Reverse commute: SF to East Bay? (San Francisco, Oakland: home, neighborhoods, quality of life)

[mzkatsy]

I will be moving to the Bay area and am looking for a sensible place to live. My work will be primarily in Pleasanton and San Ramon. I have previously lived in San Francisco and loved it. I'm not as familiar with the east bay though it seems like a better commute. My only concern is losing the convenience and daily life in SF if I decide to settle in the east bay.

I am a 24 yo female and my work schedule is 8-5, and I understand that traffic patterns depend on where I live. I am just looking for any thoughts/discussion or suggestions on places to live without a dreadful commute everyday.

Thanks!!!

[sonarrat]

580 is usually not a problem in the reverse commute.. the westbound Eastshore Freeway can get jammed up coming into the Macarthur Maze in the evening, but you wouldn't have to use it. Say 40-45 minutes to get to Pleasanton, a little longer to San Ramon since you'd be in some peak-hour stuff on 680.

[Archan]

That would be a good 35 to 40 mile commute. Driving back to San Francisco on friday nights are going to be murder, the Bay Bridge really backs up with everyone else heading into the city. By the time you get home you may be too tired to go out and have fun.

Also you will have to deal with a $4 daily bridge toll added on to your gas bill.

[andyadhi01]

I would strongly recommend living in the east bay because in my opinion it is much nicer place to live compared to the city. You can always take the BART to the city for fun!

[user376]

If I were you I would live in the east bay. I used to work 8-5, commuting from north Oakland to Pleasanton and it was 25-30 minutes. Everyone has different commuting tolerances, but I know I wouldn't have wanted to add on the bridge crossing. Plus depending on where you live in SF, it can take a fair amount of time to get from the freeway to your place (plus the time it takes to find a spot if you don't have a devoted one).

I don't know exactly what you mean by the convenience and daily life of SF, but Rockridge, Piedmont Ave., and Grand Lake are good neighborhoods in Oakland for young people. Also Uptown Oakland is an up-and-coming area.

[ssmaster]

i would prefer to live on the same side of the bridge i work on but everyone is different.in addition to friday nights being bad, a niner or raiders monday night game,inclement weather,giants or A's game,and an accident on the bridge can can all add 20 -45 minutes to your commute.many people love sf and are willing to commute you may be one of them.

[Archan]

Try taking the BART trains a few times. It is a really nice transit system. Much nicer that MARTA in Atlanta or the T in Boston. You can live in the east bay and take into the city for fun.

The wear and tear of a long commute for work is more tiring than you might think.

[vdy1985]

BART has a straight shot from SF to Dublin and vice versa.

[batransplant]

My husband commuted from SF to Walnut Creek for a year and 1/2. If he left early enough, he could do it in 40-45 min. It usually took him almost an hour to get there and 1 hour 20 min. to get home. You would add an additional 15-20 min to get to Pleasanton and San Ramon. He had to fight bridge and tunnel traffic. Coming from Pleasanton and SR...you would have to deal w/ the Silicon Valley commuters and the maze/bridge traffic. It goes both ways at night.

We also lived in Noe Valley section of SF, which is an additional 20-25 min once you cross the bridge. If you lived in SOMA or South Beach, which is the neighborhood pretty much right when you get off the bridge, that would cut down on your commute time. I'm just not sure I would want to live in either of those 2 areas. SOMA might be OK as long as you are not past 4th St.

We ended up having to move to the east bay so my husband would have time with our baby since she would be asleep whenever he was home due to the long commutes. You are not in that situation and may not mind sitting in a car for several hours per day. I would find that to severely impact my quality of life, but it is fun to live in SF for awhile before having kids.

[Archan]

I just read a thread that said the bridge toll for the Bay Bridge during peak commute hours is going from $4 to $6. I can't believe how expensive it's getting!