STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

poptart · Coach

More Bay Area Help

zeitgeist4 · Gucci

Well, the one in SF looks nice, plus it has carpet and a dishwasher. But you wouldn't have a real bedroom. You'd be close to everything, though: your job, public transportation, and most importantly, SHOPPING.

And I don't really understand the thing about sun. Are you thinking that SF is foggy all the time? If so, it's not. You'll still get plenty of sun.

Kitty · Hermes

It depends where you live in the City and where your job in the City is. Getting around in the City can be insanely time consuming. At my last job, which was in the Financial District, there was a chick who lived in the sunset and it took her 45 minutes to get to work. The same amount of time it took me to commute in all the way from Hayward (east bay). I don't know where in the City you're looking.

I used to live in North Beach and I shared a 3-bedroom (it was really a two bedroom, but we converted the living room into a bedroom). It was INSANELY run down, but it was in a trendy/popular area. My rent was like $700 and this was just for one room in a very shitty apartment. The rent is insane in SF...and unless you're willing to spend at least $1k you're most likely going to be living in a dump.

I personally would live in Berkeley if I were you...but I'm sort of a bohemian type and I like that kind of thing.

Kitty · Hermes

OH, and DONT move to Hayward..its a hell hole. I lived there only because it was a midway point between SJ and SF and I needed to be accessible to BART because I was working in downtown SF. Luckily, after 6 months I got out.

poptart · Coach

Kitty wrote:

It depends where you live in the City and where your job in the City is. Getting around in the City can be insanely time consuming. At my last job, which was in the Financial District, there was a chick who lived in the sunset and it took her 45 minutes to get to work.

My job is in the financial district - just a few blocks from the bay bridge.

So would you opt for an independently owned apartment in Berkeley?

Kitty · Hermes

poptart wrote:

Kitty wrote:
It depends where you live in the City and where your job in the City is. Getting around in the City can be insanely time consuming. At my last job, which was in the Financial District, there was a chick who lived in the sunset and it took her 45 minutes to get to work.

My job is in the financial district - just a few blocks from the bay bridge.
So would you opt for an independently owned apartment in Berkeley?

Well, I'd probably first choose to live in the City with some sort of parking garage/parking spot. I personally don't think SF is like NYC where you can get away without owning a car.

If I had to pick a City to live in outside of SF, it would be Berkeley.

But, Berkeley is sort of bohemian, hippie, college town with lots of artsy stuff - bookstores, theaters, restaurants, used clothing stores, college kids..etc. I dont know if that's your thing. I like it...but I can see how some might hate it.

poptart · Coach

zeitgeist4 wrote:

Well, the one in SF looks nice, plus it has carpet and a dishwasher. But you wouldn't have a real bedroom. You'd be close to everything, though: your job, public transportation, and most importantly, SHOPPING. And I don't really understand the thing about sun. Are you thinking that SF is foggy all the time? If so, it's not. You'll still get plenty of sun.

Yeah, it looks okay, but it's a studio, which isn't ideal. I am thinking SF is really foggy. Is it not? City data shows a lot more sunshine in the east bay and I am seriously a sun person. I get really really cranky in crappy gray weather.

Any other thoughts/opinions? I'm open to all ideas, since I can't decide what option to pursue.

zeitgeist4 · Gucci

In my experience, SF isn't that foggy. Foggier than Hayward, but still not as foggy as you would think based on media portrayal (Kitty, correct me if I'm wrong).

I agree with Kitty about several things:

Avoid Hayward if you have other choices. My dad worked there for awhile and was not comfortable getting out of his car in some places.
SF ublic transportation is not all that great in terms of reaching to all areas of the city.
You will most likely need a car.

-- Edited by zeitgeist4 at 14:22, 2006-06-30

Kitty · Hermes

There are parts of SF that are more sunny. It IS foggy where you're working...sorry. There were times in the morning when I was walking to work and it felt like rain..but it was just fog. Its not as bad as Daly City though. The bigger problem for me was WIND. I freakin' hate that shit...especially if you're trying to look cute ;)

poptart · Coach

Okay, well I'm definitely not looking at Hayward per se, I was just using that as an example of the type of vanilla suburban place I'm talking about. But I'll definitely steer clear of it!

I'm definitely keeping my car - not having a car is not a thought I've entertained. I am all about freedom that a car brings - which is another issue with living in the city.

Thanks for the info on the fog - I think that's about what I expected. So from this I am thinking: no city, find apartment in Berkeley or Alameda.

sfcaligirl · Dooney & Bourke

Kitty wrote:

It depends where you live in the City and where your job in the City is. Getting around in the City can be insanely time consuming. At my last job, which was in the Financial District, there was a chick who lived in the sunset and it took her 45 minutes to get to work. The same amount of time it took me to commute in all the way from Hayward (east bay). I don't know where in the City you're looking. I used to live in North Beach and I shared a 3-bedroom (it was really a two bedroom, but we converted the living room into a bedroom). It was INSANELY run down, but it was in a trendy/popular area. My rent was like $700 and this was just for one room in a very shitty apartment. The rent is insane in SF...and unless you're willing to spend at least $1k you're most likely going to be living in a dump. I personally would live in Berkeley if I were you...but I'm sort of a bohemian type and I like that kind of thing.

i've lived in SF for the past two years, so i thought i'd throw in my two cents....

i work in the financial district and i commute by train (called MUNI in SF) to get there. on a good day, it takes me 15 minutes door-to-door to get to my office. on a bad day, when trains are backed up or not running on schedule, it can take 25-30 minutes. i don't have a car, so i rely on public transportation and while i do get frustrated at times, it is a pretty good system if you know how to use it. you can definitely get anywhere you want to go within the city limits using public transportation. the only time i wish i had a car is when i want to escape the city/take a road trip. otherwise, i don't want one in the city- parking, insurance, etc. would make it more of a hassle than it's worth since i really don't need a car at all during the week. but that's just me...

in my opinion, you don't necessarily need to pay $1000+ to live in a decent place. i live with roommates in a beautiful apartment (in a victorian, so charming!) in a great, convenient neighborhood and i pay $665. i have a friend who has a really cute studio (pretty spacious, bay window, nice building) and she pays $900 and her utilities are included. it is possible to find deals like that.

as far as the fog goes, it's not as bad as you might think. sometimes there will be extended periods of foggy days, but overall it's pretty nice in the city- it just gets chilly/windy at night. the foggiest part of the city is out towards the ocean- the sunset, outer richmond, etc. the financial district and any neighborhood closer to the bay is usually sunnier.

you might want to look in the mission- they have the best weather in the city, it's called "the sunny mission" by some. my friend with the $900 studio lives there. she is right near dolores park which is an ADORABLE area with fantastic restaurants nearby. the park has great views of the city and dolores street itself is so pretty- lined with palm trees. i live about a 10-minute walk from there and i love to go to dolores park on nice days. it's usually packed with sunbathers and they have a bunch of tennis courts. it's a really cute neighborhood.

just some ideas, hope this helps!

eta: EEK! i just looked at the links to the apartments you were looking at. DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT choose that SF studio at o'farrell and leavenworth! that is not a good area at all. anything near civic center is bad news... if any listing says that it's in or near the tenderloin, steer clear! that is one of the worst areas in the city. it's funny because union square isn't that far away, but a few blocks make a big difference....

-- Edited by sfcaligirl at 16:35, 2006-06-30

Renee · Kenneth Cole

If you commute from Berkeley to SF financial district by BART, it is not that bad. The prices bite though, it isn't easy to find deals. I think you will end up having rather large move-in costs because of the pet deposit and the move-in deposit.

Also, check out Rockridge. It is expensive, but a very charming area, and access to the Rockridge BART makes for an easy commute. College St. in Berkeley/Rockridge has great shopping, restaurants and cafes. I would say that Berkeley, generally, has somewhat nicer weather than SF, but SF is really not that bad! I would personally avoid renting "blind" in the Financial district....