Live in San Leandro, commute to Pleasanton, play in Sunnyvale? Reality check! (San Jose: how much, living in)

[sleepyhead123]

After reading posts here and looking at other sites (walkscore and padmapper in particular), I have some thoughts that I'd like to reality check with your opinions.

I'm considering a job in Pleasanton. I am single, would like a <35 minute commute and a rock climber.

I rock climb indoors 2-3 nights a week after work. People in the know tell me that Planet Granite in Sunnyvale is where I want to go (if not misson cliffs or dogpatch in SF). Being single, so I'd prefer to be closer to a bigger urban area like Oakland.

These are secondary factors: being able to walk/bike places, proximity to a BART station, farmers markets for fresh produce (I cook a lot) and an asian market within 45 minutes drive.

I was thinking of San Leandro, Castro Valley, Hayward area, due to the reverse commute and proximity to Oakland. Would Fremont/Irvington be a better choice, due to the frequency of Sunnyvale trips?

In order of importance: commute, climbing/Sunnyvale, urban area. The rest are just nice to haves. I've lived in everything ranging from the heart of Hong Kong to suburban New Jersey (where I am currently), but if you think there's any factors I'm missing, I'd love to hear that too.

Thanks in advance!

[jade408]

You know there is a climbing gym in downtown Oakland, on in Berkeley and one in Plesant Hill or Walnut Creek. All way closer to Plesanton/San Leandro than Sunnyvale.

Also you would not be able to get to Sunnyvale in any reasonable amount of time after work. PM commute traffic is horrible.

[sleepyhead123]

Yes, I'm aware there are a bunch of touchstone gyms all over the place that are closer. But at the risk of sounding like an elitist jerk, they're older, smaller and don't have the quality of route setting that I'm looking for.

Could I do Pleasanton to Sunnyvale in an hour, after work, you think? That would still be ok.

I'm assuming then, living in Fremont and commuting to Pleasanton would be an hour commute (which I'm keen to avoid).

Thanks for the feedback.

[yayaba]

That's a pretty brutal commute to make especially 2 to 3 times a week after work. I would advise you actually check out the Sunnyvale Planet Granite to make sure it's even up to your standards before committing to it.

[sleepyhead123]

I'm planning on checking out all the nearby gyms. Let's say hypothetically, Sunnyvale is the only one that works for me.

Should I live up in San Leandro / Castro valley or live closer to Fremont? If Pleasanton to Sunnyvale is a bad drive at night, is Fremont to Pleasanton the same horrible drive in the morning?

Thanks for the replies, guys.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by sleepyhead123

Yes, I'm aware there are a bunch of touchstone gyms all over the place that are closer. But at the risk of sounding like an elitist jerk, they're older, smaller and don't have the quality of route setting that I'm looking for.

Could I do Pleasanton to Sunnyvale in an hour, after work, you think? That would still be ok.

I'm assuming then, living in Fremont and commuting to Pleasanton would be an hour commute (which I'm keen to avoid).

Thanks for the feedback.

I think a more reasonable situation both for your commute and your sanity would be to live somewhere around Oakland/Berkeley. Weeknights after work you could head to the local climbing gyms. And maybe once or twice a week you can make the journey down to Sunnyvale (if it's really that much better...). You'll have a decent (reverse) commute to Pleasanton and will also get to live in a much cooler/hip area (sorry Fremont...).

If you're asking if you could do the Pleasanton to Sunnyvale trip after work on a weeknight in an hour...well I guess it'd depend on when you left. Most of it is a "reverse" commute, but you also start getting into some bad bottlenecks when you have get closer to Sunnyvale.

I know how you feel about this, but I'll just say you shouldn't focus too much on this gym. I travel all over the Bay Area during the week for hockey, but try to play in places that make sense. Even though the San Jose A league is considered very good and is something I would like to play in, I don't drive all of the way down there, especially if I'd have to do it right after work (the traffic would suck). I stick to playing in Oakland and SF (leagues aren't quite as good, but are still very good). Once in a while I'll head down to San Jose and play...

But it isn't something I made focus when I decided on where I wanted to live. I chose where I live based on an easy commute and proximity to San Francisco. That, to me, is much more important than being a bit closer to a possibly better league that I'll play in maybe once a week.

[sleepyhead123]

Hockeymac18, I'm beginning to see the light. I'm stubborn like that. I don't know how well that will work out on the left coast...

I wasn't thinking of living that far north to shorten the commute to around 30 minutes, but it does seem it would be much cooler to live up in Oakland. I'll definitely spend more time looking that area over. Thanks for the suggestion.

As for Sunnyvale, I will very possibly will do what you just described. I can train at home, but my technique will suffer. No longer will I climb with finesse and poise, but rather hulk my way up hard routes =p Life is full of difficult choices.

So when I go out to SF, I'll have my interview in the pm and then drive from Pleasanton to Oakland to see what it's like during rush hour.

One last question, if I'm reading this correctly in terms of fun places to live the order is: Oakland>Fremont>San Leandro/Castro Valley, right?

Thanks again guys. Such an amount of helpful information from helpful people!

[butercup]

There are 3 planet granites in the bay area - SF (at Crissy Field), Belmont, and Sunnyvale - I do think Sunnyvale is their best one, but it would absolutely be worth calling and talking to them about just how much better - it's a great little set of gyms, the staff are familiar with all of them, and they're always super friendly and helpful. The Sunnyvale gym is reasonably close to Caltrain and I think VTA, biking distance for sure, so that would be one potential help with the traffic situation. That area is absurdly congested during commute hours.

Planet Granite Climbing Yoga & Fitness Gym | Planet Granite Climbing Yoga & Fitness

[bentobox34]

Originally Posted by sleepyhead123

I'm planning on checking out all the nearby gyms. Let's say hypothetically, Sunnyvale is the only one that works for me.

Should I live up in San Leandro / Castro valley or live closer to Fremont? If Pleasanton to Sunnyvale is a bad drive at night, is Fremont to Pleasanton the same horrible drive in the morning?

Thanks for the replies, guys.

FYI, Pleasanton to Sunnyvale (PM) and Fremont to Pleasanton (AM) are both reverse commutes with pretty light traffic. From experience driving at those times, I'd estimate 40 minutes for Pleasanton to Sunnyvale, and 20 minutes for Fremont to Pleasanton.

One last question, if I'm reading this correctly in terms of fun places to live the order is: Oakland>Fremont>San Leandro/Castro Valley, right?

Fremont and Castro Valley are both family/commuter areas with practically zero nightlife. I'd put San Leandro over either of them solely based on proximity to Oakland.

[mrazyattic]

You must not be from the Bay Area.... If you are, this thread is a joke. You'd be spending 80% of your life on 880!!!! Good luck with that one.

It takes me an hour (it sometimes takes me up to 2 hours) to get to work from Hayward to Fremont... A whopping 12 miles.