-2010, 08:37 PM
 
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I have been commuting from Mill Valley to the financial district for 16 years, varying between driving, busing (the number 4 bus on golden gate transit is your ride) and taking the Sausalito ferry (before they decommissioned the ferry golden gate, which was a real peach of a ride). The commute really is a piece of cake if your baseline experience is LA or DC or Chicago. If your baseline is, for example, Des Moines or Rochester NY, the commute might seem a tad daunting but not that bad. Thirty to forty-five minutes is about right. Generally, the bridge does not back up in the morning; you do see back-ups on the bridge during evening commute about 1 out of every 4 to 5 commute days. The commute gets a lot worse if you go further out as Marin's infrastructure was designed to support a 1950s lifestyle.
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