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I would appreciate some advice from the forum as I will be starting a new Job in Palo Alto at the end of July and will be moving from NYC with about 2 weeks between jobs. The only time I was in the area was for the actual interview but have spoken with a few friends of friends to get a lay of the land and an idea of what to expect.
Right now it seems like living in San Francisco is the best option. Palo Alto was described to me as a place you would move to if you had a Fiance / Wife / Family and not a great place for young singles. I am mid 20's single, straight, male and will most likely look for a 1 bedroom (although the possibility does exist to split a two bedroom with said friends of friends). I also plan on being with the company for the next 2 - 3 years. With that said here are the areas I have questions around
a) Commuting to Palo Alto: CalTrain versus driving.
I haven't spoken with enough collegues yet to get an idea of which is better. My work is walking distance from the station but if I go CalTrain it would seem like I would be confined to living in SoMa (more on this later). Cal Train seems like it is ~45 minutes from the SF station to work with more time depending upon where i actually live in San Francisco. CalTrain obviously seems like the cheaper option since monthly passes look like they run under $300 a month. How does this compare with people who make the drive (in which case I will need to buy a car). One friend said that having a car is a nice luxury to have (he has one) but not 100% necessary. Even if I did take the train, would I still want a car to get around the city or make trips outside the city.
b) Rent & Other fixed costs.
I will be making low 6 figures (100-200) and would prefer not to spend a fortune on housing but am not bound by my own frugalness. I am coming from NYC where I was spending ~$1600 a month on rent / transportation in a middle of the road building as a result of living with 2 other friends. What should I expect in SF for a similiar amount. The decision to have a car also comes into play here as buying / leasing a car and insuring it will add to my monthly bill. I looked around on craigslist briefly and most of the 1BR's seem to be going for ~$2K. I really have no idea what to expect in terms of size, quality (new / old), and amenities so any insight would be appreciated. I want to live in a fairly nice place, but by no means want to spend a fortune to live in the newest / nicest / biggest / most expensive place. I'm sure there are also tradeoffs between quality of buildings and location which brings me to my next question
c) Neighboorhoods / Location
From my research and converstaions so far and looking through the forums it seems like some of the neighboorhoods that I would be interested in are Noe Valley, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Mission, SoMa and Russian Hill. I am pretty outgoing, athleetic, like to go out to restaurants, bars, clubs, and not a hipster or a stoner. I am more concernced with things to do and people to meet than an areas' "character". Once again, my decision to get/not get a car has some affect on the neighboorhood I live in, or vice versa. I think right now I am planning on coming out 1 - 2 weeks before I start working to find a place and potentially shacking up in a hotel / motel if needed until a place I want becomes available.
There are Baby Bullet express trains which I think would be 35 minutes from SF to Palo Alto. There are condos near the 22nd street station and the 4th and King terminus station in SF, but I would imagine they'd be pretty expensive because the buildings are all new. People move to these areas because they're by Caltrain and they don't mind paying top dollar to be near the train and to get a brand new condo rather than living in an older apartment. You might be able to find some more downmarket apartments around Potrero Hill and Dogpatch that are walking distance to the 22nd street station. Problem is that the areas around these Caltrain stations are kind of isolated from the rest of the city so while they're convenient for using Caltrain they're not so convenient for getting to the rest of SF without a car. They're also a bit sterile because it's all new condos. If you wanted to live somewhere else in SF without a car it's pretty inconvenient to get to the Caltrain stations. From the Dolores Park area to the 22nd street station is like 20 to 30 minutes on the 22-Fillmore bus.
If you want to live somewhere else in SF and drive instead, then I would start with the areas you listed, though I'd look at Lower Pacific Heights rather than Pac Hts which is one of the most expensive parts of SF, Russian Hill is also very expensive, Nob Hill quite a bit less so and is a popular area for young people to move to when they first come to SF, but parking would be really hard there. Look at the Dolores Park area, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Cole Valley and Bernal Heights for areas with good highway access. Parking is tough around Dolores Park and Noe Valley, much less so around Glen Park, Cole Valley and Bernal Heights. And generally in SF "character" in a neighborhood usually goes along with stuff to do and places to eat and get a beer--the areas with the most character are generally the areas where people are out and about doing stuff.
You can get a 1br pretty much anywhere in SF for $1400 and up. $1400 would be very basic and probably an old unit in an old building. The more you pay, the better of a place you get--better fixtures, rehabbing, nicer building, etc. You should be able to find a very nice 1br for a bit less than 2K and might be able to find some real steals for around 1400 or 1500.
Thanks for the reply. Can you get around the city easily without a car if i decided I was going to commute via CalTrain? how cost effective is ZipCar or renting a car if you want to make a trip out of the city to Napa or Tahoe?
Quote:
Originally Posted by mayorhaggar
You can get a 1br pretty much anywhere in SF for $1400 and up. $1400 would be very basic and probably an old unit in an old building. The more you pay, the better of a place you get--better fixtures, rehabbing, nicer building, etc. You should be able to find a very nice 1br for a bit less than 2K and might be able to find some real steals for around 1400 or 1500.
Are there any sites to check out online besides Craigslist that have inventory in the city?
One friend said that having a car is a nice luxury to have (he has one) but not 100% necessary. Even if I did take the train, would I still want a car to get around the city or make trips outside the city.
The train system is fast and convenient(when it is working). If you live near many train lines(like the Duboce Park area),you can go many places quickly. However the buses are very slow. Muni budget cuts mean infrequent evening service. A crosstown trip that may take 15 minutes by car can take over an hour by bus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eastcoastguy18
Any and all input is welcome.
If you live outside the city in a place like San Mateo or Mountain View,you will save lots of time commuting and will get a much nicer place to live for less money. San Mateo is a fast 20-25 minute non rush hour drive to the city.
Mountain View is very close to Palo Alto,has a little downtown and you can access both SF and San Jose.
SF is not the only place with restaurants and things to do.
It's pretty easy to get around without a car in SF but it sort of depends on where you are. Out of the way places like near the Caltrain stations or out by the beach don't really have as convenient public transit as areas that are more central. The T light rail passes by the Caltrain stations but it doesn't run that often and only goes north to Market then runs down the subway tunnel.
In general depending on Muni can be frustrating because it's so unreliable and the buses and trains are usually so packed, but for me that was always mitigated by how walkable a good neighborhood in SF is--in a lot of places you don't really have to go outside of your neighborhood much other than to go to work, so you just end up walking to restaurants, to the grocery store etc without having to hop on a bus or train.
No idea about zipcar since I don't drive but people here do use it for trips to the grocery store and so on. I'd just go on their site and see what it says you can do.
Craigslist is really the only site for rentals in the Bay Area...it was founded in SF after all. There are some large property groups like Citiapartments that have their own websites you could check out.
Even the large property companies, like Citiapartments (do a search on their properties before considering them though..they were sued many times, and do not have a good reputation) post on Craigslist.
Zipcars & Citycarshare are the two car share options in SF. I think you are going to do weekend trips, it's cheaper to rent through one of regular car rental places.
I would appreciate some advice from the forum as I will be starting a new Job in Palo Alto at the end of July and will be moving from NYC with about 2 weeks between jobs. The only time I was in the area was for the actual interview but have spoken with a few friends of friends to get a lay of the land and an idea of what to expect.
Right now it seems like living in San Francisco is the best option. Palo Alto was described to me as a place you would move to if you had a Fiance / Wife / Family and not a great place for young singles. I am mid 20's single, straight, male and will most likely look for a 1 bedroom (although the possibility does exist to split a two bedroom with said friends of friends). I also plan on being with the company for the next 2 - 3 years. With that said here are the areas I have questions around
a) Commuting to Palo Alto: CalTrain versus driving.
I haven't spoken with enough collegues yet to get an idea of which is better. My work is walking distance from the station but if I go CalTrain it would seem like I would be confined to living in SoMa (more on this later). Cal Train seems like it is ~45 minutes from the SF station to work with more time depending upon where i actually live in San Francisco. CalTrain obviously seems like the cheaper option since monthly passes look like they run under $300 a month. How does this compare with people who make the drive (in which case I will need to buy a car). One friend said that having a car is a nice luxury to have (he has one) but not 100% necessary. Even if I did take the train, would I still want a car to get around the city or make trips outside the city.
b) Rent & Other fixed costs.
I will be making low 6 figures (100-200) and would prefer not to spend a fortune on housing but am not bound by my own frugalness. I am coming from NYC where I was spending ~$1600 a month on rent / transportation in a middle of the road building as a result of living with 2 other friends. What should I expect in SF for a similiar amount. The decision to have a car also comes into play here as buying / leasing a car and insuring it will add to my monthly bill. I looked around on craigslist briefly and most of the 1BR's seem to be going for ~$2K. I really have no idea what to expect in terms of size, quality (new / old), and amenities so any insight would be appreciated. I want to live in a fairly nice place, but by no means want to spend a fortune to live in the newest / nicest / biggest / most expensive place. I'm sure there are also tradeoffs between quality of buildings and location which brings me to my next question
c) Neighboorhoods / Location
From my research and converstaions so far and looking through the forums it seems like some of the neighboorhoods that I would be interested in are Noe Valley, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Mission, SoMa and Russian Hill. I am pretty outgoing, athleetic, like to go out to restaurants, bars, clubs, and not a hipster or a stoner. I am more concernced with things to do and people to meet than an areas' "character". Once again, my decision to get/not get a car has some affect on the neighboorhood I live in, or vice versa. I think right now I am planning on coming out 1 - 2 weeks before I start working to find a place and potentially shacking up in a hotel / motel if needed until a place I want becomes available.
Any and all input is welcome.
Thanks
Hi eastcoastguy18 - welcome to the Bay Area. I have driven from SF to various Bay Area cities for many areas. Currently I commute from Pacific Heights (Jackson and Divisadero) thrice a week to Mountain View (7 miles south of PA). If I start early in the morning (~7 AM), the drive usually takes me around 45-50 mins, with no accidents etc. As I mentioned in another post, the drive down Gough is really fast due to the coordinated lights and then I make a right on Fell to get on the 101 ramp via Octavia. Takes me around 15 mins to get on the freeway. Based on my experience, the commute to Palo Alto is certainly do-able. I have a couple of friends who regularly commute to San Jose from Hayes Valley. I avoid the Caltrain and stick with driving as my office hours are quite unpredictable.
A little over $2000 will get you a decent 1 bedroom apartment and possibly with a parking spot. My current apt in Pacific Heights costs me $2200 with a garage space. The caveat is that it is located on the 4th floor without an elevator. Hauling my mattress was definitely an experience. I have buddies who live in Marina, Nob Hill and Hayes Valley. And they all pay similar rents give or take a couple of hundred dollars. As I said to the other poster, to reduce your commute time live around the greater mission area (Dolores Park, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights) or along the Gough Corridor (Pac Heights, Lower Pac Heights, NOPA and may be even marina). Note that Bush and Pine also has coordinated lights.
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