Ideas: Inner Sunset, Glen Park, or Rockridge (San Francisco, Oakland: apartment, neighborhood)

[considering]

After much assistance from this board and elsewhere, we're moving to SF at the end of May. We're looking for an apartment near public trans and with a walkable community feel.

One will work in the city (still negotiating) and the other will commute to downtown Oakland.

Right now, Inner Sunset, Glen Park, and Rockridge look the best. Any thoughts on these areas. Any other you think we should consider?

Thanks!

[humboldtrat]

Also check out the West Portal neighborhood which is on the "M","K" and "L" light rail line which takes you downtown (east) or west towards the Stonestown Mall and other places. West Portal, San Francisco, California - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. West Portal Avenue is a nice walkable street of shops and restaurants.

[oaktownchris]

If weather is a consideration, Rockridge is warmer with much less fog.

[artemis78]

I like Rockridge as I'm partial to Oakland, but I'd really look at the commute for both people. Would the job in the city be near BART, for instance? If not, that makes a huge difference. Inner Sunset is a great 'hood but is a painful to commute to the East Bay. (I have friends who do it and it is workable, but they complain bitterly--you have to either bike to BART or wait for a bus to connect to BART or Transbay terminal, so you're spending a long time commuting each day.) Generally, if you're headed to downtown Oakland you don't want to be driving, so hunt for spots that are BART or Transbay-bus accessible. Inner Sunset, sadly, isn't on that list. You might check out the Mission vicinity, though--I love the area near Dolores Park, for instance, which is a short walk to 16th Street BART and easy access to MUNI. There's also casual carpool in a number of areas.

I have a co-worker who lives in Glen Park and likes it a lot--she does the East Bay commute by car, but if you're close to BART it's a fine commute from there too. Note that it's long, though. Glen Park is also a different vibe than either Rockridge or the Inner Sunset, so you might want to get a handle on what it is you're looking for. What kind of place? What kind of neighborhood? What kind of neighbors? On which side of the Bay do you want to center your lives?

We live not too far from Rockridge, and find ourselves over there a lot, so I'm happy to give the lowdown on that 'hood if you have specific questions. Generally it's one of my favorite areas, but it does have the downside of yuppiness (not that that's unusual in either Oak or SF!) and a growing babies-and-puppies culture as families settle there. It also has lots of great amenities, though--a wonderful farmer's market nearby, a dog park, excellent restaurants, etc. That said, SF has clusters of amenities like that too. It also used to be the case that Rockridge was somewhat cheaper than the Inner Sunset, Mission, etc., but I'm not sure if that's true anymore (and don't know what rents in Glen Park are like).