Looking for a place to stay summer '09 (Oakland, Berkeley: sublet, apartments)

[DCgoblue]

Me and another undergrad engineering student from U-Michigan both have summer internships in the Oakland area. What would be good (cheaper, young) places to look?

I've been to Berkeley, so I know that is definitely an option, but it is hard to find something in the price range (500-700 a month per person more less, don't really know), plus with the UCB semester not ending until almost June, the schedule doesn't work right, as we both start around May 1.

We're both pretty big guys, and I grew up in DC and Baltimore, so I don't mind some place that is not the cleanest or safest place in the world.

I've seen some craiglist postings for a place in West Oakland (28th and Myrtle) and then another place in Alameda at Summer House apartments. Any thoughts on those places?

I will probably have my car, he will not, but I'd like to take public transit/ride my bike to work on Broadway/Grand.

Thanks

[artemis78]

Can you find a short-term place for a couple of weeks? You can get much better deals if you can hold out for a summer sublet near Cal, where there are lots of college students and places to go out.

Neither of the spots you noted are especially young/college-student-ish neighborhoods. I would pass on Summer House altogether---not only is the development itself very weird (right on a major road, rehab of old apartments, near very little nightlife and almost no young people) but you'll have the tube to get through to get to Oakland. Alameda is more of a family scene, and that's centered on the other side of the island as far as most nightlife (though there are a few great spots along Webster). That West Oakland neighborhood still struggles with crime but has active residents and families too (plus a City Councilmember living nearby). However, while it's on a bus route to downtown, it's pretty far from nightlife and other transit options---you'd need to walk to Emeryville or Uptown Oakland, both a bit of a haul.

Your price range should be feasible for something somewhere along the corridor between Cal and Downtown Oakland (Telegraph/Broadway/College---just avoid Rockridge, which is expensive and in the middle of that stretch) which is probably where you want to be if you're looking for other college students. You may also be able to negotiate a short-term lease with landlords, too, especially if your internships end before mid-August (when many Cal students are looking for places).

[DCgoblue]

Thanks a lot.

Also, is there anyone who could give me a good comparison of Oakland to Baltimore, MD?