Need to split the commute between Danville and Campbell. Help! (San Jose: houses, school)

[ayanna2106]

I am going to be going to culinary school at the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell (right next to San Jose), and my boyfriend is going to be teaching in Danville. I need to pick a city to live in which would be close enough to my school and close enough to Danville so that the commutes both ways wont be terrible. I would be going to class in one of two time slots: 7am-12pm or 12:30pm to 5:30pm. My boyfriend would most likely be coming to visit me after work and on the weekends and I would also be going to Danville to visit him sometimes on the weekends and after work. Is there anywhere I could pick that would ideally be counter commute both ways (me going to class in the morning or in the afternoon, and him driving from Danville to wherever I am living in the late afternoon early evening)? I am thinking about somewhere like Pleasanton or Milpitas, or maybe going the other way around and picking somewhere like Foster City. I know it is more miles to/from somewhere like Foster City, but I hear the traffic around Pleasanton SUCKS. Does anyone know when rush hour is and in which direction? Help!! This is seeming like a very daunting task...

[sonarrat]

Eeeeeesh!! That's quite a pickle. Milpitas is the right idea as far as minimizing the damage, but I'm afraid there isn't going to be any way to keep the commute from sucking badly for both of you. All of the major north-south freeways (101, 680, and 880) are grinders during the commute hours, and they get worse and worse until finally clearing up around 8 pm.

[ayanna2106]

Yeah it sucks. I keep telling myself that at least it beats him being in Danville and me staying in Eugene, Oregon lol. Do you think it would be a better idea for me to leave for class around 6am (to be there by 7am) and have to fight early morning traffic, or to take the afternoon class and get out at 5:30pm and fight evening traffic to get back to Milpitas? Do you know if it would be better for me to try to drive from Milpitas to Danville around 5 or 6pm, or for him to drive from Danville to Milpitas around 5 or 6pm? I am from Half Moon Bay originally so I dont have a huge problem driving 30 min here or there on a whim so 45 minutes isn't a HUGE problem for me, it just takes away time we could actually be spending together. I'm also not familiar with what rush hour times and directions are in the San Jose, Milpitas, Danville part of the Bay. Thank you so much for all your help!! :-)

[sonarrat]

It would be easier to drive from Danville to Milpitas in the afternoon. I don't remember any major problems in that stretch of 680 when I was driving it.. it's just a long drive with a big hill in the middle.

[ayanna2106]

Thank you so much for your help! I think I am going to end up in Pleasanton (south of 580). I am going there this coming week to check out a couple houses but I think I would prefer a long drive to and from work than a long drive to and from my boyfriend's place and his family's place. Ugh. I am not looking forward to a 6am commute! If any of you have any information about good/bad routes/times from Pleasanton to Campbell that would be great!

[sonarrat]

680 S, get off on the second Mission Blvd exit (there are two, 5 miles apart!), and take 880 S until it turns into 17. I was originally thinking 237 to 85 but that looks like it takes you a long ways out of the way.