Huge, lovely apt. in Berkeley (Elmwood) vs. small, charming apt. in Pac Heights for young couple from NYC? (San Francisco: apartments, for rent)

[Naiden]

Hi there! We are new to the Bay area, coming from Manhattan's Upper West Side. We have seen a smallish but very charming apt. in Pac Heights (cons: no parking, poorly lit bedroom, no laundry or dishwasher) and a huge, beautiful apt. in the Elmwood part of Berkeley (cons: only that it's not in SF). We will have a car and will be commuting to Emeryville. We're a young couple looking to live in a vibrant, urban place (we are sad to be leaving NYC).

We are so torn!! Which neighborhood do you guys think would best suit our needs? The Berkeley apt. is clearly bigger and more beautiful/comfortable to live in, but we don't know that we want to be removed from the city. Help!

[rkwalton]

I'm in that area of Berkeley, so you know what I'm going to say.

I also lived in the city before moving abroad and then living in NYC. The city IS great, but you have a car. You can drive in to enjoy it. Elmwood is really nice. Slooooooooooooooow. Much different than NYC in terms of business hours (like it's 2am and you need something? Be ready to drive down to Safeway because there isn't a corner bodega) but it's cute.

[matt345]

If you're moving to the Bay Area looking for East Coast-style urbanity and vibrancy, and that's what would make you the happiest, I'd say go with San Francisco. Yeah, you can drive/BART into SF whenever you want, but actually living in the city is vastly different than being able to visit the city. As you probably know, living in Manhattan is a much different experience than living in Northern New Jersey, even though Manhattan is only a short PATH ride away from Jersey.

[rkwalton]

Originally Posted by matt345

As you probably know, living in Manhattan is a much different experience than living in Northern New Jersey, even though Manhattan is only a short PATH ride away from Jersey.

But the Manhattan experience is distinct from the San Francisco one. I do agree if they want a more urban experience then they should move to Pac Heights. But that's so not the UWS by any stretch. Pac Heights shuts down pretty early because San Francisco shuts down early. I'd say the best appeal of Pac Heights is the view if they've got an apartment higher up on the hill than not. No other city in the USA matches the 24/7 energy of NYC.

As for Jersey City is like a sixth borough if you're at Grove St. station the scene there is evolving to a hipster scene. Barcade, a popular spot in Williamsburg, opened up a location in Jersey City a few months ago. There are also a couple of other spots along that corridor. (The mom and pop stores, for better or for worse, are shutting down and gentrification is happening there at a pretty fast rate it seems.)

You're in Manhattan in a flash just like you are if you're coming in from Williamsburg. Definitely not the same as Manhattan, but becoming very similar to some spots in Brooklyn.

(Speaking from experience as I lived there for a bit after I moved from Brooklyn and previous to that I lived in Manhattan.)

[mayorhaggar]

It's up to you. I lived in San Francisco for 7 years and generally enjoyed it but after a while it got to me. Apartments are small and old and crappy for the price. It's noisy all the time, and really dirty and smelly, and really crowded. And Muni is really annoying to the point where you try not to use it if you don't absolutely need to. But if you're in a good neighborhood you can walk to pretty much anything you'd need--restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc. After that I moved to Rockridge in North Oakland, just south of Elmwood. I liked it a lot, it's much quieter than SF, and cleaner, and way less crowded, but at the same time I was just a block from College Ave where there's a lot of restaurants and bars, and I had a Trader Joe's and a Safeway I could walk to, so that was nice.

After living in Manhattan you might enjoy Elmwood for a change, and having a nice apartment is definitely nice. Why do you feel so dedicated to the crappy apartment in LPH though, SF is a competitive market but there's always a lot of units for rent. I'd just keep looking, if your budget is high enough you'll find something. And Elmwood isn't cheap, I'd also consider looking in Rockridge which is cheaper and not really any different. Also a commute from Elmwood/Rockridge to Emeryville would be really easy. From SF it would be ok but not great, and you'd have to park every night in SF which is a pain.

[NorCal Dude]

It's not really any different than choosing between a small apt in Manhattan vs a larger one in brooklyn.

Way the pros and cons and decide.

[Tomlcsc]

If you want urbanity I would consider other areas of SF.

North Beach is great neighborhood for everything you want. Its even close to the bridge so no problem there. The restaurants and cafes are easily among the best in SF imo too.

[Isebiel]

Yeah, what Tomlcsc said -- consider other areas of SF. Pac Heights is not much like Manhattan. Yes, you'd be closer to what action there is in SF than you would be in Elmwood, but Pac Heights is pretty sleepy, too. Great views, pretty houses, nice private schools, big parks. Not a lot of city life. Some shops along Fillmore, but they're cute little boutiques and trendy cafes, and they close early.

North Beach is a good suggestion. The Mission has a lot of nightlife too, but... maybe too much.

[rkwalton]

Yeah, I didn't even think about OTHER areas of SF. Great suggestion. For the urban scene Pac Heights ain't the spot. But places like North Beach can be. From the UWS, I think North Beach would be a better fit.

The challenge would be getting a place and making sure they had a spot nearby. I lost my mind a couple of weeks ago after I got back from NYC. I drove, yes, I drove to North Beach.

WTF was I thinking? Of course, I didn't find a spot, and I barely saw any pay lots. I was already late to the event I was going to. Eventually I just gave up, drove over to Cow Hollow, got a spot right away, treated myself to a nice dinner and then drove home. It was a parking in North Beach FAIL. If you check it out and decide to live in that area then definitely pay up for a parking spot or else.

[tanglenet]

Berkeley. You can walk to Bart, Whole Foods, and the Elmwood theater, as well as bike to work. Pac Heights is only charming if you have a drop dead view and are within walking distance of your place of work. Otherwise it's just a neighborhood of apartment buildings filled with people you will never interact with. Elmwood and Rockridge have a large NY and East Coast population. One way you can tell is by the number of NYTimes home deliveries you see each morning. Or it could be that there aren't any decent papers out here :-)