Where should I live? Single Asian chick (San Francisco, Richmond: neighborhoods, to live)

[fionatay]

I really appreciate advice!

I'm looking for a studio for ~$2000 or perhaps a 2br with a roommate for ~$4000. I'm working near Montgomery BART and would like to commute by bike. I'm looking for an area with Asian food nearby and with supermarkets etc. Not a clubbing person.

What neighborhoods are good?

[0'Farrell]

Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census - NYTimes.com

This will help a lot. Change the map to asian population or largest ethnic group. There are plenty of asian neighborhoods biking distance to Montgomery street.

[BayDude]

Maybe the Richmond? Quiet. Lots of Asian people, restaurants and marketplaces.

[bmw335xi]

That's a long hilly bike ride from Richmond to Montgomery BART. It'd be fine for leisure but not to commute daily. Richmond does have A LOT of Asians and Asian stores though. Almost all of San Francisco has lots of Asian people, restaurants etc besides Marina District. I have a lot of Asian friends that live in SOMA (near At&T Park) and love it. It's very close to Montgomery BART too.

[0'Farrell]

Originally Posted by BayDude

Maybe the Richmond? Quiet. Lots of Asian people, restaurants and marketplaces.

too far.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by fionatay

I really appreciate advice!

I'm looking for a studio for ~$2000 or perhaps a 2br with a roommate for ~$4000. I'm working near Montgomery BART and would like to commute by bike. I'm looking for an area with Asian food nearby and with supermarkets etc. Not a clubbing person.

What neighborhoods are good?

If you are looking for authentic Asian food,a good majority of it is found in the western parts of the city which are a difficult commute by bike.

For areas commutable by bike,Lower Pacific Heights is close to Japantown, Nob Hill is close to Chinatown. Japantown also has a Safeway supermarket, three Japanese groceries and one Korean grocery. Biking down Post and Sutter might be the least bad bike commute. It definitely better than trying to bike through Chinatown from North Beach. For Asian food + bikeable + supermarkets,Lower Pacific Heights is a great choice.

Soma is a sometimes a good choice for young professionals working downtown but the Asian food found around there is the Americanized variety.
I personally can't stand this area due to the sterile feel and the intense traffic heading for the freeways.

For Chinese food,besides Chinatown, there is a lot of it in the previously mentioned Richmond district and also in the Sunset district. Clement street between 3rd and 12th has tons of Asian restaurants of all varieties. This area is sometimes called the New Chinatown. Some of the best authentic Chinese restaurants are also found on Geary and on the outer section of Balboa Ave. These areas would be a long bike ride. It would be a super crowded bus commute on either the 1 or the 38 buses. Not recommended if you have the option to live closer.

The Sunset district also has plenty of authentic Chinese food with Chinese business districts on Irving,Noriega and Taraval. Inner Sunset is an ideal location close to Golden Gate Park. From there the commute would be by the N train with backup bus lines if the train is delayed. This location is also close to Richmond (via the shortcut through Golden Gate Park).

[fionatay]

Originally Posted by capoeira

If you are looking for authentic Asian food,a good majority of it is found in the western parts of the city which are a difficult commute by bike.

For areas commutable by bike,Lower Pacific Heights is close to Japantown, Nob Hill is close to Chinatown. Japantown also has a Safeway supermarket, three Japanese groceries and one Korean grocery. Biking down Post and Sutter might be the least bad bike commute. It definitely better than trying to bike through Chinatown from North Beach. For Asian food + bikeable + supermarkets,Lower Pacific Heights is a great choice.

Thank you! I just realized my work is much nearer Powell than Montgomery, so Lower Pac Heights/Japantown seems nearer than Nob Hill/Chinatown.

By the way, does anyone know if $2000 for a studio in the above areas is reasonable?

[NYCtoSF]

Whatever you do, don't live in SOMA. This area is boring as hell and shuts down early.

If you're hungry after 10pm on a Weekend night, forget about finding food. There are barely any restaurants here and most of them close for the weekend. Plus any restaurant you call for delivery has like a $25-$30 minimum.

Forget Asians, I barely see any people around here, its depressing.

[fakeplastictrees]

Civic Center? I live on Van Ness and have a great place. 2600 for a one bedroom.
There's a place nearby called the Argenta. I don't know if they have studios or what it costs, but check it out.

[mayorhaggar]

Ugh, $2000 for a studio? People be gettin' paid too much. Sad thing is studios at that price exist in SF. You could go as low as $1500 for something basic but decent probably. It wasn't all that long ago a 1 bedroom was $1200 a month....RIP San Fran, you had a good run.