potential job in San Fran not an apartment dweller

[mayorhaggar]

Notice how I didn't say anything about speed, just convenience in terms of station location and frequency and hours. BART zips along through most subway tunnels but it can slow to a crawl in some parts, like between West Oakland and 12th Street Oakland.

I like riding Caltrain, I just hate dealing with how its stations dump you in the middle of nowhere. The Baby Bullet trains are great (especially if you aren't riding anywhere south of Palo Alto which is only 35 minutes from SF IIRC) but they don't run that often and the non-bullet trains have so many stops that they take a long time to get from A to Z.

If you lived by the ballpark and your job was say right next to the Palo Alto station, it would be great. The trains are comfortable and clean, the train is almost always on time (unless it hits someone) and one thing I always liked about it was that you can drink beer on it...last time I rode it south from SF they had a concession stand at 4th and King where you could get beer and popcorn etc...hope they still have that, very nice.

[jade408]

For me frequency will always trump comfort. And BART isn't too expensive as long as you can avoid the San Mateo County tax or originating on the end of the line.

Planning around caltrain is very difficult if you have any variance in work hours.

I do frequent the train (amtrak) to visit my parents to avoid the hassle and traffic.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

Notice how I didn't say anything about speed, just convenience in terms of station location and frequency and hours. BART zips along through most subway tunnels but it can slow to a crawl in some parts, like between West Oakland and 12th Street Oakland.

I like riding Caltrain, I just hate dealing with how its stations dump you in the middle of nowhere. The Baby Bullet trains are great (especially if you aren't riding anywhere south of Palo Alto which is only 35 minutes from SF IIRC) but they don't run that often and the non-bullet trains have so many stops that they take a long time to get from A to Z.

If you lived by the ballpark and your job was say right next to the Palo Alto station, it would be great. The trains are comfortable and clean, the train is almost always on time (unless it hits someone) and one thing I always liked about it was that you can drink beer on it...last time I rode it south from SF they had a concession stand at 4th and King where you could get beer and popcorn etc...hope they still have that, very nice.

Yea, I don't disagree with what you're saying. A lot of Caltrain's stations are kind of not near much, especially in the some of the northern peninsula cities (South SF, San Bruno, Milbrae). And the off-peak local trains definitely are a huge pain (since they stop at every station) if you have to go more than a few stops away.

Caltrain does work well for me because I live in San Mateo and take it to Palo Alto (Stanford). But for others, it's probably a lot less convenient because of its crappy off-peak schedule and its poor station locations (4th and King isn't that close (walking distance) to the SF employment centers).

I guess my point was more theoretical in nature. If one had to pick between them (assuming where you wanted to go was near a station of either), I'd choose Caltrain because of its peak-hour commute speed, cost, ability to take bikes on during commute hours, and comfort. BART isn't that bad...I'd just prefer Caltrain if I was asked to make a choice between them.

But in real life, there isn't really an option between them because they run for the most part in completely different areas. And if you don't live/work on the peninsula, then it obviously isn't even a choice, as BART is your only option.

Overall, I've found all of the bay area transit agencies to be very hit and miss...That is, there's always some negative. (this one is more expensive, or this one is never on time, or this one costs X billions to extend service to some other city...). I guess that's just the side effect of the multi-nodal nature of the area, and many municipalities wanting to have their own separate service. Don't expect the seamless experience of many east coast cities...

But I'm taking this thread off-topic. I'm sorry OP...

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by dmiller91

I should add, my husband likes to jump on his bike and ride when he's bored. Are most neighborhoods suited for that type of activity or does congestion make it impossible?

The upper peninsula is not too congested, there are some busy roads in Daly City but the more affordable area by the coast is pretty quiet. Safe too.

[dmiller91]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

The upper peninsula is not too congested, there are some busy roads in Daly City but the more affordable area by the coast is pretty quiet. Safe too.

Why is the area near the coast affordable? Is it the distance to public transportation, or ???

[ImRandy]

Originally Posted by dmiller91

Why is the area near the coast affordable? Is it the distance to public transportation, or ???

It's the coldest, wettest area and has essentially no coastal access because there isn't much of a beach below the cliffs the neighborhood sits above.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by ImRandy

It's the coldest, wettest area and has essentially no coastal access because there isn't much of a beach below the cliffs the neighborhood sits above.

It's also the darkest and windiest area. Many days the fog is so persistent, you never see the sun at all.

[dmiller91]

wow, important points. So southern peninsula... like Daly City = less fog and more sun?

[sonarrat]

Daly City, South San Francisco, Brisbane, San Bruno, Pacifica are north peninsula. Generally south of there it's warmer and sunnier, but you're not going to find many houses for $400K.

[mayorhaggar]

It really only depends on whether you're at the coast or not. There's a mountain range down the peninsula. If you're east of that range, you get sunnier, warmer weather, because the mountains keep back the foggy weather. So towns along the bay like San Mateo and Redwood City and so on are warm and sunny when it's chilly and foggy in Pacifica and Daly City.