san bruno to palo alto commute (San Jose, Fremont: apartments, rentals, houses)

[arglebargle]

What's the commute from San Bruno (one of those new buildings near Tanforan) to downtown Palo Alto like?

Should I just look for a place near PA? A lot of the apartments near PA and MV seem rather old or unnecessarily expensive compared to surrounding towns.

[mayorhaggar]

People here often recommend San Carlos, the nice parts of Redwood City or Redwood Shores for Peninsula towns. Maybe see what comes up on craigslist in those areas for your budget. Could ask for advice on the San Jose board too especially for advice on places to live in San Jose which has some cheaper parts. Rentals in Fremont should be cheaper than PA/MV too and you can take the Dumbarton bridge right over to PA.

[humboldtrat]

It's an easy commute on I-280 and I-380. It's much slower on 101 during the usual commute hours. There is also Caltrain that runs between San Bruno and Palo Alto. System Map

[jaypee]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

It's an easy commute on I-280 and I-380. It's much slower on 101 during the usual commute hours. There is also Caltrain that runs between San Bruno and Palo Alto. System Map

I used to have this commute and it's true you can fly down Autobahn 280 but then get stuck for 15+ minutes trying to get off at Sand Hill to get to downtown PA.

Depending on the budget, I'd look at Mountainview or Redwood City as potential places to live to be closer to PA.

[gone down south]

280 is smooth sailing pretty much 24/7, 101 gets a bit slower but never too bad in that stretch.
What's going to kill you is the last mile going down Page Mill / Sand Hill / etc trying to get INTO Palo Alto, I've got stuck on the same block for 2, 3 light cycles at rush hour. Depending on where you're going you can get off early/late and cut across through Standfod, Camino Real, etc and save some time.

[Jarkatmu]

If you decide to live in San Bruno around Tanforan, you can take BART to Millbrae and switch to Caltrain which takes you directly to downtown Palo Alto. They have rush hour commute service that skips all stops between Millbrae and Palo Alto. The train makes the trip in 19 minutes. The BART ride from Tanforan to Millbrae is about 6 minutes plus 5-10 minute wait time for transfer. Outside of commute times, this will take longer because the trains aren't as frequent.

While this will probably take a little longer than driving, it's worth looking into because your employer may offer free or substantially discounted transit passes. This is especially true in the downtown Palo Alto area where the city is especially concerned about the impacts from traffic.

Jarrett

[arglebargle]

I'm living in NY and am relocating to the area. I took the drive from San Bruno to downtown PA, and 280 was no problem at all. Getting off at Page Mill, I was surprised at how many lights there were and how long it took to get into downtown. Plus, I'm not sure about parking in downtown PA.

I will have a Go Pass, so I thought about driving to Millbrae and taking the Caltrain. I didn't consider BART because it would be a long walk to the BART station.

I am looking in MV and PA and Redwood City. A lot of nice houses. I'm not finding a lot of newer, nicer 1BR apartments though.

[Jasmine658]

Hwy 101 - forget about it, stop & go. Did it 6 months, never again.

Hwy 280 is a breeze, even with the heavier traffic than I remember 20 years ago. It's Sand Hill Road into Palo Alto that seems to take forever. We mainly now park car at San Bruno Caltrain, take train to Palo Alto. Our employer gives free Caltrain pass.

Look at Millbrae for some nice 1BR apartments for decent prices, some are right downtown, walk Caltrain. Don't expect lots of "new" - that's not really happening much these days in the apartment world - most apartments are 1970's or earlier.

[jaypee]

For new-er apartments, check out Redwood Shores or Foster City.

[TVC15]

Originally Posted by jaypee

For new-er apartments, check out Redwood Shores or Foster City.

Excellent suggestion!