Moving from Walnut Creek closer to the city...but where? (San Jose: apartments, lease)

[ServoMiff]

I'm sure you guys love these threads, but I've only lived here for 6 months and am only pretty solid in the areas along I-680 between Walnut Creek and where I work, right off the Stoneridge exit (just past the 580 interchange) in Pleasanton. My wife works a block or two from AT&T Park in the city, but is seeking a new job in the city. We chose WC when we first moved here (agreeing to a 6-month lease without even personally seeing the place - our friends in San Jose drove up and looked at it for us) as what we thought was a good middle ground. We currently live 3 blocks from the WC BART station, and love how walkable the WC downtown area is as well as the convenience of being walking distance from BART, since we only have 1 car.

However, we aren't snooty rich folk, and our building, and many of the people we encounter around the Broadway Plaza area certainly are, and we kinda feel out of place here a bit. My wife deals with a 90 minute commute in each direction using BART and MUNI, and she is pretty fed up with it and wants to either move into the city (which I don't really want to do from an expense AND lifestyle standpoint) or at least get closer to the city.

We have less than a month left on our lease, and with our landlady not being very responsive, in addition to both of us looking for new jobs, we've decided to try and look now just in case she lets us go MTM for a few months. Together we make around $185k, and that may increase by $10-20k with a new job (should one come along) for me since I'm still on my salary from when I transferred from Orlando, FL.

We're both recovering suburbanites from Kentucky and South Florida respectively, so safety and a few creature comforts (like W/D in unit and perhaps a multi-unit building with secure entry) are our major wishes. We're in a 1BR 1.5BA/den now (no kids - just a cat) that we pay $2,800 for and have no problem with a smaller sized unit although my wife loves multiple bathrooms. We'd like to reduce the rent expense if feasible. We spent some time in downtown Berkeley one day and thought it was pretty cool, but it was also the summer, so it was tough to judge on whether we'd enjoy that area with students around when we're working professionals, and others have said to check out the Rockridge area.

What areas would meet the above criteria and provide us with a short walk to BART (or other transport to the city like AC Transit) that would be closer to the city, thereby reducing my wife's commute by 30-45 minutes and also provide a decent commute (either BART and/or Wheels/AC, or just driving - I drive 2 days a week now and take Wheels the other 3 days direct from WC BART to my office) for me?

I absolutely love it here, but my salary isn't going to cut it if we're going to stay here long term, and we're both looking for jobs in the city, and only the perfect opportunity in the Valley for me, because I don't mind a longer commute as much as my wife does.

Thanks in advance!

[jade408]

Living in Oakland or Berkeley might work for you but finding multiple bathrooms will be tricky. The newer buildings in Berkeley are in a crappy (in terms of walkability) location. You'll probably want to look around jack London square or uptown in Oakland. The drive to Pleasanton is off peak and only takes about 30 minutes any time any day.

If you give up in the washer dryer, there are way more choices.

[leftcoastie]

... I can't say from personal experience, but I've heard ... umm... Pleasanton, of all places, isn't bad (Berkeley is pretty cool.. at least, it certainly was when last I was there... which was ...years ago ). Alameda has a big diamond-in-the-rough quality to it... or.. er.. I mean, it used to, when last I was visited... which, again ... was years ago... my uncle Manual, lived there.
So... I'll shut up now, then... ...

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Would you consider just moving to Concord? It's right next to WC, but is mainly blue collar, not snooty like WC. It's suburban and safe, IMO. There are some really nice older neighborhoods. My family was blue collar, and Concord is where my cousins lived.

You can get a house in Concord in your price range with W/D hookups and a garage.

SF bay area apts/housing for rent "concord washer" - craigslist

I put in the search terms "concord" and "washer" to get the above.

Here I put in "concord" "washer" and "bart"

SF bay area apts/housing for rent "concord washer bart" - craigslist

I realize this doesn't cut a lot of time off of your commute, but it's suburban and safe and you can have a W/D, and even a house with a garage in a decent neighborhood, where the people are not snooty. I think you ought to consider it.

I think WC is too snooty for me, too.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by leftcoastie

... I can't say from personal experience, but I've heard ... umm... Pleasanton, of all places, isn't bad (Berkeley is pretty cool.. at least, it certainly was when last I was there... which was ...years ago ). Alameda has a big diamond-in-the-rough quality to it... or.. er.. I mean, it used to, when last I was visited... which, again ... was years ago... my uncle Manual, lived there.
So... I'll shut up now, then... ...

Pleasanton is snooty too!

Alameda isn't an ideal commute to Pleasanton, you run into congestion on 880/238, and BART is farm the parking lot fills up fast and 3 buses doesn't sound pleasant, but with the Transbay bis sf commutes are easy. It is a nice place to live, but I wouldn't fall it a diamond in he tough other than a couple of blocks. It is cute and charming.

If you want to stick to the burbs, Dublin is much more down to earth than the rest of the 680 cooridor, but doesn't save your wife time.

If you want to live in a house-y neighborhood, I think you'll like the Dimond or the Laurel district in Oakland. Solid middle class areas with Transbay bus access (wifi equipped ones) and an easy drive to Pleasanton.

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by leftcoastie

... I can't say from personal experience, but I've heard ... umm... Pleasanton, of all places, isn't bad (Berkeley is pretty cool.. at least, it certainly was when last I was there... which was ...years ago ). Alameda has a big diamond-in-the-rough quality to it... or.. er.. I mean, it used to, when last I was visited... which, again ... was years ago... my uncle Manual, lived there.
So... I'll shut up now, then... ...

I lived in Pleasanton for year. I had the same reaction/feelings about the place as the OP feels about Walnut Creek (snooty,rich, too conservative). I suppose everyone has their own experiences and there are plenty of people living there that absolutely love it. Great farmer's market and nice little downtown with some good restaurants, though.

[Shelacious]

Given what the OP has mentioned, I really think the choices are Berkeley, Oakland, San Leandro, Castro Valley. Maybe El Cerrito or Albany, but I rarely recommend anything along the 80 corridor if I can help it. I like Alameda, but since it doesn't have easy BART access, I don't think it's ideal in this situation. Since schools aren't an issue, but closer proximity to SF and walkability is, I think you have a lot of choices among those cities.

[ServoMiff]

Thanks for the replies thus far. Moving to another suburban area inland isn't really achieving our main goal, which is getting closer to the city/reducing the commute time for my wife. We thought we were getting away from the miserable heat of Orlando by moving out here, but the 680 corridor is anything but better in the summer. Dry and over 100 to me is worse than 97 and humid. Being on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel is a must for us at this point.

[davdaven]

It sounds like you will have a healthy budget to comfortably live in a desirable Oakland location. This will reduce the commute time for both of you, as well as satisfy your need for more comfortable weather and a more urban lifestyle.

I do not recommend Berkeley. It is far from Pleasanton unless you live in the Elmwood neighborhood, and you will get more bang for your buck in Oakland. Specifically, consider the Rockridge, Temescal, Piedmont Avenue, Lake Merritt (Grand Lake, Adams Point, etc.), and Jack London Square neighborhoods.

It will be difficult to get 2 bathrooms unless you live in a newer building, but you can easily find 2 bedrooms, a cat allowance, off-street parking, convenient transit (BART and/or Transbay bus) access, and nearby freeway ramps.

Here are some Craigslist listings that may be of interest to you:
Open House Sunday: 2/2 Lux Loft Style Apartment in the Heart of JSL
Avail 9/1: 2BR/2BA Oakland Chinatown/BART's 12th St. Station
Convenient Old Oakland Condo Living - close to everything!

If you are willing to sacrifice a second bathroom, the possibilities grow:
Large 2 bedroom apt in Adams Point
Brown Shingle Flat
Penthouse with easy access to Lake Merritt
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/4619481237.html (note: click on Google Map to see correct location; thumbnail map is incorrect)

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

We're both recovering suburbanites from Kentucky and South Florida respectively, so safety and a few creature comforts (like W/D in unit and perhaps a multi-unit building with secure entry) are our major wishes.

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

Dry and over 100 to me is worse than 97 and humid. Being on the other side of the Caldecott Tunnel is a must for us at this point.

Maybe Daly City or South San Francisco?! The 88 Hillside apartments in Daly City are walkable to Daly City Bart. It would be only a 15 minute ride to Powell for her plus all four Bart Lines go to Daly City so there is almost never a wait for the train. The neighborhood by these apartments is the exact opposite of snooty. These are new apartments so they have in unit laundry. Also you would never see hot weather again except for maybe 5 days in September.