Commute from San Francisco to Menlo Park? (cheap apartments, rentals)

[draygon0]

I'm taking a job in Menlo Park — right now, it's just for a few months, but I hope it will turn into a permanent gig.

I'm thinking about where to live. I won't have a car and I'm generally much more attuned to cities than suburbs, so I'd like to live in San Francisco. Is the commute doable? I'm looking at the Caltrain schedule, and it looks fine, but that's only part of the story. Is it usually on time? Is the Caltrain station in SF easy to get to, or should I try to live really close to it? Should I be thinking about Caltrain at all, or is there a better way to make this commute? I admit I don't fully understand the different layers of the Bay Area's public transport...

FWIW, my job is about half a mile from the station in Menlo Park... I've heard MP isn't a really walkable city, but a 15 minute walk doesn't sound bad.

[humboldtrat]

Caltrain is usually very reliable. You can get to the SF Caltrain station by taking the "T" light rail or a Muni bus (you didn't say where you live in the city). They all stop in front of the SF Caltrain station.

You can also buy a monthly pass for unlimited rides within a month. This is cheaper than buying per ride tickets.

There is also bus service on Samtrans between SF and Menlo Park (but I think the train is better) www.samtrans.com

[sonarrat]

The KX express covers more of San Francisco and also more of Menlo Park, so it might be a better option for you. http://www.samtrans.org/pdf/Schedule...X_12-21-08.pdf

[draygon0]

Great, thanks humboldtrat and sonarrat! It sounds like living in SF is doable. Do you have any recommendations about what neighborhoods to look at?

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by draygon0

It sounds like living in SF is doable. Do you have any recommendations about what neighborhoods to look at?

How much money were you planning on spending? Rents in SF tend to be expensive - a little less so in the suburbs. Check out Craigslist for rentals. If the rent seems to good to be true, then it's probably in a crime ridden neighborhood.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

How much money were you planning on spending? Rents in SF tend to be expensive - a little less so in the suburbs. Check out Craigslist for rentals. If the rent seems to good to be true, then it's probably in a crime ridden neighborhood.

I haven't necessarily found that to be true. What you will definitely find is that the cheap apartments are so shoddy that they'll be almost unlivable - '50s or worse vintage wooden crackerjack boxes.

[mysticaltyger]

I don't know this for sure, but I think the commute from SF to Menlo Park from door to door is probably going to be one hour. Personally, I wouldn't want to do that (especially the 15 minute walk to work from the Cal Train station) but I guess it's doable.