Bay Area Moving Advice?

[schuss]

OK, so it looks like there's a 90% chance I'm moving to San Francisco in August/September. Looking to get some advice from the collective around the area.
1. Best way to find apartments?
Currently using Padmapper.com/craigslist, but if there's any bay area specific stuff, it would be ideal. We're looking for a decent place in the cow hollow area.
2. Skiing
Anyone want to be my ski buddy to Tahoe? Probably looking to take part in a skihouse or something similar. I'm good at falling down.
3. Biking
What are the best bike trails in the area? I'm likely going to be a remote worker, so I'll be working east coast hours and out of work in the early afternoon. Looking for the good MTB or road routes (Other than the presidio-GG-Sausalito loop that 8 million people appear to do)
4. General advice
Any other advice for an east coaster moving out?

[SuperGaper]

Cow Hollow= Boring yuppie hell.

Cow Hollow= Marin without the good weather.

[Relentless]

1. You're on the right track for DIY. Idk about Cow Hollow though... What are your metrics of a good neighborhood?

2. I'm always down to show folks around Squaw/ the back country. If you're going to be making the trip from the bay area, I can also show you how to get around chain control. PM me.

3. The best stuff is in Marin. In super loc'd out spots. Pacifica and Santa Cruz also schralp. Again, PM.

4. Congrats, you no no longer have to tune your skis. Well, at least I don't.

4.

[schuss]

Neighborhood - near parks of some sort, near decent city eats/stuff, fog level low. Preferably near the north end of the city so I can go biking.

I'm definitely open to suggestions, we walked around the northern half of the city this past weekend and that/telegraph hill were the ones we liked most. Note that I'm somewhat more open-minded about living location than the lady, as she wants sunshine/safe/coffee/eats/shopping in near proximity. I just want trees.

We also checked out saus/mill valley etc., but they're a bit sleepy.

[powdork]

i didn't bother reading the thread but i can tell you there is no way to move the bay area.

[54-46]

Where are you working? Care about commute? Good hood or riding more important?

[schuss]

Girl is working in north SOMA, I will be in either the financial district or working from home. Good hood is important, and we can generally afford most places. Just need trees nearby and decent coffee/tacos/eats nearby. Commute is semi-flexible.

[54-46]

Look at north side of Telegraph Hill: have 1 car between you. Walk to work; good coffee; lots to eat; better weather than Pac Hts or Marina and more interesting hood.

[BeanDip4All]

OK, so it looks like there's a 90% chance I'm moving to San Francisco in August/September.

cool! welcome! been here 3 years now and <3 it

Looking to get some advice from the collective around the area.

1. Best way to find apartments?

best to worst methods:
- have a friend that's moving out of an awesome place, take theirs
- walk around the neighborhoods, find "FOR RENT" signs, call landlords. this tends to find the "gems" because some of the older landlords with the best units don't know about craigslist, the internet... that's where you find the underpriced 2brs with gorgeous patios
- craigslist

HOWEVER, it seems here that most of the places come to rent pretty near in advance... like, you're not going to find much NOW for september. most places rent 2 or 3 weeks out, rarely a month out, never really that much further. at least in my experience. so, maybe don't sign a year lease now- set something up so you have a place to stay, but rent a temporary thing- sublease, don't lock yourself into an area until you get a chance to live here and really get a feel for what neighborhoods you like and whatnot. you're not going to flesh the entire city out in a weekend.

2. Skiing
Anyone want to be my ski buddy to Tahoe? Probably looking to take part in a skihouse or something similar. I'm good at falling down.

i'll pm ya

3. Biking
What are the best bike trails in the area? I'm likely going to be a remote worker, so I'll be working east coast hours and out of work in the early afternoon. Looking for the good MTB or road routes (Other than the presidio-GG-Sausalito loop that 8 million people appear to do)

not my area of expertise, but if you do rode riding i will show you some nice loops through the headlands, over in the east bay and peninsula
it's HILLY out here... hope you're prepared for that :P

4. General advice
Any other advice for an east coaster moving out?

- San Francisco is a lot skuzzier than east coast cities. just be aware. a lot more crime, a lot more open drugs, a lot more people begging you, attacking you, a LOT more dogshit on the ground (not many people pick up after their dogs here! what the hell?!?!), a lot more general filth
- when apartment hunting, you will find an oddly large amount of units with fireplaces, which is strange because you don't really need em here (and if you want to follow the rules, you can't burn shit anyways because of air pollution most of the time)
- landlords lie when they say "easy street parking!" don't take them at their word for that, just rent a unit that has a parking spot
- the bus system SUCKS ass... stops like every 2 blocks and filled with trash. Don't plan on living anywhere either of you have to commute by bus.
- own a car (it's not like nyc, you need a car to get anywhere good on weekends)
- the city closes a lot earlier than east coast cities... most people eat out by 7pm, it is strange... especially if you are used to nyc!
- you don't need to bring your heavy coats
- if she's working in north SOMA you might want to check out South Park- it's a cute little park that has lots of cafes and stuff. almost rented a place on it last year, cute area.
- also, if you own a dog, it makes it like a zillion times harder to rent an apartment!

[powdork]

^^^you make it sound, not so good.

[BeanDip4All]

^^^you make it sound, not so good.

i'm just keeping it real. lots of people think sf is this safe haven wonderful fun foodie playground for rich white kids from LA or the peninsula, and the thing is, it can be... but there's also a LOT of filth and crime here. LOTS. hang out at 7th and market for a bit on a friday night, or try to use the goddamn bathrooms in the public library (btw do NOT check out any books from the SF public library, they have bedbugs and scabies in them there is a reason rich people started their own private library called the mechanics institute), walk anywhere around the civic center, walk down market street without smelling like urine, walk around the upper haight without getting harrassed by street urchins or threatened by their pitbulls, walk around ANYWHERE and avoid the dogshit (why does no one pick up after their goddamn dogs here? WHY)

the city's fine, it's wonderful, it's fun, it's a yuppy paradise and all that but if you don't keep your wits about you and walk down market on looking up crap on your iphone it's gonna get jacked. if you park your car in your hood with 3 case of wine loaded in the back, it's going to get smashed into and taken.

open your eyes and look at all the orange caps on the ground on the sidewalk in the gutter- start noticing how many people are shooting up and throwing out the leftover parts on the street. when i'm at general i treat patients who come in to dry out (so much for newsom's "sobering centers" we are still on divert filled with etoh and drugs 60% of the time), leave with their iv bag still attached dragging it down to the busstop, head downtown to get high, then come back to get their methodone.

but yeah, my view of SF is skewed cuz i have to go into the worst of the worst of it for work. i walk into the SROs for ods and have to tread lightly not to step on needles, sunnydale projects for shootings, various sex clubs for asphyxiations and electrical burns. on the flip side, i also see some really dope ass real estate like the st francis wood mansions. (those places are crazy it's like the hamptons of SF)

anyways, sf is great, but it can also be really gross and violent. i've personally gotten attacked by crazy ass homeless people 3 times here in 3 years. once at 11am on a tuesday at van ness & geary... not exactly the most sketch part of the city.

oh and ps pizza and bagels suck here

[SuperGaper]

So if you were an ambulance driver in another major city you would not see those things?

Bean, no one asked you to move to SF.

In any case, it is important to realize that neighborhoods change pretty quickly in just a few blocks. Especially in the center of the city, i.e. The Western Addition/Hayes Valley/Lower Haight.

The Upper Haight has sucked since before the hippies. And then they made it worse. There is reason I maintain a ban on Grateful Dead/jambands wherever I work.

If you stay east of Masonic, the weather is better, and if you come in August, you better bring a coat, easily the worst weather of the year, but warmth is 20 minute drive away-

Beandip is spot on about leaving nothing, NOTHING in you car. I could leave my surfboards in first my Vanagon, then in back in my topper in my truck, but leave an I pod (or CD's back in the day) and BAM!

[54-46]

As a SF native who lived in Russian Hill, N.Beach/Tel Hill and Pac Hts, and who went to school on the Tenderloin, IMO, it's easy to stay in the yuppie parts of SF and keep your shoes "white" if you want.

If you want a more diverse experience, that's easy too. Had many nights where I had a biz dinner downtown and then went to the Mission to drink.

It's a city; keep your wits about you and don't be shy about crossing the street if your gut tells you to avoid someone.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Move to Fairfax or Corte Madera and take the ferry from Larkspur. Fuck SF, you said you want sun, ha ha!

[schuss]

Yep, nothing really surprising here, and mostly confirming a lot of my thoughts around the city. It's still a city, so I don't expect it to be totally "clean" in any way, shape or form. Especially one filled with hippies and their nebula. Based on walking around, it does seem fairly easy to avoid the more vagrant elements if you want, but even when I grabbed some food in the loin, it's just a "don't be stupid" game.

[SuperGaper]

As a SF native who lived in Russian Hill, N.Beach/Tel Hill and Pac Hts, and who went to school on the Tenderloin, IMO, it's easy to stay in the yuppie parts of SF and keep your shoes "white" if you want.

If you want a more diverse experience, that's easy too. Had many nights where I had a biz dinner downtown and then went to the Mission to drink.

It's a city; keep your wits about you and don't be shy about crossing the street if your gut tells you to avoid someone.

Just curious, if not Hastings, what school is in the Tenderloin?

Grew up in the Richmond, went to HS out by City College, talk about some time spent on Muni.

[54-46]

Yep; went to Hastings. Lived in Panhandle when I was little and walked to Niner games at Kezar.

Back to OP, make connections to find a place. Also, 1 car + scooter/motorcycle is good vehicle set-up for a couple w/no kids. Once you have kids, move to Marin...

[schuss]

Yep; went to Hastings. Lived in Panhandle when I was little and walked to Niner games at Kezar.

Back to OP, make connections to find a place. Also, 1 car + scooter/motorcycle is good vehicle set-up for a couple w/no kids. Once you have kids, move to Marin...

Heh, already have the motorcycle. Hopefully no kids for a bit, though Marin is nice.

[ilikecandy]

Who's afraid of homeless people? They arent very strong - they dont eat very much

[Kied]

Coming from a fellow NH transplant, SF is the shit. I used to live in Noe near 24th... it's a pretty mellow area with lots of parks/eats nearby and fairly easy to commute. Definitely worth checking out. I'm trying to move back this fall and haven't found much else out there besides Craigslist. If lofts are your thing there's this place http://www.ubayp.com/rent/sanfrancisco.htmlsome are absurd expensive but the places in the Mission were fairly reasonable. If I'm back down there I'll be in Tahoe almost every week for work/ Ski Squaw, so if you need a ride you're welcome to it. For biking in the Bay... I'm way more familiar with Tahoe, but from what I hear... Mt Tam, Skyline, Diablo?

[AKbruin]

I agree with SuperGaper regarding Cow Hollow and would add that it's not really convenient to anything other than Marin. Unless you're going via the GG Bridge, it'll take you a frustratingly long time to get out of the city.

Where to live: Personally, I don't really like a lot of the places in SF that non-SF'ers seem to covet--e.g., the Marina, Cow Hollow, Union Square, Pacific Heights, Russian Heights, or North Beach. These places seem to me to be the cheesier, least San Franciscan neighborhoods.

I've lived in West Portal, Cole Valley, Mission Dolores, and the Lower Haight. The only place I wasn't crazy about was Mission Dolores, and that was because I had a shitty apartment that was a little too close to the 16th Ave BART station and Valencia St. bars. If it were closer to the park, it would have been sweet.

Depending on where you are in life (marriage, kids, etc.), I like the area around Haight and Divisadero--e.g., Alamo Square, Lower Haight, Upper Haight (but not directly on Haight), Western Addition (not too far from Alamo Square), the Panhandle, Cole Valley (probably my favorite neighborhood in SF). West Portal is also a solid neighborhood, especially if you have kids or don't like the urban blight that Beandip talks about.

But now that I've started this neighborhood-by-neighborhood analyis, I realize that I don't have the time or energy to go through each neighborhood right now. Suffice it to say that there are a lot of great neighborhoods in SF, many of which you've probably never heard of before. Check things out and don't rule out a neighborhood simply because Frommer's doesn't discuss it.

Mountain Biking: Marin has some great stuff. Get yourself a Tamarancho pass and learn what else is in the area. (PM me, and I'll give more details.) If you have a 5"+ bike, Pacifica is a lot of fun too. Further afield, there are places both north (Anadel) and south (Santa Cruz) you'll want to explore for mountain biking.

Anyhow, SF is a great city. It's expensive and an extremely complicated place to raise kids these days, but it's a lot of fun too. Enjoy.

[AKbruin]

Just curious, if not Hastings, what school is in the Tenderloin?

Grew up in the Richmond, went to HS out by City College, talk about some time spent on Muni.

That's the problem with the Richmond. It's not a bad place, but you're committing yourself to spending a great amount of time on buses to get anywhere else in the city. There's also the fog, although it never bothered me when I lived in WP or CV.

I'm pretty sure I taught at your high school as a substitute in 2002/03. Fun stuff. I should add that working as a substitute teacher in SF may be the worst job ever. Even though I did it for less than a year, I think I pretty much took every Muni route in the city as part of that job. Some of the schools I "taught" at in SF made the schools in Dangerous Minds and Stand And Deliver look like Rushmore. And this is coming from someone who went to a public high school in East San Jose fucked up enough to average a homicide or two a year and have its own preschool (for the many students with kids).

[54-46]

Used to love hitting the Lower Haight about 20 years ago. Would go drinking at Toronado, Mad Dog in the Fog, and Nicki's BBQ, etc., but got stabbed in the liver there one night by some f'n speed freak (someone started a fight and about 6 seconds later, I was stuck with a knife. Never saw it coming.) Was stabbed right in front of India's Oven. I'd still go down there after that happened, but keep my wits about me.

Everyone has their own take on what's a good hood and you really have to be around a while to know. Even if you have a 1 year lease, it goes fast unless you totally messed up on your choice (which you won't do). Good luck.

[SuperGaper]

That's the problem with the Richmond. It's not a bad place, but you're committing yourself to spending a great amount of time on buses to get anywhere else in the city. There's also the fog, although it never bothered me when I lived in WP or CV.

I'm pretty sure I taught at your high school as a substitute in 2002/03. Fun stuff. I should add that working as a substitute teacher in SF may be the worst job ever. Even though I did it for less than a year, I think I pretty much took every Muni route in the city as part of that job. Some of the schools I "taught" at in SF made the schools in Dangerous Minds and Stand And Deliver look like Rushmore. And this is coming from someone who went to a public high school in East San Jose fucked up enough to average a homicide or two a year and have its own preschool (for the many students with kids).

As opposed to West Portal? You were close to The Philosopher's Club though.

Went to public school until HS, would have gone to Washington, one block from my house, but went to that little college prep school on Ocean Ave with the funny name.

If you live in the Richmond, I find it best to live in the inner Richmond and on the Lake street side of Geary, of course my parents still live at 3rd and Clement.

54-46, lived in the lower Haight for 2 years and had some "interesting" run ins with crack fiends, that was early 90's though, seems a lot nicer now. Nice that you saw the Niners at Kezar, I was 6 when they moved to the Stick.

AK, the OP has a motorcycle, so inner Richmond to downtown is 15 minutes, maybe 20 tops door to door, did that one for 5 years. Mission about the same, gotta love legal lane splitting.

I prefer Inner Richmond, Inner Sunset, Maybe Cole Valley if it is away from Haight. As someone new to the city, it might be tougher to sus out the nicer from the seedier which as I mentioned can be just blocks apart. That makes the some other areas more of crap shoot.

For good weather, the Mission and Potrero Hill, Noe Valley are good, but far from the cycling etc. It doesn't really matter though, you will be wearing a jacket and pants at night. The nice thing is it doesn't rain from the end of may til the end of October. The bad thing is the fog (for some) not me, grew up with it.

I think you will like.

[AKbruin]

A motorcycle does in fact change things a bit.

West Portal is only 23 minutes to Embarcardero via Muni and there 4 lines, so that means there's basically a train every couple minutes, and a lot of the time you can get a seat.