moving to SF Bay Area from LA:Bay Area commute? (San Francisco: apartment, rental)

[latosfbayarea]

I am moving with my husband to the bay area for a job relocation. He is opening a branch of his law firm in Walnut Creek; and I am currently interviewing with companies in SF and the n. peninsula. I work in tech marketing so the bay area is great for me, except most of the opportunities I am getting called about are in Silicon Valley or SF. I have started turning down opportunities because of the commute. I absolutely refuse to commute from WC to SF or beyond. I have always lived within 25-30 min (maybe 40 min TOPS in the worst traffic) from my job, but I dont have a job yet so I am not sure what to do. My husband offered to do the "reverse commute" from SF to WC, but I am not even sure I want to live in SF. It seems like a huge hassle, and way over priced for what you get since we still have to pay for our current home until we sell it. Yes, I know about BART, and I know it still would take an hour from WC door to door. I am also not comfie walking around SF at night to the bart station after work.

Right now we live in Marina Del Rey in a beautiful home where we each have about a 25 min commute door to door with average traffic.

I also like being near the water and great shopping and dining. I dont like super hot weather and I hear WC gets super hot in the summer.

I know I am rambling on, but I really dont know what to do. We have to make a decision in the next few days on where to live, or else temporarily move into a hotel until we figure out the whole commute issue.

So I guess I am asking what is the REALITY on the commute from easy bay to SF and is the reverse commute really OK?

Is it possible to live on the peninsula and commute to walnut creek?

Where is the best place in SF to live for commuting to WC?

Where is the best east bay place to live for commute to SF? (under 45 min in traffic door to door) Also, I dont like really old, grey, places or hippie areas so please dont say Berkeley.

I know I sound like a typical LA person (which I kind of am ) but I am really really going to miss it here. I dont like cold weather. I dont have a decent jacket, umbrella, or even decent walking shoes. LOL Right now I am wearing jeans, a t-shirt and thongs, which is how I usually dress.

As you can see, I am freaking out. We have to leave in 2 weeks, and I dont know what to do.

We also have 2 new cars and a small dog.

Thanks so much!

[mrvgs]

You may want to look at Pleasanton as a place to live. It is close to W.C. and if you are looking to work in the Silicon Valley your commut won't be as bad as it would be going down 880 verses 680. Good luck.

[Peninsula gal]

Pleasanton gets hot, hot, hot in the summer. Look for an apartment in Orinda or Lafayette. BART is the best way to go to San Francisco from Contra Costa county (CCC) and is safe. But, depending on where you land a job, BART may not be a close walk. The commute down to the Valley is horrible from the east bay. The reverse commute isn't really good, either. But, there are tech companies in CCC so look for one and target it. The interchange at 80/Bay Bridge is considered one of the top 3 worst commutes in the country -- think 405 or 101 during rush and you get it. Housing prices are much better in Oakland and if you stick to Montclaire and the hills the living is nice with great shopping and restaurants. Berkeley hills are good, too. The commute into Walnut Creek isn't too bad and the commute to SF isn't too bad. The weather is more temperate west of the Caldacott Tunnel.

[lainie]

You might consider renting in Walnut Creek for a few months until your husband's practice is established. Summer heat doesn't usually hit until June so you would have ample time to find the ideal work/house situation. We lived in Albany (adjacent to Berkeley) before moving to Walnut Creek in 1991. I loved Albany but find that Walnut Creek has a better quality of life in spite of the hot summers. Finding a month to month rental in Walnut Creek should not be a problem even with two cars and a dog. Good luck with your move.

[worktolive]

Check out Albany just north of Berkeley or El Cerrito just beyond it. Good shopping and restaurants on Solano Ave and you are close to Berkeley's nightlife. The commute from Contra Costa to Berkeley and vice versa is a bit of a pain - the Caldecott Tunnel is a problem as is the connection between Hwy 24 and I-80. Even with a reverse commute you will regularly run into problems in those two places.

[gizmo980]

Closing the thread, since it's so old...