Millbrae or Outer Richmond? (San Jose, London: apartments, neighborhood, place to live)

[rumsbeard]

I'm starting a new job in the Financial District near Embarcadero station in May. I am looking at apartments right now and trying to decide if it would be better to live in the Outer Richmond district (40's) and take the bus into downtown, or live within walking distance to Millbrae BART and taking that into downtown.

I've heard that the bus in SF can be very crowded during rush hour. Would my commute take about the same time? What about amenities in the surrounding area? I've lived in the San Jose area for 4 years, so Millbrae would not be too much of a culture change since I've gotten used to having my car. Before that, I lived abroad in Central London for a few years and relied solely on foot and public transportation to get around. How interesting is the Outer Richmond area by foot or public transportation?

[mike74]

It will take you 30 min to get to financial district from Millbrae on BART. I don't know much about outer richmond though. Millbrae is a pretty safe place to live. A lot of decent or good take out places around el camino. Hope that helps.

[oaktownchris]

I used to live in the inner richmond district and would sometimes wander out into the outer richmond. There are a couple of express buses that run from the outer richmond directly into the financial district. I'm not sure how crowded, but unless you are near one of the last stops, you will be probably get a seat. Expect a 30-45 minute commute door to door.

The neighborhood is pretty quiet. You can easily walk or bike to Golden Gate Park, the presidio or ocean beach. This area of the city gets lots of fog but on the rare clear sunny days its beautiful. There are some interesting local bars and restaurants and shops on Balboa, Geary and Clement streets.

Ethnic wise, the mix is primarily asian and caucasian.


Now if you want a little less fog, more restaurants, and more activity in general, I'd suggest the inner richmond district.