SF Neighborhoods for a Caltrain Commuter (Stanford: apartments, living in, moving)

[marymille]

Hi,

I just got a job at Stanford and will be moving from the Midwest in early December. I'm thinking about living in SF and commuting on Caltrain. I'm not too familiar with the city though, so any guidance you could provide regarding apartment searching would be much appreciated!

I'd like an apartment:

-within walkable distance of BART
-that is in a smaller building
-that is old and cute
-that is in a neighborhood that is also old and cute
-that is at least a one-bedroom in the $1600-1800 range.

I don't care too much about:

-hip neighborhoods
-having a parking spot
-buildings with dish washers/pools/AC/other modern conveniences

Thoughts on particular neighborhoods? Also, could any of you recommend any apartment searching strategies for non-locals (aside from checking craigslist religiously)? Should I contact an apartment finding service, or am I better off on my own if I don't want to live in a large building complex? Also, when is the best time to fly out to look for apartments if I want to move in around Dec. 1?


I know similar questions have been asked a zillion times on this forum--sorry for the overlap. Thanks in advance!

[sonarrat]

Well, if you want an older neighborhood, that's definitely not the area around any of the Caltrain stations, so you're on the right track. I'd suggest Glen Park - it has the picturesque Victorians like you see in the famous Postcard Row pictures, a BART station, and a sleepier personality than the Mission.