Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The commute from Oakland and to Oakland is an awful mess! I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy during rush hour. You can however take BART from East Bay which isn't too bad.
The development I live in is great. I just did a search on craigslist and there are two listings for rent $2400 and $2500. It's gated with 24 hour security guard at the gate. It's so peaceful and quiet. Buildings look great and people are very friendly and of "good" quality. Free parking, # of spaces depends on the unit. You have easy access to 101, which makes commuting to Downtown easy. They also have free shuttles to BART during rush hour. Every building has its own gym. It's dog friendly. Nice views. I really love it here. It's located at Candlestick Point. If you drive from SFO to Downtown along 101 you can't miss it, right next to the stadium, the modern orange and beige buildings. You never have to go through Bayview to get to the freeway. Whole Foods is only 10 minutes away. Safeway is about 10-15 minutes away. Overall, I really enjoy it and people here seem to enjoy it too. I haven't came across any residents complaining. In craigslist, you would google candlestick point. Just make sure it's one of the following addresses. You don't want to live in Bayview, which is on the other side of the hill. These are condos, so they don't have an actual website listing rentals. There is a luxury apartment complex next door called Ashton San Francisco, but their rents are very expensive around $4k/month for a 2/2 and most floor plans are wait listed.
1 Crescent Way
101 Crescent Way
201 Crescent Way
301 Crescent Way
401 Crescent Way
501 Crescent Way
1 - 201 are the originals built in the early 2000s, while 301 - 501 are the newer buildings built in 2006-2007. The layouts are pretty similar, but the newer ones are more flashy, granite counters etc.
These are both in the original buildings.
1. Top Floor Candlestick Point Condo ~ JWavro: Rented! (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/apa/2866481671.html - broken link)
2. Beautiful 2 bdrm/2 bth facing Candlestick Park with Bay Views (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/apa/2856896073.html - broken link)
Cool. The Ashton place actually came up in one of my searches but I'll check this out as well. Thanks!
Emeryville might be a good landing spot for first time living in the SF area, if you rent in the North end up towards Ashby. This would give you time to live in the area to decide where to move to from there. The good news is that it is all pretty new with loft style apartments. Also, free transportation to BART via the Emery Go Round. The bad has been mentioned by above for not offering enough local amenities and for promoting big box stores. There is also crime near 40th and San Pablo, and towards West Oakland. It is, in a sense, a mini suburb in the middle of the urban area.
Commuting from Oakland, is easier than commuting within the City, and you have more options. Depending on where you will be working, you have BART, AC Transit, Casual Car Pool and the Ferries. We also have better weather than in SF.
A poster mentioned Noe Valley for living. Can also recommend north side of Potrero Hill and north side of Bernal Heights.
Emeryville might be a good landing spot for first time living in the SF area, if you rent in the North end up towards Ashby. This would give you time to live in the area to decide where to move to from there.
Good point. This is part of the plan as well. I know the first place I move to may not be the place we end up staying. Such has been the case for the last two cities we moved to and being in the area will allow me to gauge much better if where we end up is a good fit.
I do know that for my wife being able to get around during the day and having things in walking distance other than box stores is important. Seems like the we'd have to trade modern dwelling (Emeryville) for amenities (Rockridge/Piedmont). Finding a place in either Mission Bay, Noe Valley, Potrero Hill will probably come down to whats available and price.
It is pretty crazy that a commute from across the bay would be easier than within the city itself.
I'm of the minority here, I think Sunnydale/Bayshore is a good place to live for some people. First of all, I'm not sure if you're referring to Visitacion Valley or Crocker Amazon, both nabes are close to the Sunnydale/Bayshore. For Visitacion, stay north of Visitacion Ave - the area on the hill between Mansell St. and Visitacion Ave is actually quite safe. I personally think VV is pretty safe unless you're close to the project. It's mostly a working-class immigrant neighborhood, mostly Chinese, Vietnamese, and Filipino. very family oriented. It's also a bit isolated and sleepy, must have a car. Definitely would not recommend VV for singles but may be perfect for a family looking for a cheap safe area.
Crocker Amazon is also a working-class neighborhood, it's more diverse and I think it's a bit sketchier than the nicer part of VV. It's more convenient, closer to BART, restaurants, etc. There are occasional gang violence in Crocker but it's not common and it rarely targets bystanders. If you live in a quiet street (away from Geneva Ave) you should be fine.
Note that this area - Visitacion Valley, Crocker Amazon, Portola, Silver Terrace tend to get look down upon; people say they're not the "real SF", too far, too cold, too dangerous etc. I think for someone willing to look past that, they'll see just another family oriented neighborhoods.
Area around SFSU is quite safe and sleepy as along as you don't stray too far south into Oceanview.
All of the above area is colder and gets less sun than the heart of the city, and very residential and feels more like a suburb than a city. There's a reason why they're cheaper.
You make some good points. Things like these can become a hassel after awhile. I started looking up information on Rockridge and Piedmont last night and will definitely look it up further as it sound like it may be a good fit so long as the potential commute to SF isn't TOO brutal.
As long as you don't drive it is a really easy commute. It takes around 20-30 minutes on the bus or the subway. That is actually less time than half of SF seriously. The bus stop is across the street from my apaprtment. It goes a couple blocks and then right on the freeway. It takes 17-20 minutes from my place. BART is standing room only from anywhere in Oakland and is a little over 20 minutes from Rockridge BART and 20 minutes from Macarthur BART.
Driving is trickier. From my house, in the carpool lane, it takes 20-25 minutes to get downtown (I live in the Piedmont Ave area, and we are super close to the toll plaza of the bridge. Out of the carpool lane, it is probably 45 minutes. Rockridge is probably a lot slower because of the freeway interchange. I'd add 15 minutes to the Piedmont Ave times.
You make some good points. Things like these can become a hassel after awhile. I started looking up information on Rockridge and Piedmont last night and will definitely look it up further as it sound like it may be a good fit so long as the potential commute to SF isn't TOO brutal.
Would you be working in downtown SF? If so then somewhere in North Oakland near transit locales is definitely more convenient than living somewhere out by SFSU. Check out the Transbay Buses, if you don't live near a BART station you can ride them into SF. From Rockridge to Montgomery on BART is 20 minutes which is really not bad at all. Also check out the casual carpool, you just go to a waiting location and get in someone's car and they drive to downtown SF and drop you off. Once you have 3 people in the car you can use the carpool lanes and the bridge toll drops from $6 to $2.50 for the driver, so a lot of people here use it, it's not sketchy at all.
Again the SFSU area is just really blah and you'd be dependent on the crappy Muni Metro light rail lines to get to downtown SF. They get stuck and delayed all the time, so you'd never know if it would take 45 minutes to get to work or 90 minutes. And sometimes a train breaks down and the entire system shuts down because they rather stupidly run several lines through one tunnel. BART sometimes has problems but very rarely, and 90% of the time it runs on schedule.
Cool. The Ashton place actually came up in one of my searches but I'll check this out as well. Thanks!
Do a search for "88 Hillside" in Daly City. I would greatly prefer this location to Ashton Pl. I don't really like either location but at least at 88 Hillside you are very close to Daly City Bart and Lucky supermarket. Ashton Place is convenient to nothing but the freeway. To me very close means easily walkable,not 5 miles away.
As long as you don't drive it is a really easy commute. It takes around 20-30 minutes on the bus or the subway. That is actually less time than half of SF seriously. The bus stop is across the street from my apaprtment. It goes a couple blocks and then right on the freeway. It takes 17-20 minutes from my place. BART is standing room only from anywhere in Oakland and is a little over 20 minutes from Rockridge BART and 20 minutes from Macarthur BART.
Driving is trickier. From my house, in the carpool lane, it takes 20-25 minutes to get downtown (I live in the Piedmont Ave area, and we are super close to the toll plaza of the bridge. Out of the carpool lane, it is probably 45 minutes. Rockridge is probably a lot slower because of the freeway interchange. I'd add 15 minutes to the Piedmont Ave times.
So it seems from east bay living towards the north would be the easier commute. From what has been said and what I've looked up the Rockridge or Piedmont area would be the most practical area's. I like the sound of Piedmont Ave being walkable. 4141 would be nice but think its going to be about timing.
Would you be working in downtown SF? If so then somewhere in North Oakland near transit locales is definitely more convenient than living somewhere out by SFSU. Check out the Transbay Buses, if you don't live near a BART station you can ride them into SF. From Rockridge to Montgomery on BART is 20 minutes which is really not bad at all. Also check out the casual carpool, you just go to a waiting location and get in someone's car and they drive to downtown SF and drop you off. Once you have 3 people in the car you can use the carpool lanes and the bridge toll drops from $6 to $2.50 for the driver, so a lot of people here use it, it's not sketchy at all.
Again the SFSU area is just really blah and you'd be dependent on the crappy Muni Metro light rail lines to get to downtown SF. They get stuck and delayed all the time, so you'd never know if it would take 45 minutes to get to work or 90 minutes. And sometimes a train breaks down and the entire system shuts down because they rather stupidly run several lines through one tunnel. BART sometimes has problems but very rarely, and 90% of the time it runs on schedule.
The consulting may put me on either side of the bay. If it's in the Berkley area then it'll pretty much be a no brainer. I think if its going to be on the SF it will have to be in the northeast or west of the city. I've done the carpool thing before and it can be convenient. I know I will not want to deal with the traffic if it can be avoided for sure.
So it seems from east bay living towards the north would be the easier commute. From what has been said and what I've looked up the Rockridge or Piedmont area would be the most practical area's. I like the sound of Piedmont Ave being walkable. 4141 would be nice but think its going to be about timing.
Frankly Piedmont Ave and Rockridge are equally walkable. Rockridge has a closer BART station. Piedmont Ave has more parks. Groceries are a wash, Safeway is equidistant for people in either neighborhood. Trader Joes is in Rockridge, there is a gourmet market on Piedmont Ave. Both areas have access to one of the most frequent east bay bus lines, the 51. This goes to Berkeley, Alameda, and through north Oakland and downtown.
If you live on the northern end of Piedmont Ave, walking to Rockridge is around 4-6 blocks. If you live where I live (the southeast end it is more like 1.5 miles).
Piedmont Ave has better freeway access in my opinion, by a little bit -- easier access to 880 than Rockridge. And it is a shorter ride to SF when there is traffic. With no traffic, travel time is pretty much the same any time of day.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
