Author Topic: Bay Area. Any advice?  (Read 1417 times)

Abe

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2647
Bay Area. Any advice?
« on: May 13, 2019, 08:42:39 PM »
Hey everyone, two of my friends is moving to the Bay Area (South end of it, near Palo Alto) and we've been commiserating about options for renting up there. They aren't going to want to share rooms in a house or anything like that. Condo or a small house that has been renovated in the last 50 years is preferred, but apartment buildings are also acceptable. Any advice on neighborhoods to look at?

ysette9

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8930
  • Age: 2020
  • Location: Bay Area at heart living in the PNW
Re: Bay Area. Any advice?
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2019, 08:53:30 PM »
Palo Alto is usually considered the Peninsula, not South Bay. :)

Where will you and/or your friends be based out of? Meaning, where will people be commuting to most of the time? This will help our recommendations. If you want something centered around Palo Alto then I recommend Craigslist housing section (search Peninsula for Palo Alto north, and South Bay for south, though oftentimes you'll find Mountain View postings in each sub section, so be flexible). Palo Alto is a wonderful town and you'll pay a premium to be there. Things will be slightly cheaper if you go one city south (Mountain View) or one city north (Menlo Park). Redwood city (two cities north) will definitely be cheaper, but it isn't nearly as nice. For commuting purposes just keep in mind that the general rule is that the cheaper the housing is, the worse the commute will be. So living in the south bay (San Jose, for example) will provide, relatively speaking, much more affordable housing, but the commute will suck donkey balls. Living on the Peninsula somewhere and commuting south in the morning will cost more for housing but give you a much better quality of life for commute.

If you can provide more details then we can provide better advice.

Abe

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2647
Re: Bay Area. Any advice?
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2019, 09:03:46 PM »
Thanks! Their work will be primarily around Sunnyvale (multiple sites but that's geographically the center). I mentioned Palo Alto since their future colleagues recommended it, but they're open to wherever makes commute not suck.

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22318
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: Bay Area. Any advice?
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2019, 10:28:51 PM »
Hey Abe, I was just wondering how you were doing, because I haven't seen anything from you lately. I just figured you were busy. Imagine that.

Then I saw this post and hopped on over. @ysette9 immediately came to mind and boom, there she is.

I have nothing to add, except that I love this community!

ysette9

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8930
  • Age: 2020
  • Location: Bay Area at heart living in the PNW
Re: Bay Area. Any advice?
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2019, 10:53:20 PM »
Thanks! Their work will be primarily around Sunnyvale (multiple sites but that's geographically the center). I mentioned Palo Alto since their future colleagues recommended it, but they're open to wherever makes commute not suck.
Is bike commuting an option? If so then I’d start by looking in Sunnyvale itself. It is mostly a boring expanse of overgrown strip mall and suburbia, but the same can be said of most of the South Bay. Downtown Sunnyvale is undergoing a revitalization and redevelopment and is turning into a nice place to be. It has a target and a farmer’s market and other retail going in as well as being right next to a Caltrain stop, so it would be a good place to look if you want a low-car lifestyle.

I’d look next at Mountain View as it is a sweet little town, though popular. It also has a Caltrain stop downtown with housing around and access to the Stevens Creek trail which is great for running and biking.

Abe

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2647
Re: Bay Area. Any advice?
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2019, 09:47:36 PM »
Thanks for your advice and run-down of the different towns, ysette! I'll pass it along. I think biking would be feasible for them on some days of the week.

Hi Dicey! This community is great. I have been busy the last few months. We are moving to Orange for a year for my last year of training! Then we will begin looking at long-term jobs in California. I have a few leads, but it's too early for most of the university hospitals to have an idea of openings. Kaiser is trying to recruit me to Sacramento, where several of my friends have ended up. There's a good chance I'll take that position since the pay and pension are quite good. Will keep you all posted!

Tuskalusa

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 442
Re: Bay Area. Any advice?
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2019, 12:06:57 AM »
My DH commutes from Santa Clara to Sunnyvale. Most of his route is on bike paths. Your friends might like to consider Santa Clara, as well.

Dicey

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 22318
  • Age: 66
  • Location: NorCal
Re: Bay Area. Any advice?
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2019, 06:59:18 AM »
Thanks for your advice and run-down of the different towns, ysette! I'll pass it along. I think biking would be feasible for them on some days of the week.

Hi Dicey! This community is great. I have been busy the last few months. We are moving to Orange for a year for my last year of training! Then we will begin looking at long-term jobs in California. I have a few leads, but it's too early for most of the university hospitals to have an idea of openings. Kaiser is trying to recruit me to Sacramento, where several of my friends have ended up. There's a good chance I'll take that position since the pay and pension are quite good. Will keep you all posted!
IIRC, you're already in Orange County (Irvine), so I think you mean the City of Orange, which used to be much less expensive than Irvine. Not sure if that's still true,  but I hope it means your rent will decrease. I think Sacramento has a lot to offer in the way of work/life balance. Easy access to major rivers and mountains, a small, but nice airport, excellent mustachian grocery shopping, like Winco, Aldi, Grocery Outlet and 99 Only, plus great Farmer's Markets. Great sports and concert venues plus lots of museums keep your entertainment options varied and interesting. Kaiser has a huge presence there, with a lot of newer facilities, especially in Roseville. Traffic is crappy in some areas, but considerably better than the Bay Area or O.C. Best of all, housing is much more reasonable than average for CA. You get a lot of bang for your buck. You also get a lot of heat in the summertime.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!