Half way between Davis and Cupertino? (San Jose, Oakland: sublets, rentals, houses)

[Lalato]

My wife has an internship that will begin this summer at UC-Davis. I might have a job lined up in Cupertino.

What are some good places in between these two cities? So far I've been looking around Martinez, Benicia, and Concord... but I would love to hear about other options from locals.

One thing I would love to know is how bad is I-680? Are the times I see on google maps somewhat close to reality or can I expect heavier traffic. I checked transit options to Cupertino... and they just aren't that great, so driving seems like my best bet.

Additionally, my max on rent is $1700 (double what I currently pay... yikes!). Adding the higher commute and other living expenses, things are going to be tight for the next two years of her internship, but it'll be worth it.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

[sonarrat]

680 is awful, and the further north you have to come from, the worse it will be. Here's my suggestion: live near Davis, where the housing costs are lower than the Bay Area. Take the Capitol Corridor train and get off at Great America. That's a common stopping point for several shuttles and bus lines. If you have an employer shuttle the rest of the way, great. If not, use the VTA 55 bus.

Long commute? Very. But you'll save a lot of money this way and will have a nice place to come home to.

[bentobox34]

My wife is currently commuting to Davis and I commute to San Jose. We live in Oakland. Would I recommend this lifestyle? No way if you can avoid it. But it's doable for a year or so if you have to.

I would also recommend that you check out the Capitol Corridor, as it is a godsend for long commutes in this corridor (we both use it). It is actually quite popular for Bay Area to Davis commutes, and Davis is small enough that your wife will be able to bike, Unitrans or maybe even walk to her internship (is it on campus?). You should also check if your employer has a shuttle or if one of the ACE shuttles suits your needs. Note however that the ACE shuttles are timed for the ACE train (a different commuter line from the Central Valley) and so it adds about 15 minutes of waiting around if you connect from the CC.

[jade408]

Technically, that would be Oakland, but to get to Cupertino from Oakland is around 90 minutes during the commute. Maybe even longer.

I agree with all the other posters about taking the train.

I'd just like to remind you, these places are about 100 miles apart. There is no shortcut/fast route/etc when you need to travel 50ish miles in each direction.

[Lalato]

Thanks for the info on the commute via I-680. It's really hard to gauge how bad things really are from google maps.

The Capitol Corridor is a major reason I'm considering Martinez. There is an Amtrak stop there. Are there other towns along the Capitol Corridor that are worth looking into? Martinez to San Jose is a 3 hour commute by train. It's probably another hour to get to Cupertino (unless I'm missing something). 4 hours one way doesn't seem practical.

Yes, my wife's internship will be on campus.

I totally get that these two places are far apart. I know there isn't an easy answer to this... just trying to make it as workable as possible. Thanks again for all the info!

[Lalato]

I wish there was more info available on the private shuttle options offered by various firms in Silicon Valley. It would make planning a commute a bit easier. I did some searching and found a little bit of info around it... Might be possible to drive part of the way and take private shuttle the rest of the way. Or take Capitol Corridor part of the way and then transfer... but it will still be a huge chunk of time.

A little background, when we lived in Chicago, I commuted 1.5 hours each way. It's not fun, by any stretch, but it's doable. Twice a week my commute was 3 hours. I was able to do it for a solid year before my brain started to melt and I switched to public transit (which doubled the commute time) for the warm months.

I think if I can switch back and forth from driving and the train, I might be able to delay the brain melt until my wife's internship is done.

[jade408]

The problem is that there is a lot of traffic between let's say Oakland and Cupertino. And you end up running into each and every hotspot as you head south. There are lots of freeway interchanges as well. Couple that with the fact that the development in Silicon Valley is very suburban, so transit is hardly on the radar. It is actually better for you to live closer to Cupertino, and have your wife take the Capital Corridor, as UC Davis is better connected to the train station, than most Silicon Valley offices are to transit.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by Lalato

Thanks for the info on the commute via I-680. It's really hard to gauge how bad things really are from google maps.

The Capitol Corridor is a major reason I'm considering Martinez. There is an Amtrak stop there. Are there other towns along the Capitol Corridor that are worth looking into? Martinez to San Jose is a 3 hour commute by train. It's probably another hour to get to Cupertino (unless I'm missing something). 4 hours one way doesn't seem practical.

Yes, my wife's internship will be on campus.

I totally get that these two places are far apart. I know there isn't an easy answer to this... just trying to make it as workable as possible. Thanks again for all the info!

Not sure where you're getting your info, Martinez to San Jose is 2 hours on the Capitol Corridor. Davis to Martinez is 45 minutes, which is less than driving that stretch with no traffic.

I once drove from San Jose to Vallejo on a Friday afternoon, not a getaway day but just with typical Friday traffic. It took 3 hours. 680 was such a horrible, unending grind.

[DocGoldstein]

I don't envy this commute. Probably not sustainable by car, but by train.... maybe.

[amyvegan]

Not sustainable. You each get your own short term rentals (sublets or rooms in established houses) and visit each other on weekends.