Young Professional (with puppy) Moving to San Francisco from the East Coast - Neighborhood Recommendations? (Daly City: best neighborhood, apartments)

[movingtosf85]

Hi there! Thanks for reading my post!

I'm a young professional woman (26) with a dog moving across the country for a job at UCSF. I was wondering if you guys might have advice for dog-friendly, lively neighborhoods around UCSF (Mt. Zion).

I've visited San Francisco once, and really loved the Nob Hill, North Beach, and Russian Hill neighborhoods. However, Pacific Heights, Laurel Heights, NOPA, and Western Addition are all neighborhoods that are way closer to where I will work (which is a factor because ideally I'd like to come home and take the puppy out at lunchtime). These neighborhoods struck me as more residential (not as much to do, mostly families, etc). I suppose it would be possible to bike from the Russian Hill area to work for lunch.

Any suggestions as to the best neighborhood for me? I'm single and moving from a smaller city (although I've lived in bigger cities before--went to NYC for grad school). I'm looking to find a neighborhood with a younger vibe (though not student) with fun restaurants and bars.

Thanks so much!

[alliance]

Good luck finding something that allows dogs...
You can find something, just be ready to pay handsomely for it.

[movingtosf85]

Thanks for the insight. I've definitely noticed that quite a few apartments are not pet friendly. Are there better neighborhoods than others, or will it be tough anywhere?

[alliance]

Are you going to be living by yourself, or trying to find a room to rent in a roommate situation? It'll be infinitely easier if by yourself. Interviewing for the latter option is the most frustrating thing I've done in my life, to the point where I've basically given up. I'm in a similar situation as you, btw, but I've lived here for 8 months in a less than ideal setup. I'm almost resigned to buying a place just so I can live somewhere with my dog...

[alliance]

What I've found is that there's so much competition amongst those needing a place with dogs that the more appealing places will have dozens of applicants fighting it out basically the same day they're posted (on Craigslist). There is a lot less competition for the pricier listings, so if that's not an issue for you then it's doable. You can find a good place if you're willing to spend more than for a comparable option without a pet.

[mayorhaggar]

Dog friendly and San Francisco and rental don't go together in the same sentence. Landlords in SF are nazis when it comes to pets.

[mdwstrnkid]

UCSF Mount Zion is located in Lower Pac Heights, so you might want to start your search there. What is your budget?

[shavos]

Congrats on landing a job at UCSF! Like others have said, it's going to be challenging anywhere with a dog.

I'd suggest looking in Laurel and Pacific Heights, Western Addition, North of the Panhandle (NOPA) and the Haight. You could also look in the Richmond, which is less dense and not trendy, but likely to be cheaper. Perhaps more flexible with pets as well?

All those neighborhoods put you close to parks - Golden Gate, the Panhandle, Alta Plaza, Lafayette, Alamo Square, Buena Vista - which I'm guessing would be good for the pooch. They also put you next to major bus lines, which is essential if you're planning to take Muni to work. Not sure if you were planning to have a car but many apartments don't provide parking.

[mayorhaggar]

If you just can't find anything in SF and just can't get rid of the puppy (understandable) then Pacifica or Daly City might be slightly more pet friendly, but you'd pretty much have to drive to work, and I bet there aren't any good parking options around the UCSF Mt Zion campus. Pacifica/Daly City are pretty much always socked in by gray fog though most of the year.

Otherwise maybe look at the Outer Richmond or Inner Richmond and count on riding the 38L to work. The Richmond District is really foggy and chilly too but apartments won't be as in demand as somewhere like Lower Pac Hts.

Landlords here are just really picky and get their way on pretty much everything--they'll neglect their buildings while charging you high rent and then act like letting a tenant have a cat will ruin their precious property...which they don't maintain at all. Residents here are really pro-animal...go to any city park and there's tons of people walking dogs...but those people all probably own their own condos. Seems like the city government should do something about these out of control landlords banning pets (imagine how many pets here get put to sleep every year because their owners had to give them up to a shelter just to get an apartment) but nothing's ever been done. On the other hand SF does seem to attract a lot of flaky and irresponsible people, and apartments here are small which exacerbates any problem a pet causes.

[movingtosf85]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! My budget is 1000-1300, so I'm definitely going to need roommates! I had no idea how difficult it would be to find a dog-friendly apartment! For what it's worth, she's 8 lbs (she's over a year so she's also full grown--and smaller than most cats!), she's non-shedding, hypo-allergenic, and isn't a barker. She's basically a dream dog as far as apartment living goes. I am surprised, because I have always heard of San Francisco being incredibly dog-friendly. Oh well, I faced rough landlords in New York, so I'm up to the challenge!

I'd love to live in these areas: Laurel and Pacific Heights, Western Addition, North of the Panhandle (NOPA), but I'm thinking I'll get priced out. Thanks for the suggestions--my start date is in March, which will give me some time to keep looking. My other big issue at this point is that people won't want to rent out their apartments to someone they can't meet in person; I'll probably plan to fly out one weekend and check some places out.