moving to san francisco from midwest

[Slew Foot]

If youre into mtn biking consider Marin in the north bay and taking a ferry to SF. Marin can be pricey though.

 

[ViviTheMage]

You can certainly do that in my neck of the woods. (though, probably not the space you would need for 2 big dogs + the wife + the turnip-sized human on the way)

example:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/4755535938.html

Just a few blocks north of where I am, but options with big dog needs and space would be very limited out here :\

What's the commute to downtown SF like? do you take BART in?

 

[Dirigible]

Yes please, I want to make it a point to swing by a few trails when we're out there . I am pretty new to MTB, but I put on about 800~ miles this summer with my first mountain bike.

Excellent. :thumbsup:

 

[Dirigible]

If youre into mtn biking consider Marin in the north bay and taking a ferry to SF. Marin can be pricey though.

Marin is very anti-mountain bike, which is ironic given it is touted as the birthplace of mountain biking. There are very few bike legal trails that are interesting for mountain biker in Marin county, although you can ride fire roads for days. Aside from Tamarancho, which is one loop on private property, you'll for the most part be breaking the law if you want to ride singletrack there.

 

[Crusty]

What startup are you going to work for?

 

[ViviTheMage]

mmmmmmmmmm, this is probably one place I don't want to say but it's in soma. It's been around for 5~ years too, not sure it's considered a startup still.

 

[brianmanahan]

Yeah, free frost-bite game. The lazy bums should pay for it like everyone else.

Wait...

they should go to a hobo-kitchen where they dispense gloves and whatnot

except many of them are deranged and probably don't know where the hobo-kitchen is

but that's not my prob

 

[Crusty]

Zynga?

 

[brianmanahan]

Zynga?

yelp?

 

[Mixolydian]

I had a feeling you were gay... :hmm:

 

[ViviTheMage]

yelp?

nope nope, if you guess it i'll tell ya

I had a feeling you were gay... :hmm:

my wife would disagree :awe::whiste:

 

[brianmanahan]

my wife would disagree :awe::whiste:

moving to SF though... that's how they get ya

 

[zinfamous]

What's the commute to downtown SF like? do you take BART in?

I take a bus (and sometimes BART) to...downtown Berkeley about 5 miles south. That's either, 5 min or 20-30 minutes.

However, BART from the El Cerrito station to, eh, ~Powellish station is about 30min, I think? during rush hour times.

It's not bad--certainly quicker than my daily El trips from North Chicago to Hyde Park (still in effing Chicago) that took about 1.2 hours each way.

Also, fair warning, and it's good that you are coming out here to look, as property listings are always incredibly misleading for this region. Example:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/4750576514.html

claims Albany/El Cerrito, rent is ridiculous....and of course that means Richmond. ....You don't want to be in Richmond. It is also best to be able to drive around the neighborhoods, even if it is a nice town or area, the immediate area could be the suck.

As Magnus suggested earlier, that was also a huge shock to me, moving out here from Chicago 6 years ago. We were staying in South Berkeley at the time while looking for a place. You call, you set up a appointments based on decent photos--you show up, and the whole area is just...blech. concrete flatness and busy streets everywhere. depressing industrial/urban type of landscape. You just have to spend some time to find the right neighborhood, and my suggestion would be to find something that you are willing to make temporary when you first move out here, to give yourself more time to move after 4 or 6 months when you get a better feel for the area.

Yes, moving so often sucks balls, but it would be worth it, frankly, giving that you will go through the same adjustment that everyone goes through.

Also: sell everything before you move. Everything--SELL IT! At least, everything that you don't absolutely need. There's an Ikea out here, too, and it's just as cheap as anywhere else.

 

[zinfamous]

This is hilarious:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/apa/4746440711.html

I know some people that used to live here--pretty decent location, actually--walk to 99 Ranch (Asian supermarket food supplies) a block away and some very excellent Chinese restaurants, as well as a cool little trail on that hill in the background.

Of course, turn that camera 180 to see the view that this building is facing...and you have I-80 and 580 staring you in the face, pretty much above your head. Sure, there is a gorgeous bay and an iconic crimson-orange bridge on the other side, but you'll never see it! :awe:

 

[ViviTheMage]

Exactly zin, we're already parting with most of our bulky stuff, and going to put a bunch of stuff in my wife's parents place to hold if we ever come back.

I plan to airbnb for a few weeks hopefully, then we can snag something while actually living there and seeing the area on weekends/nights. I have been seeing the scams on CL, staying away from those haha.

 

[Drako]

There is no way I would live in the East Bay if I worked in SF, but I guess I'm getting old. The commute would kill me. I guess the ferry wouldn't be too bad.

 

[ViviTheMage]

There is no way I would live in the East Bay if I worked in SF, but I guess I'm getting old. The commute would kill me.

paying 3k + for a 1br would kill me more then a 45-60 minute commute would.

 

[Drako]

paying 3k + for a 1br would kill me more then a 45-60 minute commute would.

Meh, you could live in San Mateo county somewhere and only pay 2.5K for a 1 br. :biggrin:

 

[ViviTheMage]

hahaha

 

[Dirigible]

There is no way I would live in the East Bay if I worked in SF, but I guess I'm getting old. The commute would kill me. I guess the ferry wouldn't be too bad.

My commute was a half hour door-to-door when I worked downtown. I don't consider that a bad commute.

 

[ViviTheMage]

My commute was a half hour door-to-door when I worked downtown. I don't consider that a bad commute.

For someone who's just moving to the city, it's too expensive to live downtown.

 

[zinfamous]

hahaha

hey, don't knock it--handsome NFL Quarterbacks come from San Mateo.

 

[Dirigible]

For someone who's just moving to the city, it's too expensive to live downtown.

This was 30 minutes from my house in Oakland to my office in downtown SF.

 

[ViviTheMage]

This was 30 minutes from my house in Oakland to my office in downtown SF.

Nice, what was your commute exactly: driving, or was it always public transport?

 

[brianmanahan]

paying 3k + for a 1br would kill me more then a 45-60 minute commute would.

dangggg

i could buy a nice 3000 sq ft house on 80 acres (half field/half woods) around here for 3.5$k per month