NYers need San Leandro advice (San Francisco, Oakland: fingerprints, live, legal)

[madverb]

Honestly, the only reason we are living there is that the apartment is cheap & decent looking, and due to a personal connection mgmt waived
some requirements. It's really hard to find apartments from the other side of the country-- we found it when we were out there interviewing,
but I didnt find out about my job until we were back in NY and couldn't go back to look for other places.

ssmaster- thank you for the zimride and shuttle info! I thought I had heard of something like this. I think that will be helpful.

I can deal with the commute for 2-3 months and then we'll probably move to some place more convenient-- depending on my bf's job-- and
pedestrian/ transit- friendly (east bay or cheap SF suggestions?)

I think (hope) SL will be ok for the time being... any other thoughts on making it easier or fun things to do?

And, is it a very bad idea for a smallish but streetwise 30yo woman to walk from the SL BART to the SL Hospital area at night?

[mayorhaggar]

Anywhere in SF is more expensive to rent in than anywhere outside of SF with the exception of wealthy enclaves like parts of Marin or the Oakland/Berkeley hills etc.

Downtown Berkeley and parts of Oakland like Rockridge are a lot more walkable than the rest of the suburban Bay Area, and they have BART stations. SF has better public transit than anywhere else in the Bay Area but Muni is far from perfect, however SF is very walkable.

Once you've been here for a while you will get a feel for where you want to live. I have lived in SF for 6 years without a car and liked it although Muni can be annoying sometimes. I just moved to Rockridge in Oakland and I'm loving it. It's warmer and less windy than SF when the sun is out, it's a lot quieter, and it's all nice houses with nice yards which are just a block away from College Ave which has nice restaurants and shops all up and down it, then there's the BART station which is about a 10 minute walk away and I take it to get to my job in downtown SF which takes about 20-25 minutes which is really not bad. I just don't think I would want to move back to SF because it's always so windy and cold there as well as noisy and smelly.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by madverb

And, is it a very bad idea for a smallish but streetwise 30yo woman to walk from the SL BART to the SL Hospital area at night?

Yes. There have been lots of muggings around the BART station. It appears to be not one person jumping another person, it's several people ganging up on one person and beating them up. I've known several people that have been injured in these types of attacks.

I work as a janitor in a condo complex near the BART station.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Originally Posted by madverb

And, is it a very bad idea for a smallish but streetwise 30yo woman to walk from the SL BART to the SL Hospital area at night?

Really really really bad idea. I was going to suggest pepper spray, but you'll use it so often it might be cheaper to get a car.

[eddieconcarne]

Let me chime in and say the original poster doesn't realize what they are in for. I would strongly suggest you look into either buying a cheap used car or choosing a closer location. I cannot imagine going through with that commute. You are looking at 20-25 hours a week commuting, not to mention the personal risks you are taking by doing so at night in sketchy areas? It's insane. I know people who make heinous commutes - but it's one thing to have a 90 minute commute door-to-door in your own car and make a 90-minute commute where you have to time out the schedules of multiple public transit lines, none of which are known for their reliability. I would rather commute two hours by car than attempt what you are suggesting. It's just - crazy!

[ssmaster]

op if you haven't figured it out public transportation in the bay area is considerably worse than nyc.
but like you said it's only for a few months.
good luck.

[SickOfCalifornia]

Originally Posted by ssmaster

op if you haven't figured it out public transportation in the bay area is considerably worse than nyc..

This is so true. People who live here think the public transportation is fine because they don't know any better. But if you've ever lived in Chicago, NYC, or other cities, you see the difference immediately. In other cities, public transportation is organized, ubiquitous, and viable. Here it is rarely on schedule, severely limited in the areas it covers, and scheduled seemingly at random. Public transportation is not one of the Bay Area's strong points.

[mayorhaggar]

BART is pretty good for a weird hybrid of a subway and commuter rail but otherwise public transit outside of SF is pretty bad. SF has the best public transit in the area and the buses and trains are at least fairly frequent all the time but they're always packed and don't move very quickly. And SF is a tiny city while the rest of the Bay Area is pretty massive and suburban and is built for cars.

[jade408]

I would say that transit options in SL aren't that great. I'd move to Piedmont Ave or Adams Point neighborhoods in Oakland. Safer than SL. More walkable and better transit options. I live near Piedmont Ave area. Depending on which side you live on you'll be with in a 10 (or less) minute walk to a well-stocked slightly upscale grocery and produce market (piedmont grocer) or Whole Foods. If you live on the other side from me you'll also be within 10 minutes to a 24hr Safeway and CVS (5 min from Piedmont Grocer but about 20 min from Whole Foods). You'd also be around one of the busiest and most frequent bus corridors on AC transit (the 51) which will take you the 1.25-1.5 mi to Trader Joes and more shops and stuff. There are also a few buses that go to SF so you can transfer to a Sunset bound bus. And you'd be close to 19th Street BART or MacArthur. I walk home from MacArthur at night with no issues relatively frequently. Zipcar and carshare options are plentiful. Piedmont Ave is full of cafe's restaurants etc. and at the other side (near the Safeway) is a pet hospital and a couple of vets.

I'd also note I have a few friends who live in the area who are completely car free (with no license) and get along just fine without a car. The only missing link is access to Target or Walmart. But there are still hardware stores and the Super CVS in the area that are along transit lines to take care of those needs....besides the Mossimo clothes and Go collections.

[madverb]

Yikes.

Piedmont Ave, Rockridge, and the other areas mentioned sound great. We'll definitely keep that in mind when we move again in a few months.
It sounds like SL does have some nice features but not enough to stay in, especially since we don't want to deal with getting a car.

Transit may suck but I'm sure I can deal with it short term. I guess my biggest concern is the safety issues. It's not too likely I would be by myself if I was coming from BART very late-- not that that guarantees safety anyway.
Any idea if these muggings/ beatings happening in daylight or dusk as well as night?
Are there any streets that are really to be avoided due to lack of lights, etc? My plan if walking was to take the more residential streets as opposed to san leandro blvd-- does that sound right?
Are there taxis around either the SL BART or Bayfair? Are they generally trustworthy?
Is the Bayfair BART station area safer, such that it might be a better idea to get off there if I'm going to wait for a bus?

Thanks again.