Is it as bad as everyone says?? Where to live? (Concord: fit in, apartments)

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by hubbard53

here's an example of what I'm talking about.

I wanted to go get a new pair or shoes so we decided to go to santana row. We've never been and we figured it's closer than whatever the mall is near Stanford.

Anyway, we get onto 237 and hit stopped traffic. We sat so long my potty trained son peed his pants. My poor son, who has never peed his pants since being potty trained has peed his pants soooo many times out here b/c of traffic. Should we really need to start putting him in pull ups just b/c traffic is too bad to go anywhere quickly?

again, just an example.

Well...as a parent to four kids of my own I have learned to not blame the traffic, but to take responsibility and instructed the kid to pee before we leave the house. Trust me, this kind stuff happens no matter where you live. It used to happen to me and my children all the time back in Europe where I lived in a pretty rural area with zero traffic (except for the farmer in the tractor).

Parenting is one of those things that you have to learn from and not blame circumstances out of our control.

[ruckerz]

Reminds me of when I was young... my dad handed me an empty coke can and said very calmly.. "careful that opening is sharp, I'll try not to swerve".

[Ceece]

There is not a ton of traffic in the Tri Valley, which is where you should live if you work in San Ramon. Exception being the freeway at rush hour and even then, if you live near work you won't care. Nobody is going to pee their pants on the way to anything.

[marcopolo666]

Originally Posted by hubbard53

here's an example of what I'm talking about.

I wanted to go get a new pair or shoes so we decided to go to santana row. We've never been and we figured it's closer than whatever the mall is near Stanford.

Anyway, we get onto 237 and hit stopped traffic. We sat so long my potty trained son peed his pants. My poor son, who has never peed his pants since being potty trained has peed his pants soooo many times out here b/c of traffic. Should we really need to start putting him in pull ups just b/c traffic is too bad to go anywhere quickly?

again, just an example.

You don't appear to understand that San Ramon is nowhere near 237 (San Ramon is about 40 miles away from Sunnyvale). Or maybe you don't understand that the traffic there is completely different from the traffic in the Sunnyvale/Cupertino/San Jose/Milpitas areas. The south bay has several times the population and traffic. The traffic up there is nothing like it is down here.

You appear to know how to use a computer and have access to the internet (or you wouldn't be posting here). Why on earth did you not check the traffic before leaving the house? There are several ways to get to Santana Row without using 237 at all. Yes, there is often a lot of traffic down here - but there are also many more freeway choices as well. Getting to most places (more than 5 mi away) often has multiple possible efficient routes, depending on traffic. Getting stuck in traffic was your fault there. Is there bad traffic down here in the south bay? At times, not ALL the time, and not everywhere (so long as you don't have to drive during rush hour). An obvious traffic site is Google maps, but I prefer : Traffic « CBS San Francisco

And at any rate, none of that is of any use to the OP. Why would you say "it IS more of an inconvenience to get anywhere unless you live right next door to your destination. Traffic is a *****." to a person looking to work in (and live near) San Ramon? Your experiences on 237 driving to Santana Row have little (or no) relevance to the possible driving problems for the OP, who is asking about moving about 40 miles away from 237. Do you really think that traffic in all parts of every bay area county are like they are down here in the south bay? That's like saying "Traffic is horrible on I-80 between Emeryville and Albany a LOT of the time, not just during rush hour. So if you live in El Sobrante and work in Orinda, you have going to have traffic problems all the time, because Traffic is a *****."

[marcopolo666]

Originally Posted by Ceece

There is not a ton of traffic in the Tri Valley, which is where you should live if you work in San Ramon. Exception being the freeway at rush hour and even then, if you live near work you won't care. Nobody is going to pee their pants on the way to anything.

Exactly. Everybody who has chimed in on the traffic seems to have the same opinion (well, except one person). And everybody who has chimed in on where to live is encouraging them to live near work.

If the two of you end up with jobs in completely different areas far apart (like somebody has to work in Oakland) that is a MESS during rush hour (but generally not bad at most other times). Of course, you might be able to take the regional train system (BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit) one line of which goes from Dublin/Pleasanton through Oakland to SF. Well, not this week - they are on strike. (For the first time in almost 20 years.)

[KenyasWorld]

I've driven by cornerstone at gale ranch, it's a lovely place. Check them out.
Cornerstone at Gale Ranch - San Ramon - CA

They were built in 2005 according to the website and the rent is between 1400-2200 a month.
If your looking for more diversity, amenities, and younger couples I'd check out Dublin.

[KenyasWorld]

Originally Posted by marcopolo666

Of course, you might be able to take the regional train system (BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit) one line of which goes from Dublin/Pleasanton through Oakland to SF. Well, not this week - they are on strike. (For the first time in almost 20 years.)

Well.. this has been the traffic as a result the past three days.

Actual pic of traffic in the bay two days ago.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

What a pretty photo! All those twinkling headlights and tailights!

But OP, this is the SF Bay bridge, nowhere near San Ramon.

I still say they all should have called in sick this week, and caught up on Game of Thrones episodes.

[EclecticEars]

To buckeyeguy1984,

I am originally from Kentucky, having spent most of my life in the Lexington area, so I consider myself Southern and not Midwestern. However, I went to college in Louisville and worked for two years in the Cincinnati area (Northern Kentucky), which I consider to be more Midwestern in culture.

Louisville just sucks as a city. Unfriendly people, dirty, still very honky tonk, and yet many of its people still openly and bluntly look down on the rest of Kentucky. On the other hand, they were always comparing themselves in a superior/inferior kind of way to surrounding cities like Cincinnati, Nashville, Columbus, and Indianapolis. Just a bazaar place.

Cincinnati (well, I consider NKY to just be Cincinnati, too) was a little friendlier than Louisville, but the best word I can use to describe that place is schizophrenic. In some ways, the local culture is not only insular, but more bazaar than Louisville. Kind of hard to describe unless you've lived in it. At least it's a large enough city with enough going on; I didn't get the sense that they looked down upon Lexington, Louisville, Dayton, etc., but rather were just kind of doing their own thing with their Reds, WEBN fireworks, chili, etc.

Columbus reminds me a lot of Cincinnati, although with flatter terrain.

To leave Kentucky was like a breath of fresh air. It is very culturally staid and plain boring, and yet the people generally defend it like there's no other place on Earth to live. Proud to be from there and I wouldn't rule out living there again in a couple of decades, but if you're age 26-45, it's just...dead. Kentucky's cities cater to the really young and the "settled down." There are also few places in the U.S. outside of the state where higher education is less of a culturally valued virtue.

While I'm moving from the Bay Area to SoCal very soon and have had some complaints about the Bay Area (particularly the social situation and employment), I have had an overall good experience here and would absolutely not hesitate to live here again. The quality of life is very high, just hard to afford.

I wish you the best of luck!

[hubbard53]

Ok. So... If I was working in San Ramon and didn't plan to go toward the city in the morning, I suppose the traffic wouldn't be so bad. mod cut