I am coming Now I need to pick a place. (San Francisco: apartments, rent)

[7035683216]

Greetings Friends.

Sorry for not posting a lot, school has been crazy! OK. I am coming to study for the California bar at the end of April.

I see several neighborhoods on Craigstlist and the prices vary so much.

About me. I will be an attorney very soon. I am a black women that loves all cultures. I love to salsa dance and get outside a lot. I love trying different vegetarian dishes at restaurants. I date all sorts of men. I love the nerdy type, but I plan to be single for a bit. So I don't want a neighborhood full of just families.

I am looking for:
excellent bus and train service. I will not have a car or drive at all.
public libraries within walking or 10 minutes on a bus (for bar study)
A grocery store
Pedestrian friendly- I don't want to be the only one walking on the street
safety- I don't believe in danger
under $2,000 per month Rent for a studio/1 bedroom
singles

Would be nice:

To live next to a law school for the law library.
To live next to any university or city college for great research librarian service.
under $1,400 per month Rent for a studio/1 bedroom

Here are the neighborhoods on craigslist, that I can't really distinguish. Your advice would really help me. And if you like, I'll thank you in person next year with a coffee (under $4 please)!

Gizmo if you are out there, your thoughts would be particularly great!!!

Happy Holidays my friends!
* alamo square / nopa
* bayview
* bernal heights
* castro / upper market
* cole valley / ashbury hts
* downtown / civic / van ness
* excelsior / outer mission
* financial district
* glen park
* haight ashbury
* hayes valley
* ingleside / SFSU / CCSF
* inner richmond
* inner sunset / UCSF
* laurel hts / presidio
* lower haight
* lower nob hill
* lower pac hts
* marina / cow hollow
* mission district
* nob hill
* noe valley
* north beach / telegraph hill
* pacific heights
* potrero hill
* richmond / seacliff
* russian hill
* SOMA / south beach
* sunset / parkside
* tenderloin
* treasure island
* twin peaks / diamond hts
* USF / panhandle
* visitacion valley
* west portal / forest hill
* western addition

[monti]

Tenderloin is the place to be if you enjoy human shells lighting up crack-pipes midday as you walk (or preferably drive) by.

Avoid it at all costs

(and I haven't even moved to SF yet!)

[sonarrat]

There's Hastings at 200 McAllister, which is walking distance from anywhere in Hayes Valley. That should meet all of your requirements - you'd also be close to the Civic Center Muni/BART station, the San Francisco Public Library main branch, a whole bunch of independent grocery stores and restaurants, and a lot of great hangout spots for singles. And it's not as expensive as the financial district or SoMa, though it is still pricey.

[7035683216]

Sonarrat,

Hayes Valley does look fun. I hope that I can afford the food there, but otherwise I know how to eat at home.

Also, I was amazed at the varoious cost for apartments in the area. One studio was $1400 and another was $2400. I'll have to see for myself why the apartment prices range so much.

Cheers!

[sonarrat]

The age of the building makes a big difference in the price, because newer real-estate is at a premium. One of those might even be rent-controlled, while the other is not.

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

There's Hastings at 200 McAllister, which is walking distance from anywhere in Hayes Valley. That should meet all of your requirements - you'd also be close to the Civic Center Muni/BART station, the San Francisco Public Library main branch, a whole bunch of independent grocery stores and restaurants, and a lot of great hangout spots for singles. And it's not as expensive as the financial district or SoMa, though it is still pricey.

That's a good suggestion. You could also live further toward the ocean up near USF in the Inner Richmond area, and take a short bus ride downhill to get to Hastings law library. The areas on your list that I would avoid for safety reasons would be Bayview and Visitacion Valley, neither of which is geographically near what you want, anyway. Also, Lower Haight is cheap, but it's probably too young and colorful (in a bad way) for a law student.

You might also like the Inner Sunset, around 9th and Lincoln. There's a large public library on 18th between Irving and Judah, and the Muni streetcar runs along Judah to downtown, so it's easy to get around from there. I lived in that area for many years before moving out to Davis, and enjoyed it very much. There are quite a few nice, diverse restaurants, you're very close to Golden Gate Park, the transportation is good, and the rents aren't too bad. The only drawback is the weather is foggier than if you're closer to downtown.

Good luck in your search. San Francisco is a fun city and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

[PAA123]

try potrero hill. you might find an inlaw there...reasonable safe and happening

[18Montclair]

Simplistic but what the heck...

* alamo square / nopa-picture perfect nice but expensive

* bayview-not nice, not really cheap either, far from Downtown, crime is an issue, sunnier though

* bernal heights-nice, family area but not pretentious, not cheap

* castro / upper market-gay area, nice, expensive, good commute

* cole valley / ashbury hts-very nice area, very expensive, lots of artsy types and "cosmically conscious" people

* downtown / civic / van ness-not my cup'a tea. too busy, lots of homeless and vagrants-still expensive though

* excelsior / outer mission-too far from SF is all about. kinda dangerous I hear. Cheaper for a reason.

* financial district-expensive, good location, kinda sterile for my tastes.

* glen park-family oriented place not too far from Downtown I suppose, relatively good prices for SF

* haight ashbury-lot of hipsters(yuck) and remnants of the summer of love. Yuppies too-expensive.

* hayes valley-centrally located, pricey, neighborhood feel but streets are clogged with traffic seemingly 24/7-expensive.

* ingleside / SFSU / CCSF-far, cold, foggy, not very pedestrian friendly imo(well for SF anyway), not to bad though-prices are moderate(for SF)

* inner richmond-Nice, near GG Park, pricey

* inner sunset / UCSF-vibrant retail, busy hospital/ univ area, expensive

* laurel hts / presidio-upscale family homes, expensive

* lower haight-downgraded version of Haight/ Ash but much less hipster imo. Still very vibrant, unique restaurants and stores..crime is somewhat of an issue, but okay.

* lower nob hill-good location, near culture and city amenities, but costs a pretty penny

* lower pac hts-aka Upper Fillmore, sometimes AKA Japantown. vibrant, lots of new development, busy streets, some homeless but not too bad imo..prices vary.

* marina / cow hollow-Rich, trendy, beautiful wannabes everywhere. expensive and not really my thing(anymore), but its a gorgeous waterfront area nonetheless.

* mission district-vibrant retail area dominated by mexican and central americans. lots of character(like much of SF), lots of homeless and crime is an issue, but moderately priced for SF

* nob hill-expensive, surprisingly quiet, very chic and close to everything.

* noe valley-excellent family area, safe, quiet but not boring, expensive.

* north beach / telegraph hill-one of my old neighborhoods, vibrant, great nightlife, great food, very picturesque, very expensive.

* pacific heights-$$$$$,another former hood of mine. Very rich, very upper class, stately city mansions and pricey condos everywhere, West Coast equivalent to the Upper East Side.

* potrero hill-neighborhood of contrasts, income levels vary, prices vary too.

* richmond / seacliff-Richmond is nice, quiet and has lots of big homes-Sea Cliff is a seaside enclave of superrich folks, home to the likes of Robin Williams and Sharon Stone. $$$$$

* russian hill-quiet, Views to die for, location to die for. As far as prices, think arm-and-a-leg.

* SOMA / south beach-trendy, lot of condos, lofts and lots of converted warehouses and the like, new and old, lots of hipsters(yuck) but lots of young entrepreneurs too. Expensive and getting moreso.

* sunset / parkside-foggy, cold, family oriented, kinda boring imo, and moderate to expensive.

* tenderloin-Bay Area's own version of skid row, but very vibrant, lots of new housing alongside scores of homeless and lower end retail and restaurants..location is golden though, rents I imagine vary.

* treasure island-too isolated from the City imo. Not enough amenities to make it attractive yet but that's likely to change...dunno about price.

* twin peaks / diamond hts-views, views, and more views. lots of upper income folks who want to be in The City, yet have a quiet retreat high above it. Expensive.

* USF / panhandle-busy, crowded, demographically speaking runs the gamut in every sense, near a lot of places, relatively safe IMO. prices vary.

* visitacion valley-far away, crime is an issue, homes are modest, prices vary.

* west portal / forest hill-wealthier family area, neat homes, kinda expensive.

* western addition-centrally located, middle class and lower income folks side by side...not cheap but moderate.

[brenty]

You should try Berkeley, California. Nice College town. Minutes from Downtown Oakland. Also you might like Walnut Creek even though it is not an extremely hip area.

[gizmo980]

I think they've all covered the basics, so I'll throw in a "quick" (difficult for me, LOL) two-cents... I agree with the suggestion of Hayes Valley, since it's a nice area near USF's Law School. I'd also suggest Potrero Hill and Bernal Heights, but they're a tad far from any law schools - you could get to Hastings (downtown) rather quickly on a bus, though. Inner Richmond might also work, since I think you could take the light-rail to USF pretty easily. Both lower & upper Haight or downtown would be perfect in many ways too, if not for the crime issues.

As for being near a library, that won't be a problem! I used to work for SFPL, btw, and we have 29 branches & a beautiful Main library downtown - not bad for a city that's only 48 square miles. Every neighborhood (more or less) has one in walking distance, and you even have a librarian literally at your fingertips.