Commuting to Mountain View from SF (apartments, loft, condos)

[advice_needed]

I recently got a job in Mountain View, and was wondering if taking the bullet caltrain down to Mountain View for a commute would be a worthwhile option.

I am in my early 20s and its like SF is the only interesting area that I could get by without a car.

I am currently looking at living in potrero hill or soma.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[mayorhaggar]

Yes if you were near the 4th and King or the 22nd Street stations, it's about 40 minutes to Mountain View. Make sure where you work is convenient to the MV station though, or that they have a convenient shuttle bus from the station to your office. You can also take bikes on Caltrain on the bikes-only car.

The area around 4th and King is kind of sterile and is mostly expensive condos. It's fairly walkable but it's not really a cool SF neighborhood like the Dolores Park area or Noe Valley or whatever, and it's kind of a distance from other cooler parts of SF. 22nd Street Station has some condos next to it, if you can't afford that then there should be housing nearby in the Dogpatch and Potrero Hill areas. It also feels kind of cut off from the rest of SF because you have to go through Potrero Hill which isn't a super walkable or transit-friendly area. If you had a bike you'd be good to go though.

[advice_needed]

I am leaning toward getting an apartment by 22nd street. Would $1200/month be around the average cost for Dogpatch/potrero hill?

[mayorhaggar]

Is that for a studio or a 1 bedroom? Studios in nice parts of SF are generally around 1000-1200 a month and 1br's are usually 1400 and up.

[advice_needed]

Its for a 1 bedroom in a loft in dogspatch (two other housemates).

[mayorhaggar]

If you are sharing with other people that is pretty expensive, you can live with roommates for less than $900. But it might be worth it to you if it's a really nice place and the roommates are really nice. I would hold out and look around Potrero Hill for cheaper roommates or a studio for around that price but that's just me.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by advice_needed

I am leaning toward getting an apartment by 22nd street. Would $1200/month be around the average cost for Dogpatch/potrero hill?

Do note that the 22nd Street Station is considered a "minor" station by Caltrain, it doesn't have a lot of frequencies - many trains skip it. You might want to look up Caltrain timetables to give you an idea of how often the trains come.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by silverkris

Do note that the 22nd Street Station is considered a "minor" station by Caltrain, it doesn't have a lot of frequencies - many trains skip it. You might want to look up Caltrain timetables to give you an idea of how often the trains come.

All of the southbound bullets serve 22nd Street. But, a budget of $1200 won't get you anything whatsoever in Potrero Hill except for a roommate situation. It's a pricey and sought-after area due to the convenience of Caltrain and the freeways.

[advice_needed]

Other than craigslist, anyone know a good way to find apartments or rooms in that region?