Anyone in San Francisco?

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

I am interviewing for a job in San Francisco, and I'm feeling pretty good about getting an offer (on my second phone interview).

Are there any San Francisco people here who can tell me about the city?

If I'm working downtown, in Union Square, what's a good, safe neighborhood that I could theoretically use public transportation to get to work? I'd be renting, roommates are ok, i'm just looking for general areas, nothing specific.

What is there fun to do around town? Can you get by without a car? I have a brother closeby with a car if i ever really need one. I tend to be into artsy stuff, geeky stuff, movies, some culture, and all that jazz.

Any other insights into the city? I would be coming from Boston (a city I am thoroughly tired of), where cost of rent/living is kind of high so I'm a bit used to that.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I am interviewing for a job in San Francisco, and I'm feeling pretty good about getting an offer (on my second phone interview).

Are there any San Francisco people here who can tell me about the city?

If I'm working downtown, in Union Square, what's a good, safe neighborhood that I could theoretically use public transportation to get to work? I'd be renting, roommates are ok, i'm just looking for general areas, nothing specific.

What is there fun to do around town? Can you get by without a car? I have a brother closeby with a car if i ever really need one. I tend to be into artsy stuff, geeky stuff, movies, some culture, and all that jazz.

Any other insights into the city? I would be coming from Boston (a city I am thoroughly tired of), where cost of rent/living is kind of high so I'm a bit used to that.

Before I moved here to Los Angeles I lived in San Francisco for 14 years. I think your really going to enjoy yourself San Francisco is an amazingly rich city.

I would really recommend not having a car in San Francisco unless you live in a residential area where your house might have a garage. Even then you aren't going to want to drive to work. Parking is a complete nightmare downtown and public transportation goes everywhere in the city. You just have to put up with the fact that as we used to say "sometimes the MUNI gods are with you and sometimes they are aginst you".

Your not going to want to live around Union Square unless you can find a place north of it like in Pacific Heights or Nob Hill, but you'll be paying two arms, two legs, and someone else's leg to live there. Take a look at the neighberhoods that fall along California street. The 1 California bus is known for ferrying young professionals back and forth to the Financial district. It is a little north of Union Square, but covers a lot of nice areas. Anything in the Richmond district along Geary street is nice too and the bus will take you from your front door right to Union Square. Other good areas are the Castro and Nob Hill. I wouldn't recommend the Haight unless you specifically want that kind of vibe. Areas you don't want to live in: Hunters Point, Bayview, Tenderloin, Civic Center, Western Addition, and Potrero. And unless you are really raking in the dough roomates will probably be a neccesity.

There's a lot of off beat culture in San Francisco to enjoy. The Castro and the Red Vic theaters show not you typical movie fair as well as one on Van Ness street whose name escapes me.You'll want to go to Yoshi's world famous jazz club in North Beach too. When you get there pick up copies of the SF Weekly and the Guardian. They are free weekly newspapers that cover everything interesting that's happening in the city. You can find them on practically every street corner in the city

Here is a link to a description of all the neighberhoods in SF.
http://www.dreamworld.org/sfguide/Neighborhoods/index.html

 

[Ashu]

I would love to go to San Fran. Unfortunately Ive yet to go, so I can't help you.

Good luck!

 

[Vulcan Princess]

I agree with Dark Journey about the car. It's more trouble than it's worth in SF. If you're willing to commute a bit, you can save a ton of money by not actually living in San Francisco proper. There are plenty of places in the East Bay, such as Oakland and Berkeley that have their own charm. BART, the local train system, goes to many places in the East Bay. I live in Fremont, and I commuted to San Francisco for two years. It only took 45 minutes each way, and my rent is 1/3 what I would be paying in the city. (And I could get work or reading done on the train.) Oakland is much closer, roughly 20 minutes, but there are some parts you'll want to avoid. The Lake Merritt and Piedmont areas are nice.

 

[Venardhi]

I may be moving back to the bay area later this summer and will probably need another room mate other than the one possibility I have lined up. Pretty much open to living anywhere in the bay, so let me know if you'd be interested.

 

[Sheep]

I am interviewing for a job in San Francisco, and I'm feeling pretty good about getting an offer (on my second phone interview).

Are there any San Francisco people here who can tell me about the city?

If I'm working downtown, in Union Square, what's a good, safe neighborhood that I could theoretically use public transportation to get to work? I'd be renting, roommates are ok, i'm just looking for general areas, nothing specific.

What is there fun to do around town? Can you get by without a car? I have a brother closeby with a car if i ever really need one. I tend to be into artsy stuff, geeky stuff, movies, some culture, and all that jazz.

Any other insights into the city? I would be coming from Boston (a city I am thoroughly tired of), where cost of rent/living is kind of high so I'm a bit used to that.

I lived in San Francisco for about 5 years before getting sick of the extremely high cost of living and moving to Chicago a few months ago.

You WILL need a roommate or two unless you can afford a minimum $1500 rent for a studio or 1BR place. Given that you'll be in Union Square which is accessible by every transit system, your choice of neighborhoods really depends on what you're looking for.

If nightlife is a must, I'd recommend the Mission which has loads of restaurants and bars (BART is 2-4 stops away from downtown, depending on where you hop on and off). Keep in mind that quality of the neighborhoods in the Mission literally varies block by block, so make sure to scout out any potential places beforehand (and do so at night too, if possible).

If you want something quieter but still within a short hop from the action of the Mission and downtown, I recommend Glen Park and Sunnyside. I lived about 4 blocks from the Glen Park BART station for the majority of my time in San Francisco, about 1-2 stops to the Mission and a few more to downtown. This area is very safe and car friendly as far as parking goes but there's next to nothing in the way of nightlife.

The truly crap areas of the city are relatively few in number compared to other major cities, but stay away from Hunters Point, Bayview, Visitacion Valley and the Tenderloin. While some parts of those neighborhoods are improving, they are the highest crime areas in the city.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Incredibly helpful thread folks, thanks a bunch to everyone. Especially that link Dark Journey. I'll be sure to reference back here if i get the job.

Any other general thoughts about possibly moving to the city are appreciated.

Is there a contingent of TrekBBS folks in the area?

So a question about the high cost of living... lets say I had a hard cap of $800 that I was willing to pay a month for rent (assuming with roommates), think that's do-able in some of the better areas listed above?

 

[Sheep]

So a question about the high cost of living... lets say I had a hard cap of $800 that I was willing to pay a month for rent (assuming with roommates), think that's do-able in some of the better areas listed above?

That is definitely doable with roommates. I was paying $950 for a very nice 2BR/2BA place in Glen Park when I left (that place is still my favorite apartment that I've ever lived in); the extra bathroom was well worth it since I never had to see my roommate in the morning.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I haven't lived in the city myself but I have lived in various places around it throughout my life. It is my favorite of all the "big cities" I've been to and I'm sure that you will enjoy it. There's something for everyone there.

 

[trekkiedane]

I loved Tales of the City -never read it though.

Nevertheless, of all the cities of the US, I, as a foreigner, would love to live in that one!

 

[1001001]

I live about an 90 minutes from San Francisco.

It is one of my favorite cities. There's lots to do there. Great seafood, sports and concerts year-round. It's a lot of fun.

Parking is a nightmare so if you can situate yourself to use public transit, so much the better.

And be prepared for the weather. It's cold!

 

[Finn]

^dude....it snows in Boston....

 

[Venardhi]

SF is notable for having a 100-degree summer day turn into a 40-degree evening in the middle of August. There is no such thing as 'Summer' in the bay area.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

What is there fun to do around town?

If you're a baseball fan, get thee to AT&T Park immediately - it's a great, great place to see a game. A real gem of a ballpark.
Easily accessible via public transit (both BART and bus) as well. Linky

If, however, you like football: I pity you, 'cuz then you'll have to deal with Candlestick Park. Oh well, you take what you can get.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

SF is notable for having a 100-degree summer day turn into a 40-degree evening in the middle of August. There is no such thing as 'Summer' in the bay area.

I would be surprised if it's ever gotten to 100 in San Francisco. 80 is considered a hot day. If you get out of the city, it turns into summer, though. The Bay Area is famous for its microclimates. You can go 10 miles and have a 30 degree difference in temperature.

 

[1001001]

^dude....it snows in Boston....

It also gets 90 degrees with 100% humidity. I know. I lived there.



I don't care what anyone says, San Francisco has a special brand of cold. Sunlight means nothing there.

 

[trekkiedane]

I would be surprised if it's ever gotten to 100 in San Francisco. 80 is considered a hot day. If you get out of the city, it turns into summer, though. The Bay Area is famous for its microclimates. You can go 10 miles and have a 30 degree difference in temperature.

All of those numbers mean nothing to us people in the rest of the world, we only know of the Bay Area as being 'perpetual spring' -I'd love it!

 

[Venardhi]

SF is notable for having a 100-degree summer day turn into a 40-degree evening in the middle of August. There is no such thing as 'Summer' in the bay area.

I would be surprised if it's ever gotten to 100 in San Francisco. 80 is considered a hot day. If you get out of the city, it turns into summer, though. The Bay Area is famous for its microclimates. You can go 10 miles and have a 30 degree difference in temperature.

Very rare but it has happened, I probably should have said '90', though even that isn't very common. The point is even the hottest days of the year become chilly if not downright cold as soon as the sun drops low.

 

[TheBrew]

What is there fun to do around town?

If you're a baseball fan, get thee to AT&T Park immediately - it's a great, great place to see a game. A real gem of a ballpark.
Easily accessible via public transit (both BART and bus) as well. Linky

If, however, you like football: I pity you, 'cuz then you'll have to deal with Candlestick Park. Oh well, you take what you can get.

The Bay Area does have the California Golden Bears.

 

[1001001]

What is there fun to do around town?

If you're a baseball fan, get thee to AT&T Park immediately - it's a great, great place to see a game. A real gem of a ballpark.
Easily accessible via public transit (both BART and bus) as well. Linky

If, however, you like football: I pity you, 'cuz then you'll have to deal with Candlestick Park. Oh well, you take what you can get.

The Bay Area does have the California Golden Bears.

That was good.